The Washington bee. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1884-1922, 1895-08-24

Denver, Aug 19.-The Gumry hotel
was wrecked by theexplosion at 1910 this
morning. The rear half Of the build
ing. a five-story brick and stone struc-
ture. went down with crash. The ho-
tel was crowded with guests. On both
sides Of Lawrence street, from Seven
teenth to Eighteenth streets. and on
Larimef street, directly back OF the
Gumry, the plate glass windows Of the
business houses were blown In and a
number OF pedestrians were injured by
falling glass. The fronts OF many build
ings In the vicinity were badly wrecked.
The hotel structure, for 100 feet along
the alley and extending Seventy-f1ve
feet toward the front, is mass Of de-
bris. Brick and plaster were piled in
heaps twenty feet high, and from this
mass of wreckage were heard the means
Of the injured and dying. At 1895 Ave
injured persons were taken out. They
were all inmates Of the upper story and
sank down with the noors, escaping
more fortunately than those below.
The remaining portion of the building,
from which the guests were removed
by ladders as fast as possible, was ex-
pected to fall at any moment and pre-
cautions to prevent further loss Of life
added to the difficulty in reaching the
dead and injured. By some estimates
forty people were In the portion Of the
hotel destroyed, nearly all of whom
must be dead. It is supposed that the
battery of boilers in the hotel basement
must have exploded. The sound of the
explosion was heard throughout the
city, awakening people in bed a mile
from the scene. A cloud of dust was
thrown a thousand feet in the air.
AT 1880 the ruins were still burning
s(iercely and the f1remen were obliged to
retreat from the work Of rescue.
Every engine in the city poured
water into the mass, but the flames
could not be gotten under control be-
fore many of the injured were Gre
mated.
During the height of the excitment a
team ran away on Eighteenth street,
stampeding the great crowd of specta-
tors. number of people were more
OR less injured by being trampled on
and falling in the broken glass, which
covered the streets and sidewalks in
every direction. Electric light wires
dangled from broken poles in the alley
and added fresh peril to the firemen.
One horse was killed by coming In con-
tact with live wire. Two injured wo-
men had almost been extricated from
the ruins when the flames approached
go close that the rescuers had to aban-
don them, for their own safety. Both
voices were soon silenced, the fire COM
pleting the work commenced by the
explosion.
Up to two o'clock six other persons
in the house had been taken from the
ruins, all badly injured. In addition.
four were severely cut by glass falling
into the street. A piece Of the corntce
of the Cheesman block at Seventeenth
and LRrimer streets, fully block from
the Gumry Hotel, was torn out and fell
to the street, narrowly missing several
passers-by. The fragment weighed at
least ton.
Among the dead are Peter Gumry and
r. G. GrenieF, the proprietors OF the no
tel, and the day clerk and the night
clerk, none of whom have been found.
Immediately after the explosion occur
red baby was heard waiting In the
corner of q room which had nearly fall
len away. It's parents had gone down
with the first crash. Afterwards the lit
err, and when the flames shot up into
the skeleton of the building they be
came silenced. The f1remen made q
brave effort TO save woman caught In
the debris Of the north corner Of the
hotel, but were forced to abandon the
soon the hottest part OF the fire.
The force Of the explosion carried
away a large portion Of the rear Of the
building adjoining the hotel and one oc-
cup4ad by A. B. Wade, Wholesale and
retail furniture. The wall Of the Gumry
on the side toward Eighteenth street
crushed q stable and small frame
house. but no one was injured.
The Gumry was q fEe-story brick
with stone front and was built about
six years ago. 1t was Of the betksr kind
OF second-ciass hotels, catering largely
to transient family patronage. Thus
many ladies and children were among
the guests The building was built as
the Eden Musee by the widow of Gen
eral Tom Thumb and was so occupied
later being remoaeled for use as a hotel
Gumry & Grenier have owned the hote
for several years.
Mr.. Gumry was a prominent contrac-
tor and had done much Of the work
during the building Of the State Cap.
itol Mr.. Grenier acted In the capacity
OF manager.