Evening journal., 1895-01-16
SEvENTY-FIvE KILLED.
Carloads Of Giant Powder Ex-
plode During a Fire.
A HUNDRED SPECTATORS INJURED.

Great Crowd Was Watching the Prog
ress Of the Flames In a Railroad Yard
When Three Terrific Explosions Occur
redvIotims Mostly Firemen and Police.
BUTTE Mon, Jan. ia fire occurred
In tho Butte Hardware conpanyis ware
house, In which giant powder was stored
The fire department was at work on the
lre when an explosion took place. killing
! number Of people,
While efforts were being made to remove
the dead and wounded second explosion
occurred, The entire department. was
wiped ont including the chief and all the
horses Three policemen were among the
killed, who number at least 75.
plute glass was broken all over the city,
and the damage to property Ia enormous.
All the ambulanoaa are rushing to and
fro from tho soene Of the explosion. The
relatives OF the killed are frantic, and the
city is In CONSERVATION.
The powder was stored in tho warehouse
IN violation OF law. It was the greatest
explosion In the history Of the west,
The fire broke out in the Montana Cen
tral yards. and soon several cars loaded
with powder caught fire Just as the fire.
men were closing around the blazing cara
an explosion occurred, killing a number
Of firemen and spectators aud manning
several others
The fremen who had escaped immedi-
ately rallied and were beginning another
attack when second explosion more vi
olent than the first took place
Tho people in the vicinity were moved
down as with great soythe, and tho
streets for half block around looked like
q great battlefield
Scene Looked Like "A Battlefield.
Debris from cars and adjoining build
inRs was scattered high In the air for half
mile away. many of the flying articles
striking people In the crowd.
Every ambulance, vehicle and doctor In
town was soon on tho scene, carrying of
the dead and wounded. The ground waa
strewn like q field of battle with the In
iured and dead
Owing TO the fact that there were still
several cars Of powder on the track and the
report that ono Of tho burning warehouses
also contained a quantity Of powder few
dared after the first explosion to venture
/ to the assistance OF the injured
When they did they were met by the
second explosion like raking fire from
an army. The second wns soon followed
/ by the third aud the heavens were lighted
with name. The reports were heard and
the shock felt for miles.
After the third explosion the hospital
corps and tho police began the work OF
picking up tho dead and caring for the
wounded Fifteen dead bodies were piled
| together, many Of them being mangled to
such an extent that they were not identi-
l fed In the excitement. Every house In the
4 vicinity was turned into a hospital.
The scene after tho explosion was be-
| yond an description. Men and women
wruna their bands and cried in agony. II
IL said that evory fireman was either killed
or fatally wounded.
Another account says that the fire start.
ed ia the Royal Milling company's ware.
house and spread TO the Kenyon-Cornell
warehouse IN which was stored some car
loads Of giant powder. The first explosion
was the most terrific and killed every fire
man save two belonging to the Central
1 station.
One OF these was standing behind the
hose cart horses and the other was at q
water hydrant several hundred feet away.
SO far between 90 and 60 mangled bodies
have been recovered, and more arc being
picked up on all sides.
It Is estimated about 100 additional per
sons were injured, several Of whom died
after being taken TO the hospitals.