Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-16
Powder Explosions During a Fire at
Butte, Montana.
FORTY-FOUR BODIES ARE RECOVERED
Foty-three Wounded in the Hos
pitfalls.
CITIZENS HARD AT WORK

SpCnQeu 10 u GILL lIOul DOA ss-lhC Neiii "a
death to nearly the entire department.
The fire was either in the store Of Kenyon
Cornell or the Butte Hardware Company
warehouse, and both contained powder.
There was a rumor that there was pow
der in the buildings and this reached the
ears of the firemen as soon as they reached
the scene, but it was denied and after
moments hesitation they began fighting
the fire.
At 1O:OS the men had barely started to
work when there was an explosion, which
shook Butte to its very foundation. The
powder in the warehouse blew up, spread
ing death and ruin to all who We're near
1t is believed that in the first explosion
only three firemen were killed There were
heroes among the spectators. however, and
as soon as the stun of the shock passed
away, while some ran in terror, they I'M
mediateIy began pulling the nlutiiated bod
les of the firemen and injured from the
proximity CT the flames.
From all over the city people began NOV
ing toward the fire, and the crowd had
greatly increased within five minutes.
Just about that length of time after the
first explosion second explosion, almost
equal in volume to the first, heightened the
terror all over the city and spread death
and desolation among scores of citizens.
Parts of bodies were hurled hundreds Oh
feet away. man near the Northern Pa
leg and thigh of human being, driven by
the force of dynamite from the fearful
scene There were still heroes left to help
pull the shrel1ing wounded and the sfoan-
ing dying. There had been two explosions,
and there might be more. There Were
rumors of car loads of powder in the vi
cinity besides that stored in the ware
houses.
Hundreds of people were hurled right and
left, and many of them were mangled
beyond recognition. Bodies We're thrown
for hundreds of yards in all directions.
Some were thrown against houses and
smashed to a pulp, while flying debris liter
ally knocked the heads from others where
they stood.
One body, it is reported, was seen flying
through the air at a height Of 200 or 800
yards.
Blood. brains. arms legs and other pieces
of bodies were lying around, everywhere.
Many of the wounded were a pitiable sight.
After the first explosion occurred many
of the wounded were compelled by their
helpleSSness to lie near the scene, and the
heat only intensified the pain they were
suffering.
They begged to be taken away, but there
was no means of conveying them from the
scene at that time. a hackman, seeing the
terrible state of affairs, drove up and at
tempted to assist in their removal, but
while in the act the second explosion took
place and killed him and his horses and
many of the wounded.
Five minutes later a third explosion did
come, but 1T was mild one, and it is be-
leved that very few, il any, were injured
by it. The disaster had all occurred III fif-
teen minutes, the most horrible quarter of
an hour in Butte'S history.
Scenes After the Explosion.
The scenes after the explosion resembled
a field of battle more than anything else
The dead were strewn everywhere, and the
cries and groans of the injured ana dying
presented a scene altogether unearthly.
Blood and brains were scattered about.
Here were legs and arms, scattered around
were pieces of flesh and entrails. 1t was
sickenipg. Between the Northern Pacific
and the Great Northern depots, space of
;tU feet, the ground was literally covered
with parts of human beings and with the
dead and injured.
The scene was one of utter and desolate
destruction. Houses in the vicinity were
badly wrecked IS If a cyclone had struck
them. One of the rescuing corps gathered
tw enty-seven dead bodies in one place.
Eight were in another Two and three were
in groups here and there.
The reScuerS pulled some of the bodies
out still quiVeriDg, the remnants of the
human beings still grooming, while legs and
arms had been torn off. Shapeless trunks
quivered and died in the arms of the living.
The work Of rescue was prosecuted in earn
est. Every vehicle in the city was brought
into service to carry away the scores Of
dead and the hundreds of injured. The
HCSpitdIS were IllSu. Inc spare III
the hotels were taken, and private houses
were thrown open where it was necessary.
At the Hospital.
The sights in the undertaking establish
ments are something awful. All are
crowded with heaps of human flesh. Here
was a half head and a mutiIated trunk
below it; in another place an armless and
legless trunk with the face disfigured be-
yond all possibility of recognition.
Scarcely any of the corpses were rec
ogniZable and the complete roll of
dead will probably never be known.
There are twelve dead at the Butte
undertaking rooms. ten at the Montana
and nineteen at the Sherman.
Forty-three wounded are in the hos
pitfalls and tventy-eight of them in a crit
ical condition.
No attempt will be made to complete
the Identification of the dead until the in
jured are all cared for.
No good estimate can be made of the
number of wounded. They were cared for
by every conceivable method. Vehicles of
every description were pressed into service
and mangled men, women and children
were taken to hospitals. the city hall, drug
stores, public buildings, doctors offices and
residences.
1t may be several days before the full
list can be published.
only about one-half of the dead bodies
so far recovered have been identified. The
undertakers' shops are full of the identi-
fed bodies, and at the police station are
large number of the unidentified ones.
These bodies are fearfully mangled and
burned and as the faces of most of them
are unrecognizable. the only means of
Identification will be by the clothing or
other property found on the person of the
dead.
The Identified Dead.
The dead who have been identified up to
6 o'clock this morning are: j. B. Miller,
attorney, Salmon City, Idaho; j. d. Came
rcn, fire marshal; George F'ifer, fireman;
Jack Sloane, fireman; William MCGEE, fire
man; c. E. Tracey, Fred. Kremback. j. ].
Erright, J. ]. McHalc, - Robbins, -
CcZauue Mike Mead, Will Smith. George
Welton, Jack Charles, Charles Guttenburg,
an emoloye of the Butte Hardware Com
pany, folks live at Usage, Iowa; George
CIalbraith Ed. Sloan, fireman; Dave Moss,
fireman; John Fudge, volunteer fireman.
Alexander w. Milan, volunteer fireman;
Charles Bowman, volunteer fireman: Sam
ell Ash Peter Norling, James OLeary,
Miles Mcdonald, William Pierce, Albert
Goddard, George Holloway, Dan Hickey
c. w English, Charles Ashton, w. H.No-
Ian, Paul Hanson, Elmer Green, George
Wilson, Steve De LonGherey.
Not Thinking of Rest.
Many hours after the explosion the fire