The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-09-30
UNDER FALLING WALLS.
A Distressing Accident tn One of the
Faithful Workers 1t the Fire.
Special To the standard.

A Distressing Accident tn One Of h
Faithful Workers 1t the Fire.
Special to the standard.
BUTTE, Sept. 29.-Perhaps the most
thrilling incident of to-day's fire occurred
at 8 AS O'Clock this afternoon. The flames
had died down and the weary firemen
were playing on the RUNS. Among the
debris, where q few hours before stood
Hennessy's big store. a ~firemen
named William Chapman was directing n
stream at the smouldcrinR mass. For
three hours he had been holding the noz-
Gle. Behind him was another fircmen
named Tucker. Suddenly the west wall
of the building was seen to sway. A mo
ment later there was a deafeninR crash
and then a stirling cloud of dust. From
the emerged the form of Tucker,
his white fircman's coat blackcned with
dirt. He had been struck on the head
and back with falling bricks, hut he cried
out, "Save my partner" A dozen men
spranR into the smoking mass and soon
pulled out the apparently lifeless
form of Chapman. His head was
bruised and bloody and he gave
no sign of life. He was removed in n hack
to the McDermott House. His wife was
m from South Butte and was
soon at his side. His life is d~espaircd of.
He In the father of eight children and is
poor. He worked in the Montana Union
freight yard.
Meanwhile the southwest corner of the
Bowes building still projected upward as
far as the fourth story. like n sentinel
butte, all the other walls being i'm a heap
on the ground. The firemcn attached
ropes and tried to pull IL down. Twice
the rope gave way. But the third time the
wall tottercd and fell, crashing into the
real of the wholesale liquor store of H. L.
Frank. at the corner of West Broadway
and Utah street. The roof of the building
was crushed and three rooms OH the top
floor were demolished. The building is
owned by James Murray.
Tonight the citizens of Butte are gath
cred on every street corner discussing the
fire. Everybody il loud i'm praise of the
flremen, both the paid and the
men.
The volunteer flremcn of the Alice mine
came over from Walkcrvillc carrying their
hose on their backs. They did gallant
service. One citizen tonight said, AT 1
o'clock to-day / wouldn't have given 8
cents for the whole of Butte" The fire.
men did. indeed. make n wonderful fight.
Their victory was especially notable i'm
saving the Bonner Mercantile company
from complete ruin. The firemcn stood
almost in the midst OF the flames and
poured i'm the stream, while the hose was
burning behind them. To mention the
fremen and the citizens who became
heroes to-day would he to mention a
fourth of the citizens.
It is not generally believed tonight thai
the origin OF the fire was i~ncendiary. Sew
eral theories have been advanced, the
most plausible of which is thai three
plumbers were at work i'm Bowcs' new
hotel, that the gasoline engine with which
they were working exploded and caused
the fire. This theory is considered espec-
tally plausible from the rapidity with
which the entire structure was i'm
flames. DR. w. NJ. Schultz, who first
sounded the alarm, says il was not five
minutes before the whole building was
afiame. the Missouri river could not
have quenched the fire then. But further
investigation has thrown doubts OF this
theory also. One Of the plumbers says
they were working on the main floor and
the fire started i'm the basement. Further
more, he, himself, carried the gasoline en-
CINE, and can produce il to show that il
did not cause the fire.