Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-04-24
ExPEos1os or 4 11aAzIpE.
The Powder House ct IN Burlington
Mime Explodes with . Hundred Pounds
OF Powder In ii.

Mine Explodes with Hundred Pound
OF Powder In ii.
Yesterday afternoon it became neise
around town that the powder house OF th
Burlington mine was on FIRE. and man,
we're anxiously listening for the explosion
in the course Of the afternoon. It wa un
derstoodlat first that there were about 20t
pounds Of powder in the magazine, an,
many predicted that the jar conseqren
woule belfelt in Butte, although two mile
away, while Others secuted the idea q,
ridiculous. As q matter Of fact, the explo
sion was heard and felt almost as clearly
here 10 ID Burlington u ssi
How the magazine caught fire is al yea
unknown. 1t is situated about two hun
dred yards north OF the hosting works oi
the Burlington mine and is built into q
sand bank leaving nothing but the door
exposed, and even that sunk several feet In
the side Of the bank. The only infiamma-
BILE substance within. besides the powder it
was built to contain, was the roof which
consisted OF two rows Of logs to support
the sand bank above. The work Of con-
lagration after it commenced was therefore
slow az the sand kept the fire from making
any Roadway. There happened to be about
a hundred pounds oil powder in the house
at the time. The house is alwayss kept
locked, the key to it being always carried
by the foreman Of the mine, B. Davy, and
no powder had been taken from it that
day. The only way in which Mr.. Davy
could account for the fire IL children play
ing with matchesand building q fire against
the door, or in the doorway, from which
the wooden door itself caught, and know
ing very well what the place was used for.
they feared to tell when they saw what
ha,, pened.
The first alarm was brought by a boy
who, seeing the smoke coming from the
doorway, ran I've to the mine and told
what he had seen. This was about half
past O. The foreman had left the mine
about / O'Clock, and when he left every
thing was going On as usual. He cam up
to town and had been here abont an hour
when he vas notified of what had occurred
by q telephone message from Tom Yorke's
house, which is near the m; ne. The mine
belongs to the Colorado Company, so that
Mr.. Goodale and Mr.. Yorke were at once
apprised of the existence OF the fire. Mr.. |
went out with Mr.. Goodale in q team
to Burlington about half-past 8, and from
thence until the explosion took place their
we're directed to keeping the vicinity
Of the powder house clear OF teams and
people passing on the road. Nobody went
near the magazine from the time the fire
was discovered, o was any EFFORT made
10 extinguish it, every one being memen-
~apprehensive that the explosion
would take place, and giving it q wide
perth. -,
Mr.. Goodale took up q position at the
;op OF the hill on the road to Burlington
Ind Mr.. Davie. at the foot of the hill in the
own, stopping teams and passengers from
the road at all. being doubtful of
he safety OF any one passing there, al
road is more than two hundred
ards south OF the powder house. ..ze
The nearest building to the powder house
vas the public school, which stands about
80 yards west OF it, some OF the windows
acting in it's direction, and it was the only
that felt the effects Of the explo-
lon, and that only slightly. The fire
'urned until seven minutes of s, when the
re had reached the powder, and it
up. A large crowd Of the
of Burlington was assembled
the neighbOrhood to see the magazine
o up, but all carefully out of reach Of
anger. When the explosion at length took
it went of with a deadened sound,
hrowinga high column of sand and dirt
lto the air. A slight jar was felt in the
round hardly more than was experienced
ere. The only damage so far heard OF
as to the windows of the school house
hat faced the magazine. Not q window
| Burlington. it was reported, vas broken.
he sound was heard and the column OF
and thrown up was seen at the Colorado
nelter. 1t is entirely due to the precau-
ons OF Mr.. Goodale and Mr.. Dayie that
o injury happened to teams passing. Mr..
AWE says the mine is safe, as the powder
ouse was situated q hundred yards off
he lead, and that it cannot have affected
timberiDg in any way. > ~