The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1895-01-19

and found a number Of limbs and other
portions Of human bodies. In a win
dow of "A Northern Pacific passenger
coach an arm was dangling. having
been torn from its socket. Pieces OF
skulls and brains We're lying about ev-
erywhere and were gathered together
in a basket James Cassidy was
standing with three others watching
the fire when the first explosion oc-
Cured His three companions were
killed, but ne escaped without injury. al
though the conclusion tore his cloth
ing to shreds.
FIREMEN OBLITERATED.
The hose wagon crew consisted of
Chief Cameron, Assistant Chief Sloan.
Sam Ash. I'D Sloane. Dave Moses. Dave
Magee and Jack Flannery. Magee was
the driver and remained with the wagon
about 40 yards away, while Flannery
was at the hydrant. The hook and lad
der was manned by George Fifer and
Peter Nolan of the regular paid depart
ment and William Orr, one of the vol
unteers. Chief Cameron directed the
attack on the building and while some
of the firemen hauled a line of hose
along, the others started in to tear off
the iron covering Of the building so that
they could get to the flames.
Just as they had succeeded in tearing
off part of the covering and secured
an entrance, the first explosion came.
binding sheet Of flame forced the roof
from its fastenings and shot a hundred
feet into the air, followed by a second
of deadly silence. and then came the
awful roar, carrying with it annihila-
ton to those who closely surrounded
the death trap, and destruction was on
every hand. Major j. e Dawson denies
the statement that there was powder
in any car on the Great Northern
tracks The first explosion is believed
to have been from the Kenyon-Connen
Mercantile Company and the second
was reported to be a car of powder,
and the third was the Butte Hardware
Companys warehouse. Major Dawson
says no powder was on the track. and
has not been for a long time.
FIRE AND WRECK.
All the warehouses in the vicinity
were burned together with six wood
racks. The Great Northern freight
depot is a complete wreck. The passen-
ger depot escaped with it's windows
being broken. Every window of train
No. 8 was smashed Conductor Sankey
was in the freight office and was slight
ly injured
At 2:3O o'clock the fire about burned
itself out. The buildings destroyed are
the Butte Hardware Company's ware
houses. the old Schlitz brewing build
ing Kenyon-Connell warehouse. the
old electric light plant. the old Miller &
Chapman warehouse, a row occupied as
flour and feed warehouses, and the
warehouse of the Parchen D'Acheul
Drug Company. They were all burned
to the ground and the financial loss is
tremendous. The Sloane family suf-
fers perhaps the worst of all. John
Sloane has both legs broken and both
his sons were killed
So far between so and 60 mangled
bodies have been recovered and more
are being picked up on all sides. 1t is
impossible to get the names tonight
1t is estimated that about 100 additional
persons were injured, several of whom
died after being taken to the hospitals.
AT this hour wagons are still taking
dead bodies from the scene to various
undertaking establishments and wound
ed to their homes and hospitals The
list of dead will possibly reach IS and
the damage to property viii be more
than 81 900 600 Large pieces Of iron
were thrown miles. Several bodies
We're hurled a long distance and picked
up in unrecognizable masses of flesh.
Among the spectators killed was Jo-
/ seph Miller. a prominent attorney of
] -.