Denver, Colorado

Gumry Hotel Explosion

August 19, 1895

OVER A SCORE KILLED

HOTEL GUMRY BLOWN UP BY AN EXPLOSION AT DENVER

Denver, Aug. 19.-The Gumry hotel, 17?5 To 17?? Lawrence street, was wrecked by a terrible explosion at 12:10 a.m. this morning.  The rear half of the building, a five story brick and stone structure, went down with a crash.

On both sides of Lawrence, from Seventeenth to Eighteenth street, and on Lorimar, directly back of the Gumry, the plate glass windows of the business houses were blown in, and a number of pedestrians were injured by falling glass.  The fronts of many buildings in the vicinity were nearly wrecked.

Among the missing is included Elmer Pearce, the night engineer, who is said to have entered the hotel just before the explosion occurred.  It is the this man’s carelessness that the disaster is attributed.

The bodies of PETER GUMRY and GENERAL ADAMS are still in the ruins.  Judge James Glynn, who was at first supposed to have been in his room at the hotel, turns out to be at Holyoke, Colo., where he was spending Sunday with friends.

A vast throng surrounds the building on every side, pushing forward as far as the fire ropes will allow.  The police are constantly guarding against any one slipping through the lines on account of the great danger that the front of the building may fall.

Offered $10,000 to Be Rescued.

The scenes surrounding the death of JAMES MURPHY, a contractor, were heartrending.  The firemen engaged at the rear of the building heard the agonizing cries from the man that he was burning and asking them to continue to play the water.  After a few hours’ heroic work the firemen reached him.  His two lower limbs were pinioned between two heavy joists.  After the most heroulean [sic] efforts, with dense smoke blinding them, the firemen released Murphy’s left leg.  At this moment a sheet of flame compelled them to withdraw.  Murphy the offered his rescuers $10,000 to get him out and piteously demanded them to chop his leg off.  A second later the west wall collapsed and covered Murphy with tons of ruins.  Mr. Murphy came to Denver from Omaha six years ago.

MRS. GEORGE R. WOLFE, from Lincoln, Neb., visiting Mrs. Schmittel, was a victim of the catastrophe.  She was accompanied by her 5-year-old daughter.  Mrs. Wolfe’s husband is a prominent tobacco manufacturer in Lincoln.  He had left there for a tour of Colorado.

J. A. Brown and J. L. Kirk of Omaha are among the missing.  They registered at the Gumry on Sunday afternoon and have not been seen since the explosion.  Mrs. Brown telephoned and inquiry from Omaha, and Chief Goulding answered that there were little hopes of her husband being alive.  A suit of clothes was found in the ruins of the hotel, in the pockets of which was a 1,000 mile railroad book bearing the name of A. Stuckey and a letter addressed to Miss Hallie Layton of Belvidere, Ills.

A Dairyman’s Sufferings.

M.E. Letson, a dairyman of this city, was in the ruins ten hours before he was rescued.  His injuries are a crushed arm, several contusions and the shock to his nervous system.  Mr. Letson said,

“I was more incased that pinioned as only my left leg and my right arm were held down by weights.  You cannot have the slightest idea of my feelings as I lay there in the bottom of the basement with all the ruins on top and around me, hearing the excruciating cries of the dying and those in agony and being almost overcome by the shock, and also soaked with water and almost drowned and fearing that the next minute I would be buried alive.”

The total loss caused by the explosion and fire is about $75,000.  The Gumry hotel was worth about $25,000 and had $8,000 worth of furniture.  It is a total wreck, but was insured for $25,000.

The McMann block, which stands next to the Gumry, was also heavily damaged.  The loss of the building is about $25,000.

The Dead and the Missing.

Following are lists of the dead and missing so far as yet ascertained:

Dead – PETER GUMRY, owner of the hotel; R. C. GRIENER, manager of the hotel, son-in-law of Peter Gumry; Mrs. R. C. GRIENER, clerk of the hotel, daughter of Peter Gumry; child of Mr. and Mrs. R. C. GRIENER; GENERAL CHARLES ADAMS, Manitou, Colo.; AL BLAKE, Pueblo, Colo.; MYRON E. HAWLEY, Union Pacific railroad clerk, Denver; JAMES MURPHY, contractor, Denver; GEORGE BURT, passenger conductor on the Rock Island railroad, Colorado Springs; MRS. C. R. WOLF and daughter, Lincoln, NEB.; three chambermaids, names unknown; one bellboy, name unknown, and M. EDWARDS, butcher, Denver.

Missing – Griener, father of R. C. Griener, manager of the hotel, Bud Burns, Colorado Springs, W. J. Carson, Pueblo, Colo.; F. French and Bart Larsch, both of Central City, Colo.; E. F. McCloskey, Canon City, Colo.; Judge Glynn, Leadville, Colo., Elmer Pearce, J. A. Brown and J. L. Kirk. 

The Hopewell Herald, Hopewell, NJ 20 Aug 1895

Transcribed by Jenni Lanham.  Thank you, Jenni!

DENVER'S DISASTER.

Denver, Colo., Aug. 19. --- A portion of the Gumry hotel, the scene of frightful disaster, is standing, a gaunt and sinister ruin, resulting from an explosion caused through a drunk engineer. The list of dead and missing numbers twenty-five, making the disaster the worst that ever occurred in the city.

Only seven bodies have been recovered, being those of Manager GREINER and wife, clasped in each other's arms; GEORGE BURT, a Rock Island railroad conductor; MRS. GEORGE R. WOLFE and daughter; FRED HUBBOLD and WILL RICHARDS, the elevator man.

A vast crowd surrounds the building on every side, pressing forward as far as the ropes will allow. The police are constantly guarding against any one stepping through the lines, on account of great danger that the front of the building may fall.

Daily Enquirer Utah 1895-08-20

Submitted & transcribed by Stu Beitler  Thank you, Stu!

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