The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-08-20
A Denver HOTEL HORROR
Nearly Twenty-Five Lives Sacrificed
by CareleSSness.
COLLAPSE or THE BUILDING


Denver. Colo, Aug. lS.-froDaDly
twenty-five men, women and children
perished by an explosion OF the boiler
In the Quincy hotel on Lawrence street
shortly after midnight this morning.
Half a dozen others are injured and at
the hospital. Eight burned and
crushed bodies are at the morgue. ten
more are known to be buried In the
ruins, but seventeen persons are re-
ported missing altogether.
With a deafening sound and terrific
force the entire rear portion Of the
building was demolished. The rear
and side wall crumbled like toy house.
Soon afterwards the mass of timbers.
brick and furniture caught fire, Gre
mating many of the victims. who lay
pinioned and helpless amid the blazing
pile. Their piteous appeals for help
could not be responded to because Of
the flames.
List Of the Killed.
The known killed. whose bodies have
been recovered, are:
X. c. Greiner. assistant superintend-
ent Of construction at the state capitol,
and his wife, who acted as clerk Of the
hotel.
George Burt. Of Denver, a conductor
on the Chicago, Rock Island and Paci-
fic railroad.
Fred Hubbod. Lisbon. Iowa, guest.
+. ]. McCloskey. Of Longmont, Col,
guest.
VIII Richards. Of Denver. elevator
boy.
Unknown woman, unknown child. 3
years old. The only means of Identify
ing the body of the woman Ia by a gold
band ring with the initials H. B." en-
graved thereon.
Tho Missing.
Among those who are missing and
supposed to be still in the ruins are:
Peter Quincy, owner Of the hotel and
superintendent of construction at the
state capitol.
General Charles Adams. of Denver.
James Murphy a prominent Demo-
cratic politician of Omaha.
f. w. Edwards, butcher, of Denver.
w. ]. Blake.
N. j. Corson.
F. French. country treasurer of Gill
pin county, Col
Mrs. G. Il. Wolfe.
Grace Wolfe, years old, of Lincoln,
Neb.
b. I. Lurch. OF Black Hawk.
Unknown woman.
Three unknown chambermaids.
The Injured.
The injured are: NJ. f. Letson, Jo-
seph Munal, Alex. E. Irvine Fred Cole
man, Nathan Burgess. Burt Hopkins.
The latest Information regarding the
catastrophe Is that a 17-year-old boy,
Elmer Pierce. who was temporarily
placed In charge of the boiler. was re-
sponsible for the explosion. with the
Boiler almost at white heat, he let
cold water into the tubular machinery,
causing an immediate explosion. He
escaped uninjured, and tonight was be-
ing hunted by angry people.
rev people other than flremen, and
the hastily summoned rescue corps and
policemen remained near the scene to
witness the recovery Of the horribly
burned and distorted bodies.
M. Il. Lesion, who was the first live
man taken from the ruins. slept on the
third floor and when found was en-
cased In a conical mass Of mortar and
bricks that barely allowed freedom of
movement. His lower limbe were
crushed, but he will survive his terrible
ordeal
About 10 O'Clock a woman's hand
protuded from among pile of building
material. A space was cleared around
1t and when the form was removed, 1t
yas discovered she was dead, lying
beside the body Of a child.
Other Victims Discovered.
AT a. m. the body of an unknown
man was recovered and taken to the
morgue. 1t was thought to be that of
F. j. McCloskey. Half an hour later
the remains of Conductor Burt were
discovered. The bodies Of Mr.. and Mrs.
r. c. Greiner clasped in an embrace of
death amid tons Of debris. They had
undoubtedly died from suffocat.on, as
their features We're clear and their
limbs In repose. The left arm of Mr..
Greiner was thrown across his wife's
face. his forefinger raised like dan
ger signal.
Excitement In the city tonight Is at
high pitch. Throngs Of people crowd
police headquarters and the morgue to
search for missing friends.