New Britain herald., 1927-01-26
COAL GAS FUMES
 FATAL ID THREE
Parents and Daughter Killed in
 Hartford Home

Hartford, Jan. 2s R,-John Jo- seph. 35, died at the Hartford hos pital early this morning. Mrs. Jo- seph and her baby daughter were found dead in the family's new cot tage on Hillside avenue yesterday afternoon. Poison gas fumes from the hot air furnace are said to have caused the deaths. Mrs. Joseph's brother. Frank Goncalves, 42. is critically i'll at the hospital. The Jo- seph's two other young children. Andre and Felicia. were also in tse house, but will recover.
 Last Sunday morning. Joseph moved his family from 20 Willow street to a cottage at 29S Hillside avenue where they intended to make their home. Frank Gregorio of : Queen street, Mrs. Joseph's brother in-law, furnished truck and sev- eral other friends helped. Joseph went early in the morning to the new home and started the furnace in the cellar, Gregorio said.
 About 10 a. m., the family and
  tage, which contained kitchen and two living rooms on the first floor and three bedrooms on the second floor. Gregorio and the others who had helped the family move left about ?. m.. Sunday. Just before they left. Gregorio said. Joseph went into the cellar and threw more coal into the furnace.
 'Nobody Home"
 The following day about 10 a. m. Gregorio returned to see if he could not help the family get set ted He knocked on the front door and on the back door but nobody replied. he said. Concluding that the family was out. he went away.
 About 3:3o o'clock yesterday Gregorio and his wife, Mrs. Jo- seph's sister, went to the house In their automobile. They knocked or the front door, but received no reply, they said. Thoroughly alarm cd they went 10 the back door. They knocked and Felicia, the T. ycar-o,d daughter of the Josephs. who was In the kitchen, went to the door.
 Where is your father and moth cr?" asked Gregorio.
 Asleep upstairs" replied the child
 "Go get the key and let us in" commanded Gregoro. The child obeyed, but was unable to unlock the door. She then handed the key to her aunt and uncle through window which Gregorio opened.
 Upstairs the couple found the husband and wife with the dead baby between them in the same bed in one of the three rooms. The woman also was dead. and the man was unconscious. In another bed room were found Goncalves and the boy Andre, both in emi-conscious condition.
 Probably Furnace
 Assistant Medical Examiner Golv- or l.. Howe said that the kitchen range could be ruled out as fac ter. Examining the furnace in the basement, he said, he found that the fue for drawing off the gases from the burning coal. was closed, while the dampers of the hot air delivery pipes were all open. In his opinion. Joseph being unfamiliar with the operation of the furnace thought that he had opened the smoke damp er as well as the hot air dampers. Dr. Howe was of the opinion that there may have been leaks in the hot air pipes through which the pent- up coal gas escaped. The register in the sleeping room of Mir. and Mrs. Joseph was open, Dr. Howe said, while those in the other two bedrooms were closed. A register in front hall. however, was open. All of the windows in the ! upper floor were closed and hung i, over with curtains. The door of | thc bed room was closed, also, he | said, a circumstance which contri- buted to the deaths and to saving ' the lives of the others.
 Felicia said last night at the home l of the Gregories where she was taken. that she retired early Sun- 1 day night. In response to questions | she told of waking up some time yesterday afternoon, about an hour | or two before uncle came. l went ! to Andres room and looked in | through the door. I forgot what he 1 said l went to mammals room. | She and papa and the baby were asleep. l tried to wake them up but I couldn't. So 1 went down. stairs and sat in the kitchen. It i vas cold. I put on my dress and stockings. Then uncle came. l feel ! pretty good. I thought today was Monday but uncle says it's Tues day. l slept Monday all day. I didn't wake up The child has not been apprised of the deaths
 Building Inspector Philip A. Ma son said last night that he would have heating inspectors connected with his department conduct a thor ough investigation into the circum- stances of the deaths. He declined to offer an opinion before person. ally examining the heating system and conditions in the dwelling.
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