Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1895-01-26
Situation Wednesday


Butte, Mont, Jan. l6.-This town Is
lust beginning to recover from the
stupor into which il was thrown by
the overwhelming calamity of
last night. Up to daylight this morn
ing little or nothing could be learned
with accuracy as TO the full extent of
the disaster, and even yet it is .mpos-
sible to give complete lists Of the
killed and wounded. Many of the
! former were so manglcd n
dismembered that Identification
is impossible. while the wound
ed are distributed throughout
the city in private residences, so
that Il complete census can not be
made. Enough is known, however, to
warrant the statement that the death
roll will be sixty at least, while the in
iured number about fifty. The excess
of the killed ovcr the wounded is due
to the terrific force of the explosions
three in number-which mercifully
killed the victims outright instead OF
manning.
The First Explosion.
1t was about 10 o'clock when the first
explosion occurred. A small fire had
broken out in storage sheds near the
tracks of the Montana Central road.
II was not suspected that explosives
were stored in tho structure, as sucn
storage is in violation of the city ordi-
nanccs which arc particularly strict in
this instance owing Ito the danger
arising from the presence OF
! large quantities of high explosives
used in mining operations. The fire.
men therefore went 10 work without
any idea Of danger. and when tho first
explosion occurred, killing at least
twelve of the firemen, the calamity
was wholly unexpected. The men raj
lied bravcly, however, and with such
of the fire apparatus as had escaped de-
structiou attacked the flames. which
during the confusion had gained great
Roadway.
The Second Explosion.
The work was progressing favorably
when a second explosion occurred. The
first. il is believed, was caused by nj
troglycerine. II was bad enough, but
the second, which resulted from the ig-
milton OF two cars of giant powder
standing on the sidetraclts beside the
blazing building, was absolutely APP
palling in its force. The shocks
shattered buildings, knocked down
chimneys and rent limb from limb
men within three hundred yards of it.
IL wipcd out of existence what re-
lnained OF IA fire department, killing
men and hcrses, and converting the
fire engines into heaps of twisted and
| discolored metal. This explosion was
the most fatal Of the three, for the
reason that when a quantity OF giant
powder stored in the warehouse of the
Butte Warehouse company blew up n
few minutes later, there was practically
no one in range to be killed. The last
explosion, however. was fully
as powerful as the second. The
warehouse was absolutely annihil-
ated, not one stone being left
upon another, where the building had
stood n great blackened hole, like the
crater of a volcano, told of the force of
the ignited explosives. Tho explosions
coming in rapid succession terrified and
bewildered the rescuing parties, and
few dared venture within range of the
burning building until 1T was certain
that no further danger was to be APP
pretended.
Work of Relief.
1t was not until nearly 3 o'clock that
Il systematic ambulance service was or
ganiZed and the work OF removing the
dead and injured was begun in earnest.
From that time the work went on sys-
tematicaily and earnestly. and by q
o'clock it was thought that all the
dead had been recovered, except the
dismembered fragments that were to
be found everywhere within n
radius of a quarter of q mile from
the scene OF the explosion. The dead
have been taken 10 the undertakers
where the relatives and friends nave
gathered tn.idep.ifv the remains. The
s. ID. ". the
It'll. WEI.
al