The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-01-31
LOOKING UP THE RECORD
The COrOner'S Jury Trying 10 Trace
the Powder
IT'S A PRETTY HARD JOB
The Testimony Is of a Most Con-
Trajectory Character. But IL
is of Very Great import
anca Nevertheless

ancs NeVertheIess
BUTTE. Jan. 30.-The coroner's jur,
which Is endeavorlng to fix the RESPONSE
bihty for the terribly fatal explosions of
two weeks ago, decided to-day to investi-
gate the records of the Montana Union
ra broad TO ascertain the exact quantity
of powder which has TEEN shipped into
Butte for several months, and the dispo-
sition made of each carload. statement
will be drawn up from these records
which will be compared with the books of
the hsnyon-Connell and Butte Hardware
companies, and by this means the jury
expects to get pretty close al the quantity
OF powder that was actually stored IN each
warehouse on the night of Jan. Is. In his
remarks to the jury this afternoon after
the investigation had been decided upon,
the county attorney stated that this step
had been made necessary through the i'm
possibility of ascertainilg from either the
managers of the two compan e. interested,
their employees or the railroad men how
much powder was store in tho two ware
houses on the fatal night. 1t had been
shown by witnesses that powder had been
shipped in which did not appear in the
statements of the railroad agents. and
W.T. W iu0S uuNlSGI tue jury lUat inc only
way to get at the bottom facts in the
matter was a thorough invest. cation into
tue railroad records and the books of the
two hardware companies. There could
be no doubt, he said, that the amount of
powder stored in one or both of the ware
/ houses on the night of Jan. Is was greatly
In excess of the quantity allowed by law.
! David {. Porter was the first witness
| examined this morning and he testified
/ as follows: II was employed at the Butte
| Hardware company's warehouse about
/ three years ago. | never saw more than
three or four boxes stored in that ware
house or any of the adjoining ones and
do not know how much powder was stored
there on the night of Jan. IS. Two or
three nights before that / was taking a
short cut home from work at the Parrot
smelter and passed through the Montana
Central yard In the vicinity of the ware
houses. About 300 yards from the Ken
yon-Connell warehouse | noticed a car of
powder on the track. The car was near
est the kenyon-Connell warehouse. 1t
was under seal and there was powder
gn on 1t. l am not sure about the date,
but am sure that it was after Jan. 4 and
as late as Jan. 10 that | noticed the car"
Three powder signs of railroad and
powder companies were shown the wit
ness. 1t was not "Judson" powder sign
he said, but was much smaller and re-
sembled a Northern Pacific sign, although
lie thought 1t was few inches small er
than the Northern Pacific powder sign ex-
hlbited. Mr.. Porter said that the fact
of the car of powder being on the track
was impressed on his mind by a remark
he made to Sam Moifat with whom he
was walking at the time.
w. Nj. Iuohy, general agent for tho
Northern Pacific, stated that he had
looked up the record and found that only
one car OF powder had come into Butte
over his road from Dec. l to Jan. 10. This
car was consigned 10 the Kenyon-Connell
company and was received on Dec. II. IL
contained 385 full cases and 30 half cases
OF powder. Mr.. Tuohy did not know of
his own knowledge what disposition was
made of the car, but he underst TODD that
II had been delivered to the Montana
Union team track.
Juror Gehrman called attention to the
fact that this car of powder had been
omitted in the statement presented by
MIR. Gemmell, the JOINT agent of the
Northern Pacific and Union Pacific, and
Juror Kelly stated that Mr.. RennIsh OF
the henyon-Connell company had also
forgotten TO mention it. Mr.. Tuohy said
that MIR. Gemmell had omitted The car IN
his statement through an error. The
jurors seemed to be of the opinion that il
mistake had been made in one car other
mistakes could be made and attention
was called to the fact that aside from the
car mentioned by Mr.. Tuohy. which had
been omitted by Mr.. Gemmell, no record
was shown by any of the railroads of the
car of powder which had been seen near
the henyon-Connell warehouse by Mr.
Porter. Juror Gehrman, acting as spokes-
man, stated that the exIgencies of the
case demanded more definite informa alton
as TO the shipments of powder into Butte.
The only way to get at IT accura civ, he
said, was TO have tho jury 90 through
the railroad companies books and ascer-
tam Tor themselves and to their own sat
Isfactlon just how many carloads of pow
der have been shipped into Butte since
Dec. and to whom they we're consigned.
Mr.. Wines stated thai the jury had a per-
feet right to examine these books, and a
subpoena was issued for MIR. Gemmeil
and the records of ali freight received in
Butte for the last two months over the
Northern Pacific and Union Pacific and
Montana Union, over which all the pow
der is shipped.
Adolph Blair testified as follows: ~
was IN my house about $50 or 500 feet
northeast of the warehouse when the fire
broke out. L had a clear view of the
warehouses and was familiar with their
location. got up out of bed when the
whistles sounded the alarm and looked
odt of the window. | saw that the fire
was in the northwest corner of the Ken
yon-Connell warehouse. and the first
heavy explosion came from there. was
knocked down by the conclusion. then
dressed and went outside when saw that
the fire had been spread all over TIE adj
joining buildings by the explosion. | was
looking straight at the fire when the Sec
ond heavy explosion occurred. Il was IN
the warehouse of the Butte Hardware
COMPANY MIR. Blair stated that some
shovels we're thrown close up TO his
house by the first explosion and no was .
requested 10 secure some of them with ,
kr.. m III. nd ..r...lL... .E...., 49,.