The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-08-21
Blown Up and Burned.
A Hotel in Denver Blown up
and Twenty-Five Per
sons Perish.

DENVER, Col Aug. l9-ProoaoIy
25 men. women and children perished
by an explosion Of the boiler in the
Gumry Hotel on Lawrence street,
shortly after midnight this morning.
Half dozen others are injured and at
the hospital. Eight burned and crush
ed bodies are at the morgue- Ten more
were knowu to be burned 10 the ruins.
but Is persons are missing altogether.
With Geafening sound and terrific
force, the entire rear portion Of the
building was demolished The rear aod
side walls crumbled like a toy house.
oon afterwards, the mass of timbers,
brick and furniture caught fire.. Gre
mating many of the victims who lag
pinionea and helpless amid the burn
ing pile. Their piteous appeals for
hlep could no. be responded to be-
cause Of the fame. The latest informa-
ton regarding the catastrophe is that a
.year-old boy. EImar Pierce,
who was temp porarily places in charge
of the boiler. vas responsible for the
explosion. With the boiler at almost
white heat, he let water iu, causing an
immediate explosion He escaped no.
injured and tonight was being hun;ed
by angry people.
Few people other thar iremeo, the
hastily sun moned rescue corps and po-
l;cemeu remained near the scene 10
witness the recovery Of tie horribly
burned and distorted bodies. NJ Z
Lstsou. who was the first live man
taken from the rufus, slept on the third
Hoo7. vas eucased in conIcal mass of
mortar and bricks that barely allowed
freedom Of movement. Chief Roberts
of the FIRE department., first discovered
bin and rapidly began the removal of
the tons Of material that seemed to
rest directly upon his body. Ia heart
rending appeals he begged for some
thing 10 eud his life The rescuers
worked With will and io two hours
bad succeeded in removing enough plas-
ter and bricks from the spppareutly
lifeless BODY to allow his removal. His
lower li,ao os are crushed, bu, be will
survive his terrible ordeal.
Excitement in the city tonight is at
a high pitch Througs Of people crowd
police headquarters and the morgue to
search for missing friends.
Ropes we're stretched around the
scene Of the disaster, but they and
extra police failed to keep back the
excited friends of missing people. and
thousands of curious bystauders. There
is much conjecture tonight, concern
ing the cause of the accident, but
Coroner Martin is firmly convinced
that it was caused as stated. The
hastily organized surgeons corps uu-
der Police Surgeon Jarecki did
uoble work. With fifty feet of brick
wall tottering over their heads, they
wended their way early along corr
doris, down stairways, by shaky par
t;tioos, to aid the injured. Medicine
was passed from one to another along
line, and while Mr. Letson was be-
ing rescued, his head was swathed IN
damp bapdagcs and s'lmulants ad-
m:p;stered. About 6 O'Clock this even.
ing severe wind storm came upon
the city, and work was extremely
hazardous with the weakened walls
TO add to the confusion and dismal
scene. rain began faliogi in torrents,
and vha; few workers who were not
dreocbed by the streams Of the Ere
engines we're we; by the cold raiu
4, S o'clock the rain had ceased fall
ing, but the clouds of sitting smoke
coniiuucd to arise from the mass OF
wreckage, and more engines were
called. Their services we're not need
ed. however, as the wind died away
The boy who was iu charge Of the
boiler at the time of the accident bad
attended a picnic during the day and
vas under influence of liquor when he
weut or duty. as several reliable per-
sons have testified How be ever
managed 70 turn the injector cock
and escape without injury is mys-
!erv. TIE boilers are said to have
been in excellent condition.
The terrible destruction wrought By
the explosioc is evidenced everywhere
within three blocks Of the scene Stores
in the ncigh 5orhood have their fronts
demolished CIR windows damaged Oa
Marion street. in the rear of the build
ing, there i, not a whole plate g lass
for block. au2 Lawrence street. in
front of the hotel shows the same effect
CT the explosion An estimate Of the
financial loss is difficult. IS the insur-
ance papers we're lost ia the fire. bc'
:he loss will hardly exceed S130u2.
The hotel was worta about S23 eoo and
furnishiugS $1,000 Eve.5'hias is de-