Red Lodge picket., 1895-08-24
A HOTEL COLLAPSED
FrightfuI Catastrophe at Denver
BIotted Out Many Lives.
THE RUINS SOON IN = FLAMES
Men. Women and Children Burned to
Death Before the Eyes Of
Spectators.

Spectators
Denver, Col, Aug. 19.-The Gumr!
hotel 1875 to 1887 Lawrence street, wa:
wrecked by a terrific explosion at l2:1'
a. m. The entire rear half Of the bulld
Ing, a flve-story brick and stone stfuct
IRE went down with a crash. The hote
was crowded with guests and many o.
them must have been killed, as wei
as the entire force Of hotel employees
who were sleeping in that portion OF
the building at the time. On both sides
of Lawrence street from Seventeenth
TO E1ghteenth streets and on Lawrence
street directly back OF the GuInTy
house the plate glass windows OF busl-
ness houses were shattered ana num-
Der Of pedestrians were injured by
falling glass. The fronts OF many
buildings In the vicinity were badly
wrecked The hotel structure for loo
feet along the alley and extending for
10 feet toward the front is merely
mass OF debris Brick and plaster are
piled in a heap 20 feet high, and from
this mass of wreckage can be heard the
five injured people had peen 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.
The f1remen are working like beavers
digging into the debris, but are making
little progress The remaining portion
of the building from which the guests
are being removed by ladders as fast
as possible, is expected to fall any mo-
ment and precautions to avert further
loss Of life adds to the difficulty in
reaching the dead and injured.
BY some estimates 40 people were in
the portion OF the hotel destroyed, near
ly all of whom must be dead. 1t will
be morning before q correct list can
be obtained.
The cause OF the explosion is uncer-
tain, but 1t Is supposed that the battery
Of boilers in the hotel basement must
have exploded. The sound Of the ex-
plosion was heard throughout the city,
awakening people in bed a mile from
the scene. A cloud Of dust was thrown
a thousand feet into the air and as
there is not a breath OF air stirring it
still hangs in the air like huge col
umn. Minute atoms OF powdered brick
and mortar are descending like gentle
snow many blocks away.
RUINS ON FIRE.
At 1880 the ruins are burning fiercely
and the flremen have been obliged to
retreat from the work Of rescue Every
engine In the city is pouring streams
Of water into the Seething mass, but
the flames cannot possibly be gotten
of in
jured have been cremated.
AS the chances Of escape lessen the
cries of the imprisoned people are in
creasing, heart-rending shrieks rising
from every portion Of the great mass
Of wreckage. Fears are now entertain
ed that the front portion Of the building
which seems to be tottering, will fall
and bury the firemen at their work.
During the height Of excitement, a hose
team ran away on Eighteenth street,
stampsding the great crowd OF si,ecta-
tors A number of people were more
or less injured By being trampled upon
and by falling in the broken glass
which covsrs the streets and sidewalks
In every direction. Electric light wires
dangling from broken poles in the alley
added fresh peril to the fremen. One
horse was killed by coming In contact
with live wire.
MET A TERRIBLE FATE.
Two injured men mad almost been ex
tricated from the ruins when the flames |
approached 80 close that the rescuers |
had to abandon them for their own |
safety. Both voices have now been 81 |
fenced, fire completing the work com |
msnced by the explosion. The bodies |
al tn Ia in
the back part Of the building, but can
not be reached.
At 1:3O the flames are still keeping |
the firemen back from the work Of res |
cue, except just at the line Of the alley |
wall. or those pinioned beneath the |
debris, only two are now thought to be |
alive. both men from the fifth floor who |
are still lying on their beds. Both are
covered several feet deep except about
their heads, and can hardly survive an
other half hour. Almost no progress is
being made in relieving them, as the
smoke is binding The flames are only
kept back from their bodies by half
dozen streams Of water. Thus far six
persons have been taken from the
ruins, all badly injured.
In addition four were severely cut by |
glass falling into the street. A piece |
of the cornice Of the Cheesman block, at |
Seventeenth and Larimore streets, fully |
q, block from the Gumry hotel, was torn |
out and fell to the street. narrowly |
missing several passers-by. The frag-
ment weighed at least a ton.
In the wrecked hotel there was tier |
of 1--WE or six rooms extending across |
the rear of the building, facing the al |
ley on each Of the three upper floors. |
All of these rooms are believed to have |
been occupied, as people residing In |
rooms directly across the alley OBJ |
served lights burning in every window |
during the evening.
BOTH PROPRIETORs DEAD.
Among the dead are Peter Gumry |
and r. c. Greiner, the two proprletors
of the hotel, the day clerk and the night |
clerk, none Of whom have been found.
Immediately after the explosion oc-
Cured young baby was heard wa1lins
in the corner of 4 room which had near
" all fallen away. It's parents had
been carried down to death with the
nrst crash. Soon after the little ones
cries became weaker. and later, when
the flames shot up into the skeleton Of
the building became entirely silenced. |
Tho f,remen made a brave effort to |
save a woman caught in the debris at
the north corner Of the hotel, but were
forced to abandon the attempt.
The spot where she lay is now the
hottest part Of the Ore. None OF the
six people thus far taken out are con-
.ciouy, and Identification is inapossi- !
BILE.
OTHER BUILDINGS CRUSHED.
The force of the explosion carried |
away a large portion OF the rear OF the
building next adjoining the Gumry' 10
ward Seventeenth strest, ana occupied
by A. Lillyblade, wholesale ana retali
furniture.
The wall Of the Gumry on the SIDE
toward Eighteenth street crushed
stable and a small frame house. but no |
one was injured.
hot story