The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-12-21
IT'S NEARLY ALL IN
The Big Explosion Case Will Probably
Go to the Jury To-Day.
DETAILS OF THE DISASTER
Some Witnesses Contradict Their
Testimony Given at the Cor
oner's Inquest = How the
Debris Was Piled Up.

nell Commercial company has about
been completed and will probably go
to the jury to-day. and In view of the
character of the testimony a verdict
will undoubtedly be reached early. The
proceedings of the trial yesterday were
sensational. The defense based its en-
tire case on an effort to shift the first
big explosion to the Butte Hardware
company's warehouse. but the only
thing brought out tending to prove
that claim were a lot of circumstances
to the effect that certain material was
found on the ground after the first ex-
plosion. IL being claimed that the Ken
yon-Connell company did not carry
that character of material and that
the Butte Hardware company did. The
defense did not offer a word of testi-
mony on the subject of the amount of
powder kept in the Kenyon-Connell
building. and the testimony of the
plaintiff. to the effect that the guam
tity of powder that exploded was any
thing from half a ton to two tons and
a half went undisputed and uncon-
tradicted. The defense admitted, and
in fact. claimed, that the second ex-
plosion came from the Kenyon-Con-
nell building. and IL they failed to
show that the first came from the
Butte Hardware company, then IL
must be taken as a fact that both the
large explosions came from the Ken
yon-Connell company and that the
only one fhat occurred in the Butte
Hardware warehouse was the third,
which caused little or no damage.
The strongest point brought out in
the defense was that both big explo-
sions could not have occurred in the
same warehouse and that the deadly
rabble heads were thrown out In the
second explosion. The Kenyon-Connell
company was the only company that
carried that class of material. A num-
Der of witnesses testified that the rab-
BILE heads were thrown out by the sec
ond explosion. but this testimony was
badly shattered in rebuttal by wit
nesses whose houses were torn to
pieces by the rabble heads in the first
explosion and by others who had
friends or relatives injured by the
same deadly missiles thrown by the
first explosion.
Albert Bertsch was the first witness
examined when the trial was resumed
yesterday morning and testified that he
was visiting a friend near South Butte
on the evening of Jan. is, when the
fire broke out In the warehouse. When
he heard the whistles blow he started
for the fire and reached the Northern
Pacific track when the first little pun"
took place and was half way to the fire
when the first big explosion occurred.
He could not say where IL came from,
but he saw all kinds of material that
had been thrown out, among IL some
coils of wire. He took particular no.
tice of IL because he got tangled up in
IL and at first thought 1t was a live
electric wire. He saw three or four
coils, but there was nothing lying on
top OF them. Between the first and
second explosion the witness assisted
in carrying off some of the dead. About
five minutes elapsed between the two
explosions. He could not tell where the
second explosion came from, but his
impression was that IL came from a d.
rection southeast of where he stood,
which would locate II in the Kenyon
Connell building. He did not know
what character of material was thrown
out by the second explosion. and he
was not injured. He left the ground
and was near the Garrison house when
the third explosion took place. 1t was
lighter than the other two and threw
out less debris. He did not notice the
appearance of the warehouses, but he
was sure he saw the wire after the first
explosion. He found some waste burn
ing on some of the bodies and the
clothes were on fire, and he extinguish-
ed 1t. He could not say how many
dead he saw after the explosion. but
there were many.
he knew there was powder in the ware
house when the puff occurred. After
the first deadly explosion he paid no |
attention to the building because he |
was searching the ground to see II any |
of his friends had been killed. He had |
no particular friends in view. The wire |
In which he got entangled was lying |
near the hook and ladder truck, but he |
did not notice the condition of the |
horses and, said he could not tell |
whether they were standing up or ly- |
ing down, whether they were mangled |
or unintured, dead or alive.
G. NJ. Prentiss, an amateur photo |
grapher, was the next witness, and tes- |
tilted about taking a lot of views CT /
the wreck, the second. third and nth |
days after the explosion. He described |
the location OF some OF the debris which /
he Photographed. among the lot being |
some coils of wire ON which some heavy /
bars OF iron had been thrown. The |
photographs were offered In evidence |
without objection from the other side.
The witness said some changes had
been made In the wreckage between
the time he first visited the scene and |
when he took the photographs. on
cross-examination Prentiss said he was
at present In the employ Of NJ. J. Com
nell. one of the defendants az foreman
of a planning mill. He took the photo-
graphs under the directions OF his en-
ployer, and Attorney John Forbis was
present when some of the phorogcap obs
were taken. Mr.. Wethy. w. A Clark's
superintendent. was also present when
some of the photographs we're taken.
and suggested some objects to be pho-
tographed. Mr.. Nolan wanted TO know
II Wethy. was the short, sozgy. rud-
dy-faced man. wearing spectacles."
who had been attending the trial for
several days. The witness said the de- /
scription fitted Wethy.
Meyer Genzberger testified that he
toward the fire and was going
down Arizona street when he saw the
fash OF the first big explosion and i'm
started to run IN the dlrec-
ton of IL. and was running when the
report occurred. He kept on going and |
went on to the wreck where the build
Ing had stood from which he thought
the explosion came. He did not know
AZ that time one warehouse from the
other. but ne knew that the wreck was
he warehouse farthest west, which
hn he "a II oF-1x |