Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-19
MANY IN THE RUINS
Wreck Of the Gumrey Hotel at
Denver.
EXPLOSION FOLLOWED BY FIRE
Whole Rear of the Building Blown
to Atoms.
MANGLED BODIES SWEPT BY FLAMES
Firemen Unable to Rescue the
Pinioned People.
MANGLED BODIES SWEPT BY FLAMES
SCENE OF PITILESS HORRORS

DENVER, Col, August 19.-Fifteen per-
sons perished by fire in the Gumrey Hotel.
on Lawrence street, in which terrific ex-
plosion took place at 1910 am. The rear
half of the building, a five-story brick and
stone structure. went down with crash.
The hotel was crowded with guests, and
many Of them must have been killed out
right, as well as about ten hotel employees,
who were sleeping in the portion of the
building which fell. The fronts of many
buildings in the vicinity were nearly
wrecked.
The cause of the explosion is uncertain,
but 1t 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 the
people a mile from the scene
During the height of excitement team
ran away on 18th street, stampeding the
great crowd of spectators. A number of
people were more or less injured by being
trampled upon and falling on broken glass.
which covered the streets and sidewalks in
every direction.
The electric light wires dangling on broken
poles added to the peril of the firemen
One horse was killed 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. The bodies
OF three men were also to be seen in the
back part of the building, but could not be
reached.
Before fire added to the horrors of the cx-
plosion the firemen were appealed to pire-
ously by men and women and ba bcs, whose
lives were being crushed out in the ruins.
Then the fire broke out and that ended it.
Blown TO Atoms.
The whole rear half of the hotel was
blown to atoms, and the front portions are
merely shattered and burned fragments of
a house. The force of the explosion was
so great that for two blocks on Lawrence
street and for some distance on Larimer
street every window in the business blocks
were shattered in pieces upon the pave
ments. 1t was a catastrophe complete and
pitiess in Its horrors.
The dust had cleared away somewhat
when the firemen reached the place. There
was no fire to be seen then. In front of
the house there was the sound of glass
falling, and people were rushing in night
clothes in horror from the doors and ap-
pealins piteously from the windows for
help.
The explosion awoke the guests in the
front part of the house. and by the time the
hremen reached the scene were ready to
be taken from the windows. The firemen,
with torch ard lantern, entered all parts
Of the hotel.
First to demand the attention of the am
bulance corps was Michael C. Burgess,
who was walking along Lawrence street
on the opposite side from the hotel when
the explosion occurred. The flying glass
cut him about the head and face in a
frightful manner. His injuries are very Sc
rious, though not necessarily fatal He Is
painter from Custer City, s. D.
Bud Hoskins, a bartender at the Gumry
was found on the ground floor of the ho-
tel, unconscious and bleeding from many
cuts His injuries are not serious
At 1885 five injured persons had been
taken out OF the ruins. They were all in
mates OF the upper story and sank down
with the floors, escaping more fortunately
than those below.
At ESQ the ruins were burning fiercely,
and the firemen were obliged to retreat
from the work of rescue.
Every engine In the city was pouring
streams or water into the mass, but the
flames could not be gotten under control
before many of the injured had been burned
to death. AS their chances of escape les
sened the cries Of the imprisoned people
increased. heartrending shrieks rising
from every portion of the great mass of
wreckage.
At 1870 the flames still kept the f1remen
oack from the work Of rescue, except just
at the line OF the alley wall. OF those
pinioned beneath the debris only two were
thought to be alive, both men from the
n1th story, who were still lying on their
Deds; Eoth were covered with several feet
OF DEBRIS about their heads. Almost no
progress was being made toward releasing
them, as the smoke was binding The
names were only kept back from their
bodies by half a dozen streams of water
The fire engines were still pouring water
tpon the burning ruins this morning
Buried In the ruins were many guests and
employees of the hotel, whose bodies must
have been wholly or partly cremated.
npOnla W hn
certainly In the hotel when the explosion
occurred score were got out safely, three
We're rescued with more or less serious in
1uries, and the others were unouestion-
ably killed beneath the mass of bricks and
shattered beams and twisted Iron at the
rear of the ruined building. The firemen
vatios but 1t will be perhaps days before
the Uncertain horrors of the heap of de-
struction can be fully told
The hotel was divided about the center
of the building, though covered at the sec
ond floor. The building had been split In
two at this point of division, and the entire
five stories back of the rotunda were
thrown into a shapelesS mass in the alley
Five stories of brick and wood and iron
with the human occupants were made mere
heaps Of death-containinS ruins. The frag-
nents of the wreck on Lawrence street
lowered UP into the air dark and yawning
while a great piece of roof hung in threat
eI.ing suspension over the chaos below
Out of the pile of brick, wood and iron be-
low there came feeble means and piteous
cries for help.
fireman clambering up the mountain of
ruins felt his feet crunch against human
flesh. He reached down and touched with
his hand an arm protruding from the mass
beneath him. There still seemed to be no
fire. The blaze had been smothered by the
falling building, and the firemen devoted
their efforts to the work of rescue.
And then suddenly the flames broke out
and the workers were driven away and the
voices ceased to cry for help. The great