The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-02-19
A HOTEL IN RUINS.
The Park Central House.
Hartford. Blown Up.
THrRrs-FIsE PEOPLE Los,
A Bsiier Exploded while all Were
Asieep-Searehlng for Corpses
in the Debris

dAFlighx fass ssarasnr abe efry sEas startled
~ tAe Se1ad 81 q Reasser expsossqa. ana
Immediately perSons Ia thar ssrxsoa near
The capital we7e further startled Ax the
s7z1d of sr2saiag w&12s ana faIsfrx tsss-
eerS mingled wiEh the screams of uexaen
ssd the sAaass of asn. oosNsng sreza TIE
! Tir5nity Of High and Aliez streets. wkseA
had been the site OF tae PARK Central
hcsel. These who hurried 50 tAe sr.ss
fossad huge pale cf stane xaa hrzck znss
spA1ferest fzmbeTs. from which whtra
cloatss of steafa z-ese streakcsa saa black
ened - wre2ias ef smoke that sasialy
! g-eg Gore 9euse- Thea Tongues os asssss
lsarxd out kerk aud there. graSsnalsy rsyu-
ing stronger. anti taS TaEn Was q raaysng
heap Tres ana s1nsas came from she
pale. which maze gAe eysfaufsers sick VITA
/ noEEo-. TIE frr department wMs soeu on
she serEe. aud 1n1ay streams Of rafer uerzs
Giracsed ayon TIC ssaznex
AS day ylighf esrae ON. fhe helpers az the
rains cosild see aseAiaG it tae anaex 20 the
building, ia wharA were h0Ese41 the sery-
snts of the b0sel. aud which ssss sss2resl
PARTON 0i the tiers cf rooms cf she
main nuzsdtng had rezn2iaei stand
inc. but the Partitions were tsrn
away and the roozns opened 70 che air TIE
hoors OF raaay OF thea bad partly given
way aud tnmbies fke ocrayanss and sarui-
ture mpon tAe confused ruin hei0w. The
frigAteaed emp}oyes were safely taken
from the &anex b aaaieFs Finally sac
flames were mastered BY the Erenaea au4
sank down froEa sight within fna ruins.
where the water hisseG and steamed asa9ng
the hot stones and bricks
As sGoE SIS the ruins were sufficiently
cooled hundreds Of willing hands ses aSsea,
the heroic task of removing the immense
nasonry and the enormous throag which /
breashless suspense.
The first person rescued was fsso-se
Gaiaes, cozered porter. who died soon az !
ter being taken ost- HeleH Leyogs. Jennie /
l'ecker and JScoo /. Io-pin were takesl oaf /
and found 10 De only slightly injured RAJ
chaei tranneS jumped from a window, ]
breaking her lsg. At9 o'ciack Harris x
stifise. 3 traveller from Philadelphia. was
reScaed from beneath = mass q timber. /
wIth hat slight injuries Near him was
found the body Of Dwight II. Baeli. who /
ha1 evidently been suifocesssi
By this time the crowd 0t spectators had /
increased 10 saef proportions as To greatly I
impede fRe work OF xeseuers. Accorainxly !
the militia was ordered cut 10 aid The /
police. and rendered excellent service I
during the day and night ln /
keeping the crowd back in bounds. /
By noon kilograms Of anxious inanlry /
were pouring IN from every part Of the /
country and friends of those supposed 10 /
be Ia the ruins we're arriving on every /
train, together with sa Immense crowd of 4
curious people from the surrounding /
fawus-
The lower floor ot a lsrge w0oi wsrp- /
house was made fsusporary morgue. The /
bodies were taken there as fast as re-
covered. and an opportunity offered for /
Identification By friends. Those not iaenti- 4
tied were taken In charge by the city. The /.
injured were promptly sent to hospital /
The recovery OF bodies was slow. owing 10 1
the immense accumulation Of debejs. eu; i
ST nearly regular Intervals one or two par /
ssss we're found daring the afternoon. /
They were recovered in the esdeT of the 1
nss given.
