Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-08-22

Many KILLED IN. A FIRE
Terrible Disaster in a Hotel at
Denver, Colorado, Early
Monday Morning.
CAUSED BY AN EXPLOSION
The Building Fell Carrying Many Peo-
pie With II.
l0NE PART OF IT BLOWN TO ATOMS
Over SO Persons In the Hotel
at the Time.
LESS THAN HALF OF THEM WERE SAVED

Ously Appealing TO the ttrenen Tor Heip
some of Those Supposed to Have Been
Lost--story Told by one of tho Survivors.
Denver, Col, Aug. l9.-The fire
engines to-day were still pouring water
upon the burning ruins of the Gumery
Hotel, which was wrecked by an ex-
plosion soon after midnight this morn
ing. Buried in the ruins were many
guests and employees of the hotel whose
bodies must have been wholly or partly
creinated. Out of 80 or more people
who were certainly in the hotel when
the explosion occurred, score were
gotten out safely, three were rescued
with more or less serious injuries, and
the others were unquestionably killed
beneath the mass of bricks and shat
tered beams and twisted iron at the
rear Of the ruined building. The fire
men labored with energy at the work
of excavation, but it will be perhaps
days before the uncertain horrors Of
the destruction can be fully told.
The death list will include the owner
OF the hotel, Peter Gumery the mana
ger, Robert s. Grinier, and his wife,
who acted as day clerk They were in
the rear of the building and could not
possibly escape.
Before fire added to the horrors OF
the explosion the firemen were appealed
/ 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. Joe Muneal Of
Cairo, ILL.,, was rescued at .. 80 O'Clock,
after an hours work and it is certain
no more Of the victims can be alive.
A. e. Irwin, the night clerk, who
with the barkeeper, William Bubble,
had a miraculous escape, went over
theiregister for the last few days this
morning and endeavored to call to
mind the occupants Of the different
rooms. He says there were between
80 and 55 people registered and 16 were
occupying back rooms, where it was
more difficult to escape. How many of
them were saved it is impossible TO
state, but it is known that several who
were in the back portion of the build
| ing managed to escape in some manner.
: The occupants, as determined by the
clerk, are as follows;
Gen. Charles Adams of Manitou, Col.
occupied room IL, in the. rear of the
hotel and over the boilers ExState
Auditor Lewis Schwanbeck, a brother
of Mr.. Adams, was early at the scene
of the disaster and inquired eagerly for
ulttl. Ilt bdlb IL was MS lJlOlIti .
custom to retire early on Sunday even
ings. II it is true that Mr.. Adams
was in his room he is undoubtedly
among the dead.
A. T. Blake of Florence, COL, was
sleeping in the room directly over the
boiler and Mr.. Rubbe places him also
among the dead Myron Il. Hawley, a
clerk in the freight department of the
Union Pacific railroad office, roomed in
I, the rear end and had been in the house
for long time. He had gone to bed
early and is counted among the lost.
James Murphy, contractor, was a
regular boarder and also roomed in the
destroyed portion. Mr.. Rubbe says
he was in his room and he also must be
among the dead.
Others who had rooms in the hotel
and who have not been accounted for
are as follows: M. Il. Litz; f. r.
French; Bert F. Larch of Central
City; w. j. Carson, Pueblo: -----
iCallxins; Mr.. and Mrs. Burgess and
two others; ---- Edwards of Boulder I;
Herman Tueders, Mrs. Wolfe and
daughter, A. w. Roberts and wife,
Colorado Springs; E. L. McCloskey,
Canon City; three chambermaids and
one bell boy.
The whole rear half of the hotel was
blown to atoms and the front portions
are merely shattered and burned frag-
ments of a house. The force Of the
explosion was so great that for two
blocks on Lawrence street and for some
distance on Larimer street every win
dow in the business blocks was shatter-
ed in pieces upon the pavements.
The dust had cleared away somewhat
when the firemen reached the place.
There was no fire to be seen then. In
front of the house there was the sound
of glass falling and people were rushing
in night clothes in horror from the
doors and appealing piteously from the
windows for help.
The explosion awole the guests in
the front part Of the house and by the
time the firemen reached the scene they
were ready to be taken from the win
dows. The firemen, with torch and
lantern, entered all parts of the hotel.
First TO demand the attention of the
ambulance corps was Michael g. Bur
CESS, who was walking along Lawrence
street on the opposite side from the
hotel when the explosion occurred. The
fiying glass cut him about the head
and face in frightful manner. His
injuries are very serious, though not
necessarily fatal. He is a painter from
Custer City, S. ID.
Bud, Hopkins, bartender at the
Gumery, was found on the ground
floor OF the hotel, unconscious and
bleeding from his cuts. His injuries
are not serious.
Joe Muneal was found in the base
ment, dressed only in his underclothes,
and was completely covered with ashes
and dirt. When revived he said: !"
am cigarmaker and have been in the
city for week, having come here from
Cairo, ILL.,, was upstairs in bed wher
/ heard the awful crash. did moi
know what it was and got out Of bee
and hurried out, and in going dow
stairs l must have lost my way fol
when l got down on what / though
was the ground floor fell down int
the basement. !"
Muneal's injuries, though severe, ar,
mot thought to be fatal. These thre,
were the only injured persons who hat
been taken to the County Hospital III
to a. IN. "a
Six persons, including woman anS
baby, were taken off the roof Of tn,
building adjoining the Gumery, occu
pied by A. Lillyblade.
Petre Poss, an aged gentleman from
Chattanooga, Tenn, was occupying
room No, 81 with his daughter Addie
He is an invalid. He was awakened b.
+ha ,,ataa and found the rootn full q