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

llvcred to them.
Assistant County Attorney Chas. Matt-
son testified that he started for the fire
Immediately after the first explosion in
company with ii. :. futile. When about
20 yards above the Garrison house they
met fireman John Flannery who was run
ming up towards town. Flanuery told
them that the other firemen were all
gone" About two minutes later the sec
ond heavy explosion occurred. The wIt-
ness SAID that Flannery could not have
been within a quarter of mile of the scene
when the second explosion occurred.
J. II. M'QUEENEY.
j. H. McQueeney, the transfer man, was
the first witness called in the afternoon.
he testified as follows: Il have done all
of the hauling for the kenyon-Connell
company since they have been in BUSH
ness, except what was done by their own
teamsters. The last powder we hauled
for them was on Dec. 10, when a carload
consisting of about 400 cases arrived at
the Montana Union depot. / don't know
OF my own knowledge what disposition
was made of it.. Mr.. Williams, my fore
man. could tell you that. / always sup
posed that the powder was delivered at
their magazine, but / don't suppose / ever
saw a box of 1t. don't know of any pow
der ever having been delivered at their
warehouse by my men, but we would de-
liver 1t anywhere they wanted IL. l have
car with anything else during the II years
that have been in the transfer business
in Butte. 1t might be shipped in that
way and l not know it, but / don't think
that II would occur with the strict rules
now in force on all railroads. Some IA
years ago when Dillon was the terminus
of the Utah Northern. | saw powder
shipped in there to j. X. Pardee in soap
boxes. 1t is possible that it could be
shipped into Butte in the same wav, but /
don't believe it at all probable. Outside
OF the rules l don't believe that the rail-
road men would be foolish enough to load
powder in a car with anything else. Cars
of mixed merchandise are checked out,
but a car supposed to contain nothing but
iron would not be checked"
A. w WILLIAMS.
A. W. Williams, foreman for Mr. Nc
Queeney, testified as follows: Powder
consigned to the Kenyon Council COM
pany has always been delivered at their
magazine below the Bell smelter. Their
last car of powder arrived on Dec. II or Ii
and we finished unloading it on Dec. Is |
believe. / remember having telephoned
the Kenyon-Connell company about the
car after its arrival and they told me to
deliver the powder at the magazine.
While we were unloading the car il was
standing on spur and was not switched
around the yard. On Dec. Is we took
left it on the platform outside"
did YOU deliver full load at the ware-
house?n
mo, it was less than half load"
"How many boxes constitute a load?f
For a four-horse team lbs boxes, for a
two-horse load, 20 boxes. One of the Ken
yon-Connell company's wagons took some
of the powder from the car on Dec. IL or
IS; couldn't say how much. 1t has gem
orally been the custom for them to take
some of the powder away from the car to
the warehouse while il was being I'M
loaded. 1t was always less than load.
1t has always been customary for us TO
leave some powder in the car when they
had orders to fill so that they could come
and get it. We left 10, 10 or 20 boxes and
sometimes more than that"
"What is the greatest quantity you have
ever left in n carp"
Il can't remember. | generally broke
the seals of the ears and checked the
boxes off. | never saw powder IN car
load lots delivered at the warehouses of
either the kenyon-Connell or Butte Hard
ware companies. / never saw powder
sh pped in a car with anything else. The
railroad would not handle car contain
ing powder and bar iron or anything else.
Ii Is possible that n car of powder could
be sncaked through as n car of iron. but
II Is not at all probable. as the contents of
cars are nearly all checked either in or
i a
check clerk at either of the two ware
houses when cars were being unloaded. |
never saw any powder in a car of mixed
freight. | was in the heuyon-C onnell ware
house sometime between Jan. l and 10,
but saw no powder there. We have never
done any hauling for the Butte Hardware
company
JOHN r. DUTToN.
John II. Dutton, an engineer for the
following story of the affair: II was rid
ing down 10 South Butte on street car
when l saw n policeman turning IN an
alarm. / jumped off the car and went
over to the tire. The department had not
arrived then. The fire was IN the north
west corner of the Kenyon-Connellw ware
house and the flames were just coming
out under the caves. A 13-year-old boy
said that there was powder in the building
and the crowd scattered, but came back
after the department arrived. The fire.
men succeeded i'll breaking an opening
and got water in. Then the first little ex-
plosion came, but did no damage. Then
the tiremen went to work on the north
west corner of the building. which had be-
come red-hot. One of the firemen had an
axe and cut n hole in the west wall about
10 feet from the corner and then started
to cut another hole nearer 10 the corner,
while another fircmen tried to pull off the
iron covering with a hook, and
the others were behind them
with the hose. just then / noticed
an intense white heat inside of the build
ing and the thought struck me that there
was powder in the building. just then
the first heavy explosion came and the
tiremen were all killed. l was standing
about so or 20 feet from the northwest
corner of the Kenyon-Connell warehouse
in which the first heavy explosion I'M
occurred. When | saw the
flash turned around and had started to
run when the conclusion reached me and
| was thrown on my face and rendered
When / recovered / found
that two men lying beside me were dead,
and then realizing that | was injured
myself l started off. A moment later | |
recovered my hearing and heard men
screaming and calling for help all around |
me. then went back and saw dead and |
injured men lying on every side.
II realized that | could do nothing N.Y.
self and started off TO get assistance. / |
passed in front of the Butte Hardware |
warehouse and / remember |