Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1895-08-23
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.

ing five-story brick and stone struct-
ure, went down with a crash The hotel
was crowded with guests and many of
them must have been killed. as well
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 Eighteenth streets and on Lawrence
street directly back of the Gumry
house the plate glass windows of bust
ness houses were shattered and a num-
Der of pedestrians We're injured 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 for
70 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
means of injured and dying. At 1926
five injured people had been 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 firemen 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 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 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 so the ruins are burning fiercely
and the firemen 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
under control before many Of the 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 lettering, will fall
and bury the firemen at their work
During the height of excitement, hose
team ran away on Eighteenth street
stampeding the great crowd of specta-
tors. A number of people were more
or less injured by being trampled upon
and by falling in the broken glass
which covers the streets and sidewalks
in every direction. Electric light wires
dangling from broken poles In the alley
added fresh peril to the firemen. 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 flame.
approached so close that the rescuers
had to abandon them for their owr
safety. Both voices have now been 81
fenced, fire completing the work com
menced by the explosion. The bodie.
Of three women are also to be seen il
the back part of the building, but can
not be reached.
At 1870 the flames are still keepin,
the firemen back from the work of res
cue, except just at the line of the ale.
wall. OF those pinioned beneath tn
/ hrfG n ra 10 h
alive, both men from the fifth floor VIII,
are still lying on their beds. Both ar
covered several feet deep except abou
their heads, and can hardly survive an
other half hour. Almost no progress
being made in relieving them, as tn
smoke is binding. The flames are onl,
kept back from their bodies by half
dozen streams of water. Thus far 81.
persons have been taken from tn
ruins, all badly injured.
In addition four were severely cut b.
glass falling into the street. A piec
of the cornice of the Cheesman block a
Seventeenth and Larimore streets full
: a block from the Gumry hotel was tor
out and fell to the street, narrowl
missing several passers-by. The frag
ment weighed at least a ton.
In the wrecked hotel there was a tie
Of five or six rooms extending acros
the rear of the building, facing the al
ley on each of the three upper floors
All of these rooms are believed to hav
been occupied. as people residing i
rooms directly across the alley OF
served lights burning in every windo1
during the evening.
BOTH PROPRIETORS DEAD.
Among the dead are Peter Gumr
and r. C. Greiner. the two proprietor
of the hotel, the day clerk and the nigh
clerk, none of whom have been found.
Immediately after the explosion oo
CURED young baby was heard wailin
in the corner of room which had neal
ly all fallen away. Its parents ha
been carried down to death with tn
first crash. Soon after the little one
cries became weaker. and later, whe
the flames shot up into the skeleton {
the building, became entirely silencet
The firemen made a brave effort
save a woman caught in the debris 6
forced to abandon the attempt.
The spot where she lay Is now tn
hottest part of the fire. None of til
six people thus far taken out are COZ
scious. and Identification is imposs
BILE.
OTHER BUILDINGS CRUSHED.
The force of the explosion carrie
away large portion of the rear of I'll
building next adjoining the Gumry, t.
ward Seventeenth street. and occupie
, by A. Lillyblade. wholesale and reta