This catastrophe was deveid Of the hxr /
rowing details, hair breadth escapes and /
eonfssgration. One terrible crash. smoke. /
flames. quick rushing streams OF water /
aud all was over. For this reason the dis /
asfer simply overwheims The magnitude l
fact. It's extent is not yet known- TIE |
register OF the hotel Is not vet 1
found. anG Mr.. Perry. the night 1
clerk. Is barred ia the ruins. ]
bat from beSt estimates that can be OBJ /
tanned from the landlord and Others, IL Is !
probable there are not far from - people I
in the hotel proper. OF these perhaps four /
may have escaped uniniured amid the /
confusioa Of the early morning hours !
which would leave Is unaeconnsed fer /
(snldnight1 Is dead bodies have been taken |
from The ruins, leaving - ssill missing, bar
there may be more than this
The cause of the disaster was unioubs-
ediy the explosion of & loiier in the base /
meat No engineer was On daty a. the
engineer TO bknk his IRE and go 20 bed
He does not sleep ia the hotel This engi-
ueeT, Alex Thuers was arrested this after
noon on an indictment for msnslsughfer.
IL has been conleciarea that Gaines. the
cosare2 porter, may have started the punlps
/ throwing cold water into the oyeFheAted
boiler and thus causing she explosion. bat
this Is Only conjecture, aad Gaines is dead.
The force 81 the explosion wzs terrific.
All the people Ia that part Of The city were
awakened by the shock. Huge stones we're
scattered and iron pipes hens and twisted.
Windows in adjoining buildings and
across the street were demolished, and
pxnes of glass smashed two blocks away.
II IN believed % night thar Mrs. weesofl.
OF Springfield, vas Ia the hotel with her
/ i've children and servant She has not
been seen. II this proves true the aggre-
gate less of life would be raised by the
addition Of these seven victims.
/ The experiences % tfe survivors we're
remarkable aud fheiE escapes Miraculous
Waiter NJ say occupied roosa adjoining
Landlord ketehuns when he awoke be
/ found the bed shaking with bin. when IL
became stationary he found himself psnnff
down by the calling and ttnibeFs in such a
manner that he wss ansbae 20 move. he
soon h,aard the voices of Mr. and Nrs
Ketehutn aud cuaversed with them GOA
cerusnx the chsnses OF escape. Before
they were rescued the water poured into
Inc rains hy the h.ssnen hsd nearly coY-
cred his face
THE nKAn
A eofapIese list az the boeihs saksa out to
midnight ss a. follows Dwight II. Buell..
George Gaines fcosoTed porfsss. George
Engier af Hartford, John ". Haustan.
/ commercial Traveller OF Boston J. {. Hill.
commercial frAseleF OF BHfsi0. Lewis
III. Bronson, secrefAsy of the Hartford
Stone Co. his wife ana ehild; George
/ Ns:chnm, brother OF the landlord Ea1se
/ kesrhUna, aged II. sam og she lAHdlor1,
/ tseo W. aoof. commercial traveller. fFsn
Boston. A T. Srlitsan. corn Taereias sraFelsE
/ from Cincinnati: MaximIliAn Gaaogfy, pro-
| priesor OF tie Hartford Ht~aia. and hrs
wife. Mrs. Andrew /. whiting tvs nn-
/ known men
TIE victims at tne hospital ara ala doing
sgIi. most Of the IN ls-ses being superficial
although zll are suffering from ehsl and
exposure
sazne 81 The boSiIes Of the dead are sanen
/ dISEgure1 and burned. bat the faces OF
Eanss of them weTe nE& inlafed and q aeAxly
lifefsks expression
Electric lights base beaa pszs In sF0una
the rszi us aEa the search viii sse ysgoFeHssay
I pushed al night
HAMTFuRn, Feh I4--~Afe a rn. this tsS Of
| the ssssd has sern Increased % - kEghseen
inlaFed are la the hospital. snd 10 feysnsss
are known 10 kse ss1Is IN tas rllas.