Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1895-08-24
DENvER's DISASTER.
Belief That Twenty-Five were
Killed in the Gumry Hotel.
Twelve Dead Bodies Are Taken from tho
Ruins, and n Big Force Ia Searching
for Many Missing Persons
Details of the Horror.

delving in the ruins at any moment. The
search for victims has been carried on
with the utmost energy. Flames broke
out afresh in the wreckage Monday |
night and the fire engines were again |
pouring forth water, still further inn
peding the work of rescue. The list |
of dead and missing now numbers
twenty-five, making the disaster the |
worst that ever occurred in this city. |
Up to 1880 Monday night only twelve |
bodies had been recovered. The dead |
are:
r. C. Greiner, assistant superintendent of
construction at the state capitol, and his wife,
who acted as clerk of the destroyed hotel |
George Burt, of Denver, conductor on the
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroad; Fred
Hubbold, of Lisbon, Ia, and +. j. McCloskey,
of Longmont, Col, guests; VIII Richards, of
Denver elevator boy; unknown woman and
child about years old
The only means of identifying the
body of the woman is by gold band
ring with the initials III. B." carved
thereon.
The missing and supposed to be still
in the ruins are:
Peter Gumry, owner of the hotel and super
tntendent of construction at the state capitol;
Gen Charles Adams, of Denver James Muir
7hy, u prominent democratic politician of
Omaha; Il. W. Edwards, butcher of Denver;
w. j. Blake; N. j. Corson; Il. French, county
treasurer of Gilpin county, Col; Mrs. G. II.
Wolfe; Grace Wolfe, 5-year-od of Lincoln,
Neb.; b 1. Lurch, of Black Hawk; unknown
woman and three unknown chambermaids
At lO:3O o'clock Monday evening the
body of E. F. McClosly, of Colorado
Springs, a wealthy owner of Cripple
Creek mines, was taken from the ruins.
The fire has been almost extinguished
and 100 teams are now making as rapid
progress as possible removing the
debris, though at best the work is
painfully slow.
At 1890 o'clock this morning three
more bodies were recovered, those of
Belah l. Lorah and Frederick French,
of Central City, Col, and an unknown.
The former have been identified by
Mr.. Lorah's father, who is assisting in
removing the debris from the bodies.
The third body is burned beyond rec
ognition.
The injured number six.
This, so far, is definite knowledge
of the people to be accounted for, but
the hotel register shows people who
have safely materialized, and some
missing are not on the regis
ter. The latest obtainable infor-
nation regarding the most terri
BILE catastrophe that is recorded
in Denvers history, clearly shows that
17-Year-old boy, Elmer Pierce, who
was temporarily placed in charge
of the boiler, was directly re-
sponsible for the accident. With
the boiler almost at red heat
he injected cold water into the
tubular affair, causing an immediate
explosion. Strange to say, and by a
miracle, he escaped unscathed, and
was being hunted,by an angry crowd of
people, who would have dealt with him
hastily had he been apprehended. He
seems safe, however, as no clew has
been unearthed as to his whereabouts.
The scenes surrounding the death
of James Murphy, contractor, were
heartrending. The fremen engaged
at the rear of the building heard
the agonizing cries from the ma
that he was burning and asking
them to continue to throw on the
water After a few hours heroic
work the tiremen reached him. His
legs We're pinioned between two heavy
joists. After the greatest efforts, with
dense smoke binding them, the fire
men released Murphy's left leg AT
this moment sheet of flame compelled
them to withdraw. Murphy then of
fered the tiremen 81, 900 to get him out
and piteously begged them to chop his
leg off. A second later the west wall
collapsed and covered Murphy with
tons of ruins
M. E. Letson, who was the first live
man taken from the ruins, had an ex
perience at which all mankind car
marvel. He slept on the third floor
and when found was encased in &
conical mass of mortar and bricks thai
barely allowed his freedom of move
ment. Chief Roberts, of the fire de
partment, first discovered him anc
rapidly began the removal of the tom
!, of material that seemed to rest di
, rectly upon his body. In agonizinf
and heartrending appeals he begged
> for an instrument to end his tortuou
life. The rescuers worked with will
and in two hours had succeeded il
! removing enough plaster and brick
} from the apparently lifeless body t,
, allow his removal. With most graciou
: thanks, the man was removed to th
county hospital, and though his lowe
? limbs were horribly confused, he will
survive his terrible ordeal.
About 10 o'clock in the morning
woman's hand protruded almost unno
ticed from among pile of laths, brick
+, , and other material With the precision
/, of a trained corps of life-savers
/. attention was turned by the rescuer
!. to the delicate member that almos
I. beckoned for help. When the work c
removal of the body was finished,
was discovered she was dead. Lyin
beside her in lifeless yet tender affe'
ton was the corpse of a little child, il
. nocent looking even in death.
At o'clock the body of an unltnow
y man was recovered and it was imm'
diately taken to the city morgue, wher
it was later thought to be that of Il.
L IL. 4 I.