Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-09-01
One Person Killed and Many Wounded
Huge Stones Hurled Hundreds
OF Feet in the Air.
The Shock Felt For Niles Around
Panic In the Churches During
Services.

| DEsoLATloN AND DESTRUCTION
than did the country for half q mile in all
directions from the exploded magazine.
The day opened gloomily. At 8 o'clock
rain began falling furiously from immense
banks of clouds; flashes OF lightning were
soon chasing each other across the whole
armament until the heavens seemed
ablaze; the thunder was deafening.
About 9:15 o'clock q flash which
all agree was much brighter than
those preceding it, was followed by q re-
port that shook the greater part OF Cook
County. 1t was sharp report, but,
strange to say by m. st of those Who lived
hardly distinguishable from the series of
thunder cIaps which had been the order of
the morning. There was
TREMENDOUS SHAKING OF THE EARTH,
and articles of furniture not stationary
were thrown about rooms as if they were
playtbings in a giants power men, women
and children were tossed around at will by
| the terrible, resistible force released by the
explosion. The scene of the catastrophe
is about two miles from the extreme south
western edge of the city, near where Archer
avenue settles down into a conventional
highway. On one side wave great fields of
rpening corn, on the other broad stretch
of prairie runs for miles in all directions.
On this avenue were y dozen plain. but
strong houses, with walls of yellow brick,
roofs OF slate and strong iron doors.
These houses were magazines in which the
powder supply for Chicago and territory
dependent upon it was stored. Right IN
the
MIDST OF THE MAGAZINES
rises the home nf M. J. Terney, Police
Magistrate of the Town OF Lake, in the
limits of which the corporation ware
houses stood. The house was until to-day
an attractive home, two stories high. with
a spacious verandah in front and sur
rounded by a number OF substantial out
houses. 1t overlooked Archer road. about
forty feet away. Three hundred feet
northeast of the Tierney residence was
little cottage, rudely built and surrounded
by sheds, stables and hog pens.
The magazine Of the Latin & Rand Pow
der Company was one of the largest OF
dozen structures in the neighborhood. It
was substantial brick house 7OA30 feet,
with slate roof. The magazine was 800
feet east OF the cottage OF John Guhl and
700 feet from the Tierney residence. When
the rain began falling in the morning the
people in the vicinity vent indoors, many
OF them pro'onging their Saturday nights
rest. An occasional wagon passing along
Archer road was about the only sign of
life out doors. Just preceding the explo.
sion, a long, vivid electric flame seemed to
burst from q cloud directly over Latin &
Rand's magazine. Instantly the air was
filled with missiles of brick and clay, and
sheets OF tin and large stones aud pieces OF
lumber performed indescrible gyrations
HUNDREDS OF FEET IN THE AIR,
some falling back close to the points from
which they started, while others shot off
through space with frightful velocity, only
conforming to the laws OF gravity after
long fights. Stones wei Ching from l to $50
pounds we're thrown into fields two miles
from the scene. Trees were stripped OF
their foliage, fences by the mile were laid
low, telegraph wires snapped like fragile
threads and the prairie was rent with
seams as if from a thousand steam plows.
Not a building within = mile OF the ex-
plosion escap ped damage. The little cottage
OF John Guhl, with it's outhouses, was
laid low without warning and in a moment
parts OF the explored warehouse began
falling on the cottage. Guhls family
consisted OF himself, his wife and Carrie
Ahrenwerth. ii years OF age. The latter
was instantly killed, while Guhl and wife
were dragged from the ruins frightfully
mutilated Their horses, cows and swine
were all killed and their bodies blown full
of dirt, sand and powder. The ruins .of
Gubl's house Immediately took fire. and
the fragments burned out during the day.
The body of Carrie Ahrenwerth presented
q sickening spectacle. Half of the face was
torn away, the eyes were almost blown
from their sockets, and there was gaping
hole in the forehead large enough to re-
ceive a mans fist. The girls left arm was
torn from the shoulder. The body was
removed to the home of her uncle, on Cali
fornia Avenue.
The d. ad and fatally injured:
Miss CARRIE AnRENwER1H, killed In
stantly.
PETER KENNA, farmer, ribs broken and
JNo. GAIL, teamster for the Oriental
Powder company, ribs fractured and right
| leg broken in two places.
| Internal wounds:
| Mrs. GUHL, skull crushed.
MRS. ELIZA DEv1NE, right leg crushed to
a ielly, breast transfixed by strip OF
glass.
| Oriental Powder company and also those
belonging to the Warren company, ,Ha zard
| and Dupont companies and Forcite Dyna-
mite store house. Latin Il Rand COM
pauy's magazine was the only rne which
exnioded, Where it stood there is now an
immense excavation nearly SO feet IN
depth. - :.
ascertained, 100000 pounds OF powder
| and half as much dynamite. In the neigh
horing houses was 500, 1000 pounds Of dy-
Mantle and twice as much powder. Not
one of the buildings had lightning RODS or
conductors. Directly south OF the powder
mill stood the little fsame house OF Mrs;
Devine. aged 65. The little structure mad
seemingly been crushed to atoms, and a
stone of 300 pounds weight lay on the
ru;ns in which was found Mrs. Devine. her
right leg
CRUSHED INTO sHAPELESS MASS,
and a large piece OF glass had entered
under her collar bone and was lorceo out
through her armpits. Peter Kenna, while
driving past in z wagon, was lmmeolate'y
in front of the magazine when the nee expo. .
SION occurred. He was blown 200 feet
into a corn field and frightfully injured
One of his horses was kill. outright and
the wagon reduced to bits. The first shocs
~ the explosion reached the Church
1Iesnit) of the Holy Family, where mass
wos going on. There were thousand
,,oon,e at the services, who made an lndis
criminate plunge for the staircase and WIN
Jnws' Men fell in heaps over faintlni
women and children, and
GENERAL PANIC ENsuED,
A,-.ot MANY women and children wert
ser;ensly injured. At the Church Of thu
ssltGuy Nat;w;ty Thirty-seventh and Dishe
streets another panic took place and sew
.aI xrera mora or less injured. The boarc
ere. r"oae "o hn;ldine. seven miles from tn,
tUa tUeive feet square, was shattered int
!, ; ;.san,ents. the largest piece being no large