Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1894-1895, 1895-08-22
Probably Sixty Killed.

Probably Sixty Killed.
At 8 Il. m. Monday only fifteen persons
who are known TO have been in the build
ing at the time of the explosion are &C.
counted for. This leaves sixty supposed
TO be dead.
Henry Sloan and wife. of Huron, Kan,
and w. c. McClain, cashier of the Huron
State Bank, are among those taken down
by ladders, and are all more or less in
iured
On both sides OF Lawrence, from 18th
10 18th street, and on Larimer, directly
back OF the Gumry, the plate-glass win
dows of the business houses were blown
in and q number of pedestrians were in
jured by falling glass. The fronts Of
many buildings in the vicinity were badly
wrecked
The hotel structure. for 100 feet along
the alley and extending IS feet toward the
front, is mass of debris. Brick and
plaster piled in heaps twenty feet high,
and from this mass of wrcckage could be
heard the means Of the injured and dying.
The cause Of the explosion is uncertain,
bat it is supposed that the battery of boil
ers in the hotel basement must have OK
ploded. The sound Of the explosion was
people in bed q mile from the scene. A
cloud OF dust was thrown thousand feet
in the air. and as there was not breath
of wind, it hung i'll the air like huge col
umn. Minute atoms of powdered brick
and Siortar descended like gentle snow.
At 1870 the ruins began burning fierce.
y and the fremen were obliged to retreat
from the work of rescue Every engine
in ba cit -.
mass, but the flames could not be possibly
got under control before the injured were
cremated.
AS their chances of escape lesSened the
cries of the imprisoned people were in
creased, heartrendinS shrieks rising from
every portion of the great mass of wreck
age.
During the height Of the excitement n
team ran awny on 18th street, stamped
ing the great crowd of spectators. A
number of people were more or less in
Jured by being ;rampled upon and falling
III the broken glass which covered the
streets and sidewalks in every direction.
Eiectric-light wires dangling from brok-
en- poles in the alley added fresh peril to
the hremen. One horse was burned 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 for safety. The bodies
OF three women were also to be seen In
the back part of the building. but could
not be reached. Hardly had the firemen
got fairly al work when they were forced
to retreat
PrOprictOrs of the Hotel Killed.
Among the dead are Peter Gumry and
r. G. Grenier, the proprietors of the ho-
tel, the day clerk AMI the night clerk none
Of whose bodies have been found. Imme-
diately after the explosion occurred a
baby was heard waiting in the corner Of O
room which had nearly all fallen away
Its parents had gone Gown with the first
crash. Aftorward the little ones cries
became weaker and weaker, and when the
flames shot up into tie skeleton of the
building it became silcnced. The fircmen
made n brave effort To save woman
Vught III the debris Of the north corner Of
the hotel, but were forced to abandon the
! attempt.
The Gumry Hotel was a fivc-story brick
with stone front. and was built about six
years ago. 1t was of the better kind of
secOnu-ciiSS notelS, catering largely 10
| transient family patronage. Thus many
women and children were among the
guests. The building was put up as the
| Eden Musee by the widow of Gen. Tom
Thumb. and was SO occupied for several
years. later being rcmodeled for use as a
hotel. Gumry and Grenier have owned
the hotel for several years. Mr.. Gumry
| was prominent contractor and had done
| much of the work during the building of
| the State capitol. Mr.. Grenier acted in
the capacity of manager.