Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-08-22

The Gumry Hotel, at Denver, Colo,
was wrecked by q terrific explosion at
1910 .. m. Monday. The rear half Of
the building, Q five story brick and stone
structure, went down with crash. The
hotel was crowded with guests and be-
tween forty and fifty of them were killed,
a. well as the entire force of hotel en-
ployes, who were sleeping in the portion
Of the building which fell
No meals were served In the hotel and
every guest entered on the register occu-
pied room In the hotel Sunday, most OF
them late at night, the list being a. fol-
lows:
Mrs. o. H. Knight, Lake City.
Mrs. knights sons. -.
j. I. Kirk. Omaha.
J. @. Brown, Omaha.
Bud Buren,, Colorado Springs.
j. w. Roberts and wife, Colorado
Springs.
Miss Jennie Haword, Boston.
Mrs. O. w. Williams, Boulder.
Miss Hattie III. Williams, Boulder.
w. @. McClain, Huron, Kan.
Mrs. McClain and child, Huron, Kan.
Henry Sloan. Huron, Kan.
Mrs. Henry Sloan, Huron, Kan.
George Burle, Colorado Springs.
u. Il. McClosky, Cripple Greek, Colo.
It. French, Central City, Colo.
B. Lorah, Central City, Colo.
WI. Corson, Pueblo.
M. Z. Letson, Denver.
Probably Sixty Killed.
At 3 a. m. Monday only fifteen persons
who are known to have been in the build
ing at the time of the explosion are ac-
counted for. This leaves sixty supposed
to be dead.
Henry Sloan and wife, of Huron, Kan,
and w. @. McClain, cashier of the Huron
State Bank, are among those taken down
by ladders, and are all more or less in
jured.
On both sides of Lawrence, from 18th
to 18th street, and on Larimer, directly
back of the Gumry, the plate-glass win
dows Of the business houses were blown
in and n number Of pedestrians were in
jured by falling glass. The fronts Of
many buildings in the vicinity were badly
wrecked.
The hotel structure, for 100 feet along
the alley and extending IS feet toward the
front, Is a mass of debris. Brick and
plaster piled in heaps twenty feet high,
and from this mass of wreckage could be
heard the means of the injured and dying.
The cause Of the explosion is uncertain,
but it Is supposed that the battery Of boil
ers in the hotel basement must have ex-
ploded. The sound of the explosion was
heard throughout the city, awakening
people in bed mile from the scene. A
cloud of dust was thrown thousand feet
in the air, and, as there was not breath
of wind, it hung in the air like huge col
| umn. Minute atoms of powdered brick
and s,ortar descended like gentle snow.
At 1880 the ruins began burning fierce
| ly and the firemen were obliged to retreat
| from the work Of rescue. Every engine
| in the city was pouring streams into the
mass, but the flames could not be possibly
| got under control before the injured were
cremated.
| As their chances of escape lessened the
cries of the imprisoned people were In
creased, heartrending shrieks rising from
every portion of the great mass Of wreck
age.
During the height of the excitement
team ran away on 18th street, stamped
ing the great crowd of spectators. A
number Of people were more or less in
jured by being trampled upon and falling
In the broken glass which covered the
| streets and sidewalks in every direction.
Electric-light wires dangling from brok-
en- poles in the alley added fresh peril to
the firemen. Ono horse was burned by
coming in contact with live wire.
Two Injured women had been almost
extricated from the ruins when the flames
approached SO close that the rescuers had
to abandon them for safety. The bodies
of three women were also to be seen In
the back part Of the building, but could
not be reached. Hardly had the fremen
got fairly at work when they were forced
to retreat.
Proprictors of the Hotel Killed.
Among the dead are Peter Gumry and
r. @. Grenier, the proprietors of the ho-
tel, the day clerk and the night clerk, none
of whose bodies have been found. Imme-
diatcly after the explosion occurred
baby was heard wailing in the corner of
room which had nearly all fallen away.
Its parents had gone down with the first
crash. Afterward the little ones cries
became weaker and weaker, and when the
flames shot up into the skeleton Of the
building it became silenced. The fremen
made brave effort to save woman
caught in the debris of the north corner of
the hotel, but were forced to abandon the
attempt.
The Gumry Hotel was five-story brick
with stone front, and was built about six
years ago. 1t was of the better kind of
second-class hotels, catering largely to
transient family patronage. Thus many
women and children were among the
guests. The building was put up as the
Eden Musee by the widow of Gen. Tom
Thumb, and was so occupied for several
years, later being remodeled for use as a
hotel. Gumry and Grenier have owned
the hotel for several years. Mr.. Gumry
was prominent contractor and had done
much of the work during the building Of
the State capitol Mr.. Grenier acted in
the capacity Of manager.
| Told I'm n Few Lines.