Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-03-16

When the news was received in town yes
tsrday morning that the Anaconda smelteE
was on fire, the people Of Butte received 8
shock that they viii not get over readily.
The most feverish anxiety prevailed to
know the extent Of the dsmass, and q
variety Gf rumors n usuaI found currency.
il Wnen at last definite news came up from
Anaconda that the new smeiter and cal
einer alone had been burned. . feeling Of
relief sapervened. and q load oil anxiety
was removed from every one
1t showed, il need were, hos completely
the prosperity OF this town hangs upon the
existence of the plant at Anaconda and its
maintenance in full working order. The
shutdown during last December on account
OF the Montana Union engineers strike
| showed the sensitive sympathy in Butte
When anything Interferes with the regular
| working of the smelter. And well may
| Butteis citizens lear the interruption OF
| those works for it means making idle 1 500
| men and their famihes In his community.
| The result in the present instance is bad
enough, m the output OF the mines siil
have to be reduced at least 500 tons q day
at q rough estimate.
The first to notice the fire was VIM. Hib-
bard, who at $40 a. M was proceeding to
the upper works whea he observed the fire
in the roof on the northern front OF smelt.
ing building No. 3: He warned Dick
Dickerson, the Waterman at the lower
works, who notified the Waterman. of
whom there ID always one on duty, in the
fire engine house, but the alarm was ont Of
order and the consequence was delay
where every seeoUd was worth thousands
Of dollars.
Meanwhile the blaze was seen from the
upper works and Marcus DAILY Fire Engine |
Co. No. I turned out in haste. They took
the lower side OF the works to reach the
Are, but the horses gave out before they had |
reached the point. The men then loaded |
the engine on q fat car and went back to I
the upper works, when they went over the
high line and played on the fire from q
water tank so fest above the roof Of the
burning building, standing on the high
trestle west OF it.
There was great excitement and confu-
sion among the employees when the fire
broke out. James Ritchie, chief Of the Fire
Department, took charge at once and the
boys did excellent service under his dirsc-
tions, once he got them placed in position.
The fire was q very fierce one, as might be
expected. The s-uperstrueture was built OF
Missoula pine s~uperheated by the smelling
plant within and 10 dry as a finder box.
In ten minutes the f.e had enveloped the
Immense, new smelter. The men worked
hard directing their efforts to saving the
silver mill and concentration shout so feet
distant. The direction OF the wind favored
their work blowing down the canyon to the
east. All danger OF spread Of the fire was
over by 9 o'clock. A number OF freight cars
and the ore bins were also destroyed. The
tramway was scorched but not destroyed.
The buildings destroyed were of the lat
est and most massive construction. The
of the smeiter il OF stone
blocks OF great size, and it was not OBJ
to be injured in any way. The
smelter contained about twenty Brueckner
besides matte furnaces. From
the massive construction OF the Rrueckuer
and the rapidity with which the
IRE burned, strong hopes are entertained
that these are intact, although the gearing
and adjustment connected with them will
nave to be removed. Some of the matte
furnaces are badly damaged, and Others
ook intact. The smelter was 700 feet
ong and 500 feet wide, and was the latest .
10 the plant. With the exception
,f the foundation, it was all frame and
ron, and il a total loss. L
lt Ii impossible to estimate the amount .
II damage at present. A conservative es- !
innate place. it at $3.50. 900, though others
eckon it much higher than this. Mr.. DAILY .
ras present al the fire and came up in the g
Ifternoon. but although asked to form an q
Of the loss he professed himself
Utterly unable to doso. The heaviest part I
the financial loss will be on account OF I
be cessation OF the reduction OF ores, a
rhroh Fill -n1rr - -A@~ D. ------
i the total output OF the mines. There \
las no insurance ON the property. Ii
Nothing definite can be stated about re- q
uilding yet, although it is understood that a
smporary sheds will be erected over the
lrnaces as soon as the debris is cleared .
d and nat work on the temporary y
uildings will be begun 10 two weeks. There -
as q rumor in Anaconda yesterday that n
be company had not signed it's renewed =
ontraet with the French Syndicate and =
lat rebuilding would be deferred until it q y
definitely known how this is going to y.
out. q
The origin of the fire is a mystery, but
ow it could gain the Roadway it did is ex.
aimed by the obstruction to immediate
by the engine companies noted. b,
hese interruptions to immediate service S.
ere very unfortunate, though it is a CUES -
- ASNAS4 GU u NAEAC uOtlOCu u udu
1t gained Roadway to such an extent as en-
be irrepressible then. The company IL
no pains in having its fire engine vi
ID hose companies supplied with the MI
test material, and with the multiplicity wa
uatehmen retained in service day and I'M
,ht the possibility OF it having been in be
1diary seems more than likely. There ne
% a umo to this effect in Anaconda IT
ag
HE CHAMBERS SYNDICATE CLOSED. ia
As a result of the fire orders were issued col
down all the mines Of the Chambers L.
This throws out of employ. on
mt about 500 men, with the probability Of
q majority Of them having to leave the on
= or remain idle for som time. HIT
WI
AND DEMPSEY TONIGHT. me
. Fancy Looking Forward to q RattlfnxI
Good MIL at the Comique. 1
fou
his is the evening set Tor the six-round VII,
We fight between George Kessler and bio
mig Dempsey at the Comique for the per
e receipts. George has come to be gun
arded as the Butte champion and the 60,
nirers OF sport OF this nature in town con
X a good deal on his bulldog tenacity apE