The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-01-26


the fire started in the northwest corner of
the Kenyon Cornell buil,ling and that the
little explosion and the first heavy one
which killed the firemen took place
thcre."
A. d. POTTER.
Al ID. Potter gave the following testi-
| mony: II reached the scene just after
the first explosion and the first man |
ran across was John Sloan, sr., who was
living northwest from the east warehouse.
He told me that both of his legs we're
broken, but didl't think he was so badly
hurt, and went on to help some of the
men who were surrounded and covered
with burning waste. | then went to n
house n short distance north of the boil
ers 10 summon help and | was about half
way back when the second explosion went
oil. Ii occurred in the kenyon-Connell
warehouse. was in front of the north
east corner of the Butte Hardware ware
house when the third explosion occurred.
Ii was also in the Kenyon-C onnell ware
house. When the first heavy explosion
went off. was just west of the Butte Hard
ware building, SO that il could have not
occurred there. When ! reached the Ken
yon-Connell warehouse, just after the first
heavy explosion, 1T was completely wrecked
and the explosion must have taken place
there. The Butte Hardware company's
warehouse was slightly damaged by the
first heavy explosion and badly wrecked
OF the heavy explosions took place in the
kenyon-Connell war house
PETER MARTIN.
Peter Martin. an engineer at the Colusa
Parrot NINE. was in his cabin in East
Park street, back of the {. o. ID. laundry.
when the first explosion occurred, and he
ran TO the scene. He said: II found a
dead man between the wrecked hook and
ladder truck and the hose wagon and
pulled him back a little way. | was just
behind the hook and ladder truck when
the second explosion occurred. | saw II
plainly and IL was in the Kenyon-Connell
warehouse. That explosion threw out a
lot of rabble heads and fish plates. | then
started to run north and was knocked
down by flying debris. After the first eX-
ploslon the rear of the Butte Hardware
building was knocked out. and the Ken
yon-Connell warehouse was partly demol-
ished. There was little fire in both
buildings. The first explosion threw out
lot OF coils of wire, iron pipe and wheel
barrow wheels. There was "A lot of wire
around the hook and ladder truck. A
large piece of sheet iron was thrown out
by the second explosion and landed close
TO me. i saw one man killed by flying
piece of iron after ;be second explosion.
l was behind the Northern Pacific ice
house when the third explosion occurred.
l believe that the third explosion occurred
in the warehouse of the Butte Hardware
company"
JAMES DONOVAN.
James Donovan accompanied the pre-
vious witness to the scene Immediately
after the first heavy explosion. II story
OF the affair was as follows: when |
reached the scene the Butte Hardware
companies warehouse was completely
wrecked except the side next to the rail- |
road track. Wire and iron pipe were
thrown in a northeastern direction from
that building for POO or 300 feet, and | |
think the first explosion took place there. |
There was quite hole IN the northeast
corner of the ruins. The Kenyon-Connell
warehouse was partly wrecked. | was
almost directly in front of the Kenyon
Connell building when the secon d eN-
plosion took place, and | am certain that
it occurred in that building. Unexploded
giant powder was scattered around by the
first big explosion.
JOHN MURT.
John Murt was in the cabin with Peter
Martin and James Donovan when the
when the fire broke out, and he accom-
panied them to the scene. His story of
tho general appearance OF things and of
what happened after he arrived cores
ponded ALMOST exactly with their testi-
mony. He supposed from the general
condition Of the surroundings that the
warehouse of the Butte Hardware COM
pany was the scene OF the first explosion,
and he believed that the second explosion
took place IN the Kcnyon-Connell build
ing although he did not see 1t. He found
a man north of the hose wagon with a
large iron pipe lying across HIM, and he
was in the act of relieving him and help
ing him away when the second explosion
went off and knocked him senseless He
saw number of dead men after he first
explosion. The fire at that time was
burning fiercely IN the KENYON
Connell warehouse.
ALEXANDER ANDERSON.
Alexander Anderson was at the
corner Of Park and Arizona streets
when he heard the first explosion.
Ee had seen and heard $500 pounds of
Judson powder exploded in a railroad
tunnel and the shock was not nearly so
severe as the one on Tuesday night. He
then ran down TO the scene. Both ware
houses were in n blaze when he arrived
and he could form no idea as TO which
building the explosion occurred IN. lie
saw 40 or 30 men lying around and most
OF them seemed to be dead. There was
iron pipe scattered around and 1t looked
as though 1t had been blown in a north
easterly direction. Continuing, he said:
Il was near the hose wagon wnen the Sec
ond explosion went off. 1t looked 10 me |
as though 1t occurred IN the KENYON |
Connell warehouse. don't think II nos
sible that the second explosion could have
come from the Butte Hardware ware
house. 1t seemed to me that 25 or 30 |
boxes of powder went off at the second |
explosion. The second explos on threw |
out shower of pieces of iron which /
struck the ground around me like the 1
jingle of sleigh bells. One man lust in |
front of me had the top of his head blown |
oil. i saw some round-pointed shove,s |
and iron wheelbarrows. and some fish /
plates strung on a wire scattered around |
before the second explosion. / also saw /
some iron pipes which had apparently |
been thrown around by the first explo- |
sion. They were scattered around near
the hose wagon"
VISITING THE SCENE.
The jury then VISITED several houses in
the vicinity of the G. lrrison house to LOOK \
the ground over and secure the testimony /
OF several witnesses who could not attend 1
the inquest. At the residence of jaime,
Allerton, 336 Last Platinum street, il was
found that three rabblc heads had gone
the side of the building. One of 1
them cut off a piece of s,udliug aFter
passing through two thicknesses OF