The Portland daily press., 1895-08-20
TITANIC FORCE.
Boiler Explosion Shattered Hotel
Gumry at Denver.
TWENTY FIVE GUESTS MET A
HORRIBLE DEATH.
Many Burned to Death Before the Eyes of
the eFiremen-Victims Pinned Down by
Beams While the Fire Approached
A Drunken Boy Responsible for the

Beams While the Fire Approached
A Drunken Boy Responsible for the
Catastrophe.
Denver Col, August 49, -Probab 25
men, women and children perished by
an explosion of q boiler in the Gumry
hotel on Lawrence street shortly after
midnight this morning. Half dozen
others are injured and are atythe hos
pital Eight burned and crushed bodies
are at the morgue and ten more are
known to be buried in the ruins. But
II persons are reported missing altogeth-
er.
With deafening sound and terrific
force the end and rear portion of the
building was demolished, the rear and
side walls scrumbling like toy house,
and soon afterwards the mass OF timbers,
brick and furniture caught fire cremat-
ing many of the victims who lay pinned
and helpless amid the blazing pile. Their
piteous appeals for help could not be re-
sponded to because of the flames. Those
known to have been killed whose bodies
have been recovered are r. G. Gieinan,
assistant superintendent of the construo
tion of the state capitol, and his wife,
who acted as clerk at the hotel, George
Burt of Denver, a conductor on the Chi
cago, Rock Island & Pacific railroad
Fred Hubbold of Lisbon, Ia, guest
f. j. McCloskey of Longmont, Col,
a guest, Will Richards of Den YER, an
elevator boy, an unknown woman, and
an unknown child three years old. The
only means of identifying the body of
the woman is by a gold band ring with
the initials II. b. engraved thereon.
Among those who are missing and sup
posed to be still in the ruins, are Peter
Gumry, owner of the hotel, and Superin-
tendent of Construction of the State Cap
ital Gen. Charles Adams, of Denver,
James Murphy, a prominent Democratic
politician of Omaha, E. w. Edwards,
butcher, Denver, W. J. Blake, N. J.
Gipin county, Col Mrs R. 6. Wolfe,
Grace Wolf, five years Of age, of Lincoln,
Neb., B. Q. Linch, of Black Hawk, an
unknown woman, three unknown cham
bermaids. The injured are VI. e. Stet-
son, Joseph Munal, Alex e. Irwin, Fred
Colman, Nathan Burgess.
The latest information regarding the
catastrophe is that Elma Pierce, aged H.
who was temporarily placed in charge of
the boiler, was responsible for the eXplo
sion. With the boiler almost at white
heat he let cold water into the tubular
machinery, causing the explosion. He
escaped uninjured, and tonight was
hunted for by the angry people. M. E.
Steston, who was the first live man taken
| from the ruins, slept on the third floor
and when found he was encased in a
mass Of mortar and bricks that barely
allowed freedom OF movement.
| Chief Roberts of the fire department,
| first discovered him and rapidly began
| the removal of the tons Of material that
caan,p1 tO rnst 6irectlv TnoD his bOdv
| Stetson made heart renderingEappeals for
something with which to end his life. The
rescuers worked with a will, and in two
hours had removed enough plaster and
bricks from the apparently lifeless body
to allow his removal. His lower limbs
terrible ordeal Early in the morning
there were found the bodies of Mr.. and
Mrs. R. G. Greiner, clasped in an
embrace of death amid tons of debris.
| L hey had undoubtedly died from suffoca-
tion, as their features We're clear and
their limbs in repose. The left arm Of
| Mr.. Greiner was thrown across his wife s
| face his forefinger raised like a danger
signal.
AT a. M the body of an unknown
man was recovered and taken to the
Morgue. 1t was thought to be that of F.
J. McCloskey. Half an hour later the
remains of Conductor Burt were dis
| CON6TGu. AU ttDOUU U6A " ClOCA d WOIIldu 3
hand protruded from among pile of
building. A space was cleared around it,
and when the form was removed 1t was
discovered she was dead. Lying beside
the body was the corpse of child. The
firemen kept bravely at work, superln-
tended by Mayor McMurray, and the
police commissioners. In the afternoon
women volunteers came with refresh
ments for the workers The exoitem ent
! i'll the city tonight was at a high pitch,
and throngs of people crowded police
headquarters and the Morgue to search
for missing friends.
Ropes were stretched round the scene
Of the disaster, but they and extra police
failed to keep back the excited friends of
the missing people, and thousands of
curious bystanders. The hastily Or
ganized surgeons corps did noble work
At about six this evening a severe wind
storm came up and the work was ex-
tremoly hazardous near the damaged
walls. Rain also began falling in tor
rents, drenching the workers The boy
who was in charge of the boiler at the
time of the accident, had attended a
picnic during the day, and was under the
influence of liquor when he went on
duty. How he ever managed to turn the
injector cock and escape without injury
is a mystery The boilers are said to
have been in excellent condition. The
| terrible deStruct1On wrought ny tne e&-
plosion is in evidence everywhere within
three blocks of the scene The stores in
the neighborhood have their fronts de-
molished or windows damaged. The
financial loss will hardly exceed SIS, 000
The hotel was worth about 1875, 900 and
the furnishings $40, Everything was
destroyed. Ex-Gov Rout said today: In
my opinion the explosion was caused by
dynamite instead of the boiler. 1 think
it was done to kill Mr. Gumry, as he was
superintendent of construction at the
capitol building, and lately discharged
a number of men. These men have been
heard to threaten his life. Ex-Gov. Rout
is correct in his statement regarding the
discharge, but his suspicious are not
given crodence by the authorities.
RRIEElY TOLD