The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1895-08-22
GREAT LOSS OF LIFE
BY THE BURNING OF THE ouMRy
o.. .~, HOTEL, DENVER,


a.. .m. HOTEL, DENVER,
Which Was Wrecked By m Explosles.
Battery Of Boilers in tho Basement Sap
posed to Have Blown Up-The Rains
Burned Fiercely and Eiremsa We're
Unable to Rescue tho Imprisoned Un-
fortunates. = = "a. .S$3&
DENVER, Aug. 20.-A portion Of the
Gumry hotel, the scene Of Sunday
kight's frightful disaster, is still stand
ing, gaunt and sinister, constantly
threatening to crash down upon those
delving in the ruins at any moment.
The search for victims has been carried
on with the utmost energy constantly,
with the aid of 20 arc lights. Flames
have broken out afresh and engines are
pouring on water, still further i'm
peding the work of rescue. The list of
dead and missing now numbers %,
making the disaster the worst that
ever occurred in the city. So far only
seven bodies have been recovered. BE-
ing those of Manager Grenier and his
wife, clasped in each others arms;
Gore Burt, Rock Island railroad con-
ductor; Mrs. George R. Wolfe and
daughter, Fred Hubbell and Will Rich
ards, the elevator operator of the hotsl.
The Engineer Probably Dead.
Among the missing is now included
Elmer Pierce, the night engineer, who
is said to have re-entered the hotel just
before the explosion occurred. 1t is to
this mans carelessness that the disaster
is attributed The bodies of Peter
Gumry and General Adams are still in
the ruins. Judge James Glynn, who
was at first supposed to have been in
his room at the hotel, turns ont to be
at Holyoke, Colo, where he was spend
ing Sunday with friends.
A vast throng surrounds the build
ing on every side, pressing forward as
far as the fire ropes will allow. The
police are constantly guarding against
any one slipping through the lines on
account of the great danger that the
front of the building may fall. The
list of victims is as follows:
The Dead. $%s
PETER GUMRY, owner of the hotel.
r. C. GREINER, manager of the hotel,
son-in-law of Peter Gumry. IT.
MRS. R. C. GREINER, clerk of the
hotel, daughter of Peter Gumry.
Child of MIR. and Mrs. Greiner.
GENERAL CHARLES ADAMS, Man
itou. Colo. FRI
A. L. BLAKE, Pueblo, Colo. z
MYRON E. HAWLEY, Union Pacific
railroad clerk, Denver. &
FRED HUBBOLD or HAUSER sof
Elizabeth, la.
GEORGE BURT, passenger conductor,
on the Rock Island. Colorado Springs
MRS. WOLF and daughter.
Two chambermaids, names unknown
One bell boy, name unknown. &#
The Missing. E
- GREINER, father of R. c. Grei-
ner, manager of the hotel. IA
BUD BURNS, Colorado Springs.
W.. CARSON, Pueblo
F. E. FRENCH and BERT LARCH,
both of Central City, but not positively
known to have been in their room. :
E.. MCLOSKEY, Canon City, Colo. i
j. L. KIRKE, Omaha Il
J. A. BROWN, Omaha. ~. E
ELMER PIERCE, engineer OF the.
A Score Probably Escaped. z
Out of 80 or more people who were
certainly in the building, score got
out safely, and six others were rescued
with more or less serious injuries.
The fremen labored all day and
night in the work of excavation, but
the progress is slow, and perhaps days
will elapse before the uncertain hor-
rors of the heap Of destruction can be
fully told. n
Before fire added to the horrors of,
the explosion, the firemen were ap-
pealed to piteously by men and women
and babes whose lives were being
crushed out in the ruins. Then the fire
broke out and that ended it. Exactly
how many were saved it is impossible
to state, but it is known that several
who were in the back part Of the build
ing managed to escape in some man-,
ner. #
Engineer Was Drunk. s.
There is no doubt the disaster was
caused by boiler explosion. Elmer
Pierce, the engineer, it is said, was
intoxicated, and after turning guam
tity of cold water into the hot boilers.
left the building ten minutes before the
explosion occurred. The police are.
looking for him.
R. E. Irwin, the night clerk, says
Pierce, who was only II years DID,,
was drunk when he went on duty, and
that he was in the habit Of neglecting
his duty. III
Irwin was pinned beneath some
heavy timbers at his desk, and was.
rescued by q fireman. He has scalp
wounds and internal injuries, but will
recover.