The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-09-08
REMOVING The DEAD
Sad Scenes Witnessed at Spokane Falls
Yesterday.
Fourteen Mangled Bodies In the Ex-
piosion Have Been Recovered
One Died In the Hospital
More Are Missing.
Special 10 the Standard.

Speclal 10 tne Stdnuuu.
SPOKANE FALLS, Sept. THE sun
rose upon ghastly spectacle in Spokane
Falls to-day. Fourteen mangled bodies
lay in the morgue, the result Of the terri
BILE giant powder explosion in the east
end of the city at $40 yesterday evening.
Thousands Of people viewed the bodies
and the scene of the explosion was sur
rounded by curious crowds during the
day. The work OF recovering the bodies
was suspended aV no o'clock last night, as
there were three blasts which had been
prepared and which were not exploded.
II was feared that in the darkness the
men might cause them TO explode. in
which case the havoc would have been
terrible among the hundreds of specta-
tors as well as the workmen themselves.
The work of searching for the bodies
was resumed this morning by large force
of men. Up TO 3 o'clock this afternoon no
more bodies had been uncovered ana
work was again suspended until to-
morrow.
II is believed several bodies are buried
under the huge pile of rocks which has
not yet been disturbed.
One of the men sent to the hospital
died this morning, making Is dead all
told. Seven are badly wounded, and of
this number ii is believed three will die.
There are various theories as to the
cause of the premature explosion of the
blast the most generally accepted is that
foreman James Mcpherson, who was doing
the tamping, tried to force the cap down
with an iron bar. McPherson's head was
blown completely off and he was hurled
30 feet In the air and so was also his pow
der man, Joseph Rhea.
A man who stood beside Mcpherson
escaped without a scratch, although
10000 cubic feet of rock was torn to atoms
and scattered around him. The mer
were working in cut, leveling of the
ground for the new Northern Pacifi,
freight yards. The cliff of tn,
rock, or side OF the cut
from which they were shovellinl
rock and earth was eighteen or twent,
feet high. The blasts are SO arranged
that the rock is thrown toward the cut
Not looking for the blast, of course th'
men, about thirty in number, were work
ing right along the base of the cliff wheI
great mass of rock was raised up an,
piled into the cut, burying the men be
meath its awful weight.
None of them had time to run but som'
who were furthest away escaped injury
though rocks, some of which weighe'
several hundred pounds, fell all aroun,
them. There were AZ men work
ing i'm the cut and on top of tn
cliff when the explosion occurred. o
these several are unaccounted for. The
went by numbers instead of by name
and il cannot be learned definitely no,
many are yet missing until tomorrow
when it is possible some Of those SUP
posed to be under the debris may tur
up all right.
A coroner's jury was summoned thi
afternoon and the taking of the testimon
began. The inquest will be resumed Il
morrow and an effort will be made,
possible, to fasten the blame where it b,
longs. James Mcpherson, the forema
who was tamping the blast which e,
ploded, was one of the oldest and mo,
experienced powder men in the countr.
The victims will be inferred in Greer
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