The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-05-10
LOOKING AT The RUINS
How People Will Fare Who Had Stuff In
The Freight House.
The Railroad People Get Tenn
porary Quarters and VIII
Put Up Another Build
Ing at Once.

BUTTE, May 9.-The fire of yesterday
morning, briefly mentioned In the STAND
ARD, reduced the Montana Union COM
pany's freight depot 10 ashes. The scene
was visited by hundreds OF people to-day
and a good many shippers were interested
10 know whether the loss involved them.
IL the fire was of ~incendiary origin,
nothing so far as known has yet Trans
PRED Ia establish that fact. General
Manager Baldwin was too busy TO be seen
to-day. and none OF his s~,ibordinatcs
information than the public. Individual
losses by the fire are said To be quite
numerous, and, i'm some cases, also
heavy, the losers being persons who
had allowed freight To remain in
the depot longer than the time
during which the company was rcspons-
ible for its safety. IL is said that jackson,
the music dealer, loses about 5000 in this
manner According To the rule adopted
10y all railroad companies, freight allowed
To remain mt the depot longer than "a
hours after its arrival does so at the
owners risk. A clause to this effect is
contained in the bills of lading and ship
ping bills. After the fire had been burn
ing a few minutes, several explosions
occurred. which endangered the lives
of the crowd Of on-lookcrs that lined the
street. Alderman McDermott and some
companions were standing on h street
about M feet from the fire when an ex-
plosion occurred and in n few moments
after huge piece Of iron fell in their
midst. Mr.. McDcrmott said TO n STAND
ARD reporter to-day: IL never saw any
thing like il; a piece OF iron weighing
about 10 pounds, and looking very much
like the head Of a cylinder of a pump fell
from the sky like n meteor. II came
straight down and must have travelled
htfnslraxIs pf Fact i'm the mir with ths velDr-
ity of "a canon ball." Several other chunks
OF iron fell In other places among h
crowd. II is presumed that tine explo-
sions were occasioncd by powder. Had
not the fire department arrived in the
nick of time the buildings on the north
west corners of the streets leading to the
freight house would undoubtedly have
burned. Had these buildings caught fire
the whole town of South Butte would I'M
doubtcdly have suffered.
The train mel and other railroad en-
ployes worked like heroes TO save the
rolling stock that stood on the track near
the fire. A lot of valuable books and
papers were also rescued from the office
Of the burning building. These included
the bills and shipping receipts. IL will be
possible for the company To tell within a
few days tine exact amount OF freight
DESTROYED and the value thereof. This
can be done by checking up the freight
records, which fortunately were saved.
There were no cars destroyed, though
some were badly scorched before they
could he removed by the train men.
The building was so feet wide and
800 feet long. lii understood that there
was no special insurance On il as all the
company's stock Is sale To he covered by
a blanket policy, which of course extend
ed TO this building. The company intends
10 rebuild at once and is advertising for
bids. The new building, il is announced,
will stand where the old one stood, and
will he a more commodious and substan-
tial one. In the meantime the old ware
house erected by Green & kcefc has been
rented and will be used as a depot and
Office. Ii is proposed Ia rush the new
building with all possible speed and in n
short time the company will he in as good
shape as ever for handling and receiving
freight.