Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-08-20
DEATH
ReapS a Great Harvest at
Denver.
AT LEAST TWENTY-FIVE PERSONS
LOSE THEIR LIVES.
THE BOJLER EXPLODES.
T.
HOTEL wAsA% LILY WRECKED
AND suRRouA y BUILDINGS
BADLY Ky CD.
Fire Department of the city Busy ut
Work Recovering the bodies
ar fh. NIaa..ns

Denver, August ia portion OF the
Gumry hotel Is still standing, gaunt
ana sinister, constantly threatening to
crash down upon those digging in the
ruins at any time The search for vic
tins has been carried ON with the ut
most energy with the aid OF 20 arc
lights. Flames broke out again afresh
In the wreck tonight and the fire en-
glnes are again pouring forth water.
stlll further impeding the work Of res-
cue. The list Of dead and missing now
number %, making the disaster the
worst that ever occurred In the city.
Up to eight o'clock only seven bodies
mad been recovered, being those OF
Manager Creiner and wife, clasped in
each others arms George Burt, rail-
road conductor; Mrs. George X. Wolfe
and daughter: Fred Hubbold and WIN
Richards, the elevator operator at the
hotel.
The Gumry hotel. 1925 to l7s3, Law
renee street, was wrecked by a ter
rifle explosion at 1910 a. m. The rear
half of the building, iive-stury brick
and stone structure. went down with
n crash,
Among the missing is now included
Elmer Pierce, the engineer who Is
said TO have entered the hotel before
the explosion occurred. II Is to this
mans carlessness that the disaster is
attributable.
Judge James Gllnn. who was at first
supposed to have been In his room at
the hotel. turns out to be at Holy
oke, Col, where he was spending sun
day with friends. A vast throng sur
rounds the building on every side,
pressing forward as far as the fire
ropes will allow. The police are con-
stantly guarding against any one slip
ping through the lines on account Of
the great danger that the front OF the
building may fall.
The scenes surrounding the death OF
James Murphy, the contractor. were
heart ending. The firemen engaged
at the rear OF the building heard the
agonizlng cries of a man as he was
burning and asking them to continue
| TO play the water. After n few hours
he-Oic work the fremen reached him.
His lower limbs were plnioued between
| two heavy joists. After the most her
| culean efforts with dense smoke blind
| ing them the iircmen released Murphy's
| left leg. At this moment a shot of
flame compelled them TO withdraw.
| Murphy then offered his rescuers $1,000
| to get him out and piteously demanded
them to chop his left leg of. A second
! later the west wall collapsed, covering
Murphy with tons OF ruins. Mr.. Muir
ply came to Denver from Omaha six
weeks ago.
Mrs. George r.. Wolfe, from Lincoln,
Neb., visiting Mrs. Schmittel, was n
victim of the catastrophe, She was
accompanied by her 5-year-old daugh-
ter Mrs Wolfe's husband Is promi-
nent tobacco manufacturer OF Lincoln.
He left the hotel yesterday for o. tour
of Colorado.
Omaha are among the missing. They
registered Mt the Guhnrey Sunday af-
teinoon. and have not been seen since
the explosion.
Mrs. Brown telegraphed an inquiry
from Omaha and Chief Gouldin an
swered that there were little hopes OF
her husband being alive. A suit of
clothes We're found IN the ruins In the
pockets Of which was 1000 mile rail-
road book bearing the name OF a. s.
Lucky and letter addressed to MISS
Haiti Layton, Belvdere, H., j. u. ca
kins, wife and baby, who we're thought
for n time to have been Victims or
the casualty have been located In the
highlands Mr.. Calkins IL Newspaper
man from Davenport, Ia, city editor OF
the Gazette. They registered at the
Gumrey on their arrival here, but later
went to stay with friends.
NJ. p. Letson, dairyman q tEls
city, was In the ruins ten hours before
he was rescued, His injuries were a
crushed arm. several Commissions and
The shock to his nerves.
Mr.. Letson said 81 was more on
cased than pinioned, as only my left leg
there. where you see the baniaSts' ana
my right arm were held down by any
weights. You cannot have The falniest
Idea OF my feelings as l lay tae;e m
INC haitian of the basement, with all
The ruins on top and around me, rear
ing the excruciating cries OF the lying
and being almost overcome ny the
shock and smoke, soaked Win WI.
and almost drowned, ana iearlhs .u IN
the next minute l would be buried
alive" -. tha taxnio-
The total loss caused by me fee sl
.ta,, mud Arc is about 1890. me bn",
10 hotel was worth about S2o'ooV anu
hsd 5000 worth Of furnitise. II Is a
total wreck, but was Insured Tor SZe,-
900 The McMann block, which stah1s
next TO the Gumry, was aiso ne s, II;
damaged. II IS owned BY ColoheI ~.
RIshop. and was built In 1871 IL IL
q four story pressed brick, and rs oc-
a,.taj throughout by A. Lilllblaue
s,,rniture company. The H'hole pioek
vas ruined. The loss OF the Duliul li,i
10 about SOS, 900. and the bnildlns WI
have 10 be torn down. rms uloeA
niihIade valued at $4,000. is only par
TALLY lost. oaonie who
80 certainly in the hotel when me
.,,t,stan occurred a score Were sot.stn
mi safely, three were rescued WI" ~,
more or less serious injuries aha IL
others were unluesuonaoly h,,s,t.,sa
meath the mass OF bricks ~ ~. rsar ~
,,,',,,,s and twisted iron at the rea, -
~ r,,,nea bulldng. The hremsh Iho-
~ Min energy at the work o. eNsa-
.,.,don INT ii will be perhaps Gays pc
ss.a he uncertain horrors OF the heap
~ destruction can be fdlly told.