The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-12-18
AS WITNESSESSAWI IT
The Horrors Of the Frightful Disaster
of Jan. Is Recalled.
WHERE THE FIRE STARTED
Before the Jury Brothers of Mutt
lated Victims Tell OF the Expio-
sions In the Warehouses of the
Hardware Companies.

z
Judge Mediation ruled that not to ex-
coed 10 witnesses would be allowed on
any one point. but said the decision
would be no criterion for future cases,
as he would be better able to judge of
the number that should be allowed aft
er he had heard the testimony in this
case.
]. A. Shelton, one of the attorneys
for the plaintiffs in the case on trial,
Sophia Goddard and other heirs of AL
bert 4. Goddard, made the opening
statement to the jury and said the tes-
timony would show that on the 18th of
last January the defendant. the Ken
yon- Connell Commercial company, was
the owner of a warehouse adjoining the
ground of the Montana Central depot.
On the same strip of ground was the
building of III. l.. Frank and used as
bottle works; east of that was the
Butte Hardware warehouse, and 60 feet
east of that and parallel with the Mon
tana Central tracks, was the ware
house of the defendant company. The
building covered the entire width OF
block one. The evidence will show that
a particular brand of powder, known as
the Hercules, was stored in this
building. and must necessarily have
been frozen and non-explosive in that
condition. About $3.50 o'clock in the
evening a fire was discovered in the
building and soon the neighborhood
was crowded with spectators. Soon
thereafter the fire alarm was turned in
and when the department arrived the
whole building was in flames. After
the department had been at work
little while there was a slight explo-
sion of powder. a slight pun. which
raised the roof of the building. The
firemen then succeeded in making an
entrance into the building and just as
they began to play water into the
building the big explosion came. There
was first a flash. and then there inter-
vened an instant before the conclusion
came and the witnesses to 1t were fully
conscious of II and saw where the flash
came from. The Kenyon-Connellb build
ing was utterly demolished and its con-
tents scattered over the country. AT
that time none of the other buildings
We're on fire and after the explosion
the Butte Hardware building was still
standing and was wrecked only on the
northeast corner next to the Kenyon
Connell company. Mr.. Shelton said the
evidence would show that nearly all
the dead bodies surrounding the Ken
yon-C Cornell building were lying with
their feet toward the building and their
heads away from II. showing conclu-
sively that the explosion came from
that building. AS another circumstance
II would be shown that the watch of
Albert T.. Goddard stopped at 1880
O'Clock, the exact time of the first ex-
plosion. That night a light snow had
fallen and covered the ground around
the building. When Goddard's body
was picked up there was still under IL
some snow, while all around IL the
snow had been melted by the fire and
covered by waste. showing that God
dard must have been killed by the
first explosion. Mr.. Shelton said IL had
been the habit OF Goddard to attend
fires. and knowing this his brother
went In search of him after the explo-
sion. IL would also be shown that the
statutes of the state limit the amount
of powder to be stored in a warehouse
to so pounds. and that the defendant
kept on hand quantities greatly in ex-
cess of that amount and even greatly
in excess of the city ordinance provi-
sion which permits a storage OF $50
pounds of powder and 1000 giant caps
At the conclusion of Mr. Shelton's re-
marks the defense announced that they
would not make their statement until
the close of the plaintiffs testimony.
Thomas T. Baker. a civil engineer,
was the first witness called to the
stand for the plaintiff. Mr.. Baker had
drawn a map of the neighborhood OF
things as they existed prior to the ex-
plosion. and showing the location and
dimensions of the seven buildings that
were destroyed. First on the west was
the building known as Franks Bottling
works. and then, going east, i'm the or
der named were the Butte Hardware
Company warehouse. Caplice ware
house. Kenyon-Connell warehouse. the
old Electric company building, Royal
frnr r,l.s
DAcheul Drug company warehouse
The Caplice building was close up TO
and almost against the Kenyon-Con-
nell building, and its dimensions were
30 by 30 feet. The size of the Butte
Hardware building was 96xS2 feet, and
the Kenyon-C Cornell 61h by SO feet. IL
being largest north and south. Mr..
Baker visited the scene of the explo-
sion on the following day and on that
and the succeeding day took measure
ments for the map. On cross-examina-
ton by Mr.. Forbis the witness said
the floor of the Butte Hardware build
ing had been about three feet from the
ground and in the northeast corner OF
the building there was evidence OF an
explosion an excavation over two feet
in depth having been torn in the
ground. The floor Of the Kenyon-Con-
nell building was about one foot from
the ground. or the distance of the tim
bers on which the floor rested In the
northwest corner of that building there
was an excavation, made by an explo-
sion. about three feet deep. but not so
extensive in surface area as the excav-
alton In the Butte Hardware building.
Mr.. Baker said that on the morning
after the explosion he found a coil OF
copper wire. weighing over 100 pounds
lying some distance from the Butte
Hardware building, and had the an
pearance OF having been thrown there
by the force of the explosion. On the
coil OF wire and all around IL were
bars of iron. which also seemed to have
been thrown there by an explosion.
The importance OF this testimony can
be seen only when II is known that IL
is claimed that the Kenyon-Connell
company did not carry copper wire but
that the Butte Hardware did. and that
the bars of iron referred to belonged
TO the Kenyon-Connell stock. showing.
according TO the claims OF the defense.
that the explosion, which threw the
coil OF wire. occurred first and that the
49,