The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-08-19
Many People Buried Under the
Wreck of a Hotel.
FIRE CATCHES IN THE RUINS
And the Cries of the Victims Are ST.
fenced by the Flames.
The Boilers Thought to Have Ex-
Six of the Injured Taken out In
conscious-Fire Keeps Away the
ReScuers.

Denver. Aug rs-The Gumry hotel. No
lsz9 10 1877 Lawrence street. was wrecked
by terrific explosion at 1910 a m, the
entire rear half OF the building, a i've
ssory brick and stone structure, going
down with crash. The hotel was crowd
ed with guests and many Of them must
have been killed as well as the entire force
OF hotel employees, who were sleeping in a
portion OF the building at the time On
both sides OF Lawrence street. from Sew
enteenth TO Eighteenth streets. and on
Lawrence street directly back of the
Gumry. the plate glass windows in the
fronts OF business houses were blown in.
ana number OF pedestrians were inJur-
ed by falling glass. The fronts Of many
buildings in the vicinity were badly
wrecked. The hotel structure for leo feet
along the alley and extending for seventy
i've feet toward the front Is merely a
mass OF debris. Brick and plaster are
piled in a heap twenty feet high. and
from this mass Of wreckage can De- heard
the means of the injured and dying.
Al 2:S5 five injured people had heen
taken out. They We're ali inmates Of the
upper story, and sank down with the
floors. escaping more fortunately than
tnose 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 pos
sIble, is expected TO fall at any moment.
and precautions to avert further loss of
life adds TO the difficulty in reaching the
dead and injured. BY some estimates
forty people were in the portion of the ho-
tel destroyed, nearly all of whom must
be dead. II will be morning before a
correct list can be obtained
The cause Of the explosion is uncer-
tain. hut 1t is supposed that the battery
OF boilers in the hotel basement must
have exploded The sound OF the explo-
sion was heard throughout the city.
awakening people in bed a mile from the
scene. cloud of dust was thrown a
thousand feet into the air. and as there
Is not a breath OF air stirring IL still hangs
in the air like huge column. Mountains
OF powdered brick and mortar descended
blocks away
A. 1880 the ruins are burning fiercely.
and the firemen have been Obliged 10 re-
treat from the work of rescue Every en-
gine in the city is pouring streams of wa
ter into the seething mass. but the flames
cannot possibly be gotten under control
before many of the injured have been ere
mated. AS their chance of escape lessons
the cries OF the imprisoned people are in
creasins. heartrending shrieks rising from
every portion of the great mass Of wreck
age. Fears are now entertained that the
front portion of the building which seems
10 be totterlng, VIII fall and bury the fire.
men at their work
During the height of the excitement
team ran away on Eighteenth street.
stampeding the great crowd of spectators
number OF people were more or less in
Jured by being trampled upon and by
failing on the broken glass which covers
the streets and ST lewalks in every direc-
ton. Electric light wires dangling from
broken poles in the alley added fresh peril
10 the hremen, One horse was killed by
coming in contact with live wire
Two injured had almost been extricated
from the ruins when the flames approach
ed so close that the Tescuers had to aban-
don them for their own safety. Both
voices have now been silenced fire COM
pleting the work commenced by the explo-
sion. The bodies Of three women are also
10 be seen IN the back part of the build
ing. but cannot be reached
At 30 the flames are still keeping the
iiremen hack from the work OF rescue. ex-
cept Just at the line OF the allevwav. OF
those piOioned beneath the debris only
two are now thought 10 he alive. both men
from The fifth floor, who are stiu lying
on their beds. Both are covered several
feet deep except about the heads. and
can hardly survive another half hour Al
most no progress Is being made at releas-
8ames are only kept back from their
bodies by half 2 dozen streams of water.
Thus far six persons have been taken
from the ruins. all badly injured In adai-
ton four were severely cut by glass fall
ing into the street. 4 piece Of Cornice fell
ful'y a block from the Cumry building
and narrowly missed several people. The
fragment weighed at least a ton
In the wrecked hQtel there is "a tier OF
FIVE ~ six rooms extending acr5se the
building, facing the alley. on each Of the
three upper floors. All Of these rooms are
believed 20 have heen occupied Lights
were observed from every window during
the evening. Among the dead are z g
tireiDer. one Of the uropriators of tho
hotel. the day clerk and the night clerk.
acne az whom have heen found Imme-
diately after the explosion occurred n
younE baby was heard wail.ug in the cor
nor al q room which had nearly SD fallen
away. It's parents had been carr} "a down
- death With rho first crash. soon after
the httlc ones cries became weaker. ard
later when the flames shot up snto the
skeleton 81 the building thew became en-
tirely sieocef. The fjremcu made "A brave
EFFORT 90 cNtricate a woman in th. debris
Of tfc north corner % the hotel. bat we're
unsuccessful THE spot " here she Law IL
now she hottest part. OF the fire
None ct the six people thus far taken
out are conscious, and Identification is i'm
possible The force ~ the exni1sio7 .sr-
ried down a large portion Of the roar Of
the huldirg next adjoining the Gumrs.
and occupied by a. IJllyhlaaa v.boIe-afe
and retail furniture The wall cf the t,trr,,-
IS on the side toward Eighteenth street
crushed a stable and a small frame houS-.
but no ore was Injured
Ths Gumry hotel VAS a ave-st0r,- brick
structure. with "a stone front. and was
erected SIX Years ago. Il was of tho bsf-
ter Kind of Second-ClaSs hotels rst-rtn-
largely 20 family patronage Thus many
ladies' and children were auorE BE GUESTS
The building was erected as tha Eaan
MGsee hy the widow Of Gen Tom Thunh
sai nas SO occupiC3 fo~ about a wear h.-
ing later rcucdCle1 for use as hotel
Gumry * Gre{ner have owned II for sew
eTal years Mr GumTy was rrowt0.7r
contractor. and had much CT the vo-b.
durinE tire erection of the state cap{tol
Mr. Gceiner acted in the capacity % man
ager
No meals were served In the hotel and
every guest entered on fse register o.
cupied a Tocna "a the hotel tonizht. Tven-
ty-two REGISTERED today. uosg az .her7
late tonight. ThGs far only Fifteen r,e0-
pie who are known yo have been Iu tns
hotel a- the tlGle of tae explosion are ae-
counted for. tbs leaves Sixty supposed
To be dead Henry Slosn and vrIfe. of
Huron. kau and ". & McC1atn. cashier
af tae Huron state hank arrived as the
hotel tonight from Maultou. and oceu-
pied tne tCoat south rooms. Thev are
among those taken down hy The ladders.
AID ara mere or less injured
Al go tweury-four have heen account
e5 fer. s.x beng probably fatally injured,