Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1895-08-22
AWFUL DISASTER.
The Gumry Hotel at Denver, COL,
Wrecked by an Explosion.
FORTY PEOPLE PROBABLY KILLED.
Some Think That the Total Number Of
Dead May Amount to sixty--Only
Fifteen Of the Inmates Are
Accounted For.

Fifteen Of the Inmates Are
Accounted For.
DENVER, COL, Aug. 1.-THE Gumry
hotel, 1928 to 1888 Lawrence street, was
wrecked by terrific explosion at 1910
this morning, the rear half Of the
building, fve-story brick and stone
structure, going down with crash.
The hotel was crowded with guests
and many Of them must have been
killed, as well as the entire force Of
hotel employees, who were sleeping In
the portion OF the building at the time.
On both sides Of Lawrence from Seven.
tenth to Eighteenth streets, and on
Larlmer, directly back Of the Gumry,
the plate glass windows OF the business
houses were blown in and q number OF
pedestrians were injured 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 for rs feet to-
ward the front, is merely mass Of de-
bris Brick and plaster are piled In q
heap 20 feet high, and from this mass
Of wreckage can be heard the means
Of the injured and dying
At 1895 o'clock five injured persons
had been taken out. They were all
inmates Of the upper story and sank
down with the floors, escaping more
fortunately than those below, who are
still buried In the ruins. By some esti.
mates forty people were In the portion
OF the hotel destroyed, nearly all OF
whom must be dead. The cause Of the
explosion Is uncertain, but 1t Is sup
posed that the battery OF boilers In
the hotel basement must have ex-
ploded.
During the height Of the excitement
Il hose team ran away on Eighteenth
street, stampeding q great crowd OF
SPECTATORS A number Of people were
more or less injured by being trampled
upon and falling in the broken glass,
which covers the street and sidewalk
in every direction. Electric light wires
from broken poles in the alley
added fresh peril TO the fremen One
horse was Lilled nv coming in contact
with n Iva v,re
Two ,n;urod woman had been almost
ov,roc,od from tbo uins whom tho
flames annroacbod 90 close that tho
rsso,ors had N abandon tbem for their
oyyn safe,v Roth voices have now
hoer s;lencod are comnletlng the yorl,
commenced hv tbe evnlosion The
hod;os ~ tbrse ,vomen aro IN be scan
In the bacL mart Of ths building but
cannot he reuched
AZ I,ao o,clock tbe flames were stIll
I,eening tbe tremen hack from the
,yorL II rescue cvcent inst NJ tho line
n Tho allovwoll Tins far sly nersons
Louo hoor tol,or fror +ha rr;ns all
hadlv ipirrod In addition four ware
cut nv Glass falling into the
street Among the dead are Peter
,}umrv and R. q. (ireniera, the propri.
,tor Of the hotel, the day clerk and The
,icht clerk none of whom have been
'ound
The firemen made brave effort to
ave woman CAUGHT in the debris of
he north corner of the hotel, but were
'orced TO abandon the attempt. The
mot where she Law is now the hottest
,art of the fire. None of the six per.
IONS TINS far taken out are conscious
md Identification is impossible,
The force of the explosion carried
,wav n large portion of The rear of the
building adjoining the hotel and occu.
lied by A. Nllyblade. wholesale and
etail furniture, The walls of the
,umrv an the side toward Eighteenth
treet crushed n stable and a small |
rame housc Init no one was Injured
No mani. ,roro sorvsd IN ,bo hots,
nj orarn rrost orterod an tbo ror;stsr
aa..,,aa IA So, IL ~ Lo,a, ,ost Eli.
rwontv.two neonlo registered vester.
INV most of them late nj nigbt tho
ist beipgas follows. Mrs q II Knight
ahe civ. Mrs KNIGHTS sons. / T.
,irk Omaha. / c Rrowp Omaha.
nd Ruren Colorado snrings i W
,oberts md wife. Colorado Snrincs.
,Iiss .lenpjo Howard Doston, Mrs q
u Williams. Roulder. Miss Hattie II.
williams. Boulder. W c. McClaIn. Hin.
on. Kan. Mrs McClain and child. Hin. +
on Kan, Henry Sloan Huron Kan.
!, r. McCloskey. Cripple Creek. COL;