The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1895-08-21
FORTY PEOPLE CREMATED IN TIE
GUMRY HOTEL.
THE BOILERS BLOW UP.
The Hotel Was Crowded with Guests
and the Disaster Occurred shortly
After Midnight - Those Not
Killed Outright Were Gre
mated Alive - Awful
scenes Witnessed.

DENVER, Col, Aug. 10 The Gu.nry
hotel. Nos. 1925 to l73s Lawrence
street. was wrecked by terrific cxplo-
sion at 1910 n. IN. The rea' end Of the
building five story brict and stone
structure. went down with a crash.
The hoM WIS crowded with guests
and many of them must have beer
killed. as well as the entire force OF
hotel employees who were sleeping in
thai portion of the building at tho
time. On both sides of Lawrence. from
Seventeenth t. Eighteenth streets, and
on Laramie directly back Of the Gumry
the plate glass windows Of the busi-
ness houses we've blown in. and a num-
Der of pedestrians were injured by fall
ing glass. The fronts of many build
ings in the vicinity We're badly
wrecked.
The hotel structure for 100 feet
along the alley, and extending for
sevepty-iive feet toward the front, is
merely mass of debris. Brick and
plaster are piled in heap twenty feet
high, and from this mass % wreckage
can be heard the means of the injured
and dying. At l2:35 five injured per-
sons had been taken ont 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.
The firemen are working like beav-
ers, digging into the debris, but are
making little progress. The remain
ing portion OF the building, from
which the guests are being removed
by ladders as fast as possible is eN-
pected To fall at any moment, and pre-
cautions TO avert further loss Of life
add 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. The cause Of
the explosion is uncertain but it is
supposed that the battery of boilers in
tn, hotel basement must have ex-
pioded
The sound of the explosion was
heard throughout the city, awakening
people in bed mile from the scene.
A cloud Of dust was thrown thous-
and feet in the air. Minute atoms Of
powdered brick and mortar are de-
scending like gentle snow. At 1880
the ruins are burning hercely and the
firemen have been obliged 30 retreat
from the work of rescue. Every en-
gine In the city is pouring streams
into the mass, but the flames cannot
possibly be gotten under control be-
1ors inanv % the injured have been
cremated. AS their chances OF escape
lessen the cries of the imprisoned pc o.
pie are increasing, heart-rend ing
shrieks arising from every portion OF
the great mass of wrecl1ass.
Electric light wires dangling from
broken poles in the alley added fresh
peril TO the firemen. One horse was
killed by coming in contact with a
live wire. Two injured women had
zlsal5t been extricated from the ruins,
when the flames approached so close
that the rescuers had TO abandon
them for their own safety Both
voices have now been silenced, fire
completing the work commenced by
the explosion. The bodies Of three
women are also to be seen in the ba Oh
part OF the building, bot cannot be
reached.