Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1895-08-23
BISMARCK WEEKLY TRIBUNE: FRIDAY, AUG. 3 1895

inquired eagerly for him. He said that
it was his brothers. custom to retire
early on Sunday evenings. If it is true
that Mr.. Adams was in his room, he
is undoubtedly among the dead.
A. L. Blake of Florence, Colo, was
sleeping in the room directly over the
boiler, and Mr.. Rubbe places him
among the dead.
Myron E. Hawley, a clerk in the
freight department. of the Union Pa
cifc railway Office, roomed in the rear
end, and had been in the house for a
long time. He had gone to bed early
and is counted among the lost.
James Murphy, a contractor, was a
regular boarder, and also roomed in the
destroyed portion. Mr.. Rupbe says he
was in his room and he also must be
among the dead.
Whole Rear Half Demolished.
The whole rear half of the hotel was
blown to atoms and the front portions
are merely shattered and burned frag-
ments of a house. The force of the
explosion was so great chat for two
blocks on Lawrence street and for some
| distance III Larimer street every win
dow in the business blocks were shat
tered into pieces on the pavements. 1t
was a catastrophe complete and pitiless
in it's horrors.
The dust had cleared away
what when the firemen reached the
place. There. was no fire to be seen
then. In front of the house there was
a sound Of glass falling and people
were rushing in night clothes in horror
from the doors and appealing ~piteously
from the windows for help. The ex-
plosion awoke the guests in the front
part of the house and by the time the
fremen reached the scene were ready
to be taken from the windows. The
firemen, with torch and lantern, en-
tered into all parts of the house.
First to demand attention of the
ambulance corps was Michael G. Bur-
CESS, who was walking along Lawrence
street on the opposite side from the
hotel when the explosion occurred.
The flying glass cut him about the
head and face in a frighteul II
His injuries are very serious, though
not necessarily fatal. He is a painter
from Custer City, S. D.
Bud Hopkins, a bartender at the
Gumry, was found on the floor of the
hotel, unconcious and bleeding from
many cuts. His injuries are not
serious.
Joe Munal was found in the base
ment, dressed only in his under clothes
and was completely covered with ashes
and dirt. His injuries, though severe,
are not thought to be fatal.
These three are the only injured per-
sons who had been taken to the county
hospital up to s a. III.
Six persons, including a woman and
a baby, were taken off the roof of the
building adjoining the Gumry, occu.
pied by A. Lillyblade.
Divided in the Center.
The hotel was divided about the cen.
, ter by a rotunda, or court, running tc
the top Of the building, though covered
at the second floor. The building had
been split in two at this point of divis'
ion and the entire five stories back Of
the rotunda were thrown into a shape
: less mass in the alley. Five stories Of
brick, wood and iron, with the human
occupants, were made a mere heap Of
death-containing ruins. The frag
ments of the wreck on Lawrence
street lowered up into the air, darl
and yawning, while a great section o.
. the roof hung in threatening suspep'
!, sion over the chaos below. Out of thu
;. pile of brick, wood and iron below
l there came feeble means and piteou'
l cries for help.
Cries for Help Ceased.
> A fireman clambering up the noun
! tain of ruins felt his feet crunch
5 against human flesh. He reached
o down and touched with his hand al
r arm protruding from the mass beneath
e him. There still seemed to be no fire
g The blaze had been smothereG ~ tn
8 falling building and the firemen de
;, voted their efforts to the work Of res
cuing. And then suddenly the flame
broke out and the workers were driver
away and the voices ceased to cry 70
d help. The great mass was from tina
d moment nothing but a grave. TIL
n most that the firemen could do, Will
the flames shot up fiercely and smok
drove them back, was to fight fiercel
for the life Of one poor fellow, Josep!
= Munal, whose head and shoulders pre-
y truded from the burning mass. H
was finally taken out, but may die Q
n of his injuries.
l. At times the cries of a babe and tn
means OF men and women could b
heard, but the flames and smoke il
10 creased and finally the voices were a
- silenced.
At 4:30 a large force of men an
teams began hauling away the debris
At daylight three bodies were in sigh,
p two men and a woman, but it was in
II possible to uncover them enough I
identify them, the fire being too dang
re- erous.
W Engineer Was Drunk.
at There is no doubt the. disaster ws
X caused by a boiler explosion. Fran
Loescher, the engineer, it is said, we
intoxicated, and after turning a quar-
tity of cold water into the hot boiler
~ left the building ten minutes before til
III nv~1osioy, ooo,rro1 Tho ~~o1ioo n,