The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-01-25
TOLD BY THE WOUNDED
Testimony Given By Inmates Of the
Hospitals In Butte.
THEY SAW THE FATAL FLASH
Brave Men Who stood Near the
Doomed Building When tn Awful
Summons Came Give an Ac-
count of the Disaster.

was resumed this morning. He arrived
at the scene after the second heavy ex-
plosion and helped to place the body of
George Filler in a hack and also helped TO
remove John Sloan. He went down to
the ruins again about 6 o'clock the next
morning, and near where the Royal Mill
ing company's warehouse had stood he
met man with sack of powder which
he had picked up in the ruins. The pow
der was frozen and the witness was of the
opinion that there was about so pounds in
the sack. The powder was placed in a
prospect hole and the street commissioner
was notified to remove it.
MARSHAL M'NICHoLS.
City Marshal James McNichols testified
that he visited the scene Immediately
after the third explosion and counted %
dead bodies. He picked up about two
sticks of "Judson" powder, which he
turned over to Deputy sheriff Geary.
Street Commissioner Pete Macarthur was
the next witness examined. He said: II
went TO the scene of the explosion on the
following morning to remove the dead
horses and the wrecked fire apparatus.
picked up about % pounds of Judson
powder. Some of the sticks were whole
and some broken, but they were all
80 pounds of powder picked up alto
gether by different people. Most of
the powder l saw picked up was
lying northwest of the Butte Hardware
conpany's warehouse. / didn't see any
powder of the Hercules brand scattered
around. 1t is my opinion that two of the
explosions took place in the Kenyon-Con-
nell warehouse. / found pit in the
northwest corner of the ruins of that
building, and in digging around in it /
found piece of timber IONIC which had
probably been a part of the foundation.
1t was broken squarely in two and in one
broken end of it were three rabbe
heads which had been driven in SO far
that they could not be pulled out. 1t APP
peared to me that the timber had been
broken by first explosion and the rab-
BILE heads driven into the end of it by a
second one. When l went down TO secure
the piece of timber the next morning |
found that the rabble heads had been
taken out of it. 1t would seem to me I'M
der ordinary conditions that all of the
powder in the Kenyon-Connell warehouse
must have gone off at the first explosion,
and yet the finding of the rabble heads in
the broken end of the piece of timber
would indicate that there were two ex-
plosions in that building. The finding of
these rabble heads in the piece of timber
is my only reason for believing that there
were two explosions in the Kenyon-Con-
nell warehouse. If the Judson powder
was piled up in the Hardware company's
warehouse 1t is possible that two heavy
explosions in the Kenyon-Connell ware
house could have scattered it around, and
the chances are that II would not have
exploded under such conditions. found
Judson powder scattered around in the
northwest corner of the ruins of the ware
house of the Butte Hardware company. /
have handled giant powder for 20 years
and l believe that eight or 10 tons must
have gone off in the first explosion"
DAVID COLEMAN.
David Coleman, who came out of a hos
pital all wrapped up in bandages to tell
what he knew about the explosion, testi-
fled as follows: II arrived on the scene
soon after the fire department arrived,
and found the firemen at work on the
large building east of the Butte Hardware
warehouse. Assistant Chief Sloan was
chopping hole in the northwest corner
of that building: the flremen were behind
him with the hose and Chief Cameron was
standing about 10 or 90 feet beyond Sig
mailing TO them. In response to his sig
nails the men turned TIE stream, think,
on the Butte Hardware comDany's build
ing. A moment later the first heavy ex-
plosion came. Mike Meade, my partner,
vino was standing close to me: was killed
and fell across his body. When | re-
gained my senses | dragged Meade's body
about % feet away and then went back
and pulled another man off from pile of
burning waste. | was in Arizona street
when the second explosion occurred and
could not &c where it came from. After
the first explosion the building on which
the firemen had been at work was entirely
gone and the Butte Hardware company's
building was badly wrecked"
RICHARD KEMP.
Richard Kemp furnished the Jury with
an official list of the dead and said that
he already had a record of 55 killed by the |
explosions. he was at n meeting of the |
\. o. U. w. at Hibernian hall when the |
disaster happened and he stated that the |
first and second explosions ratified the |
and shook the building to such |
an alarming extent that the meeting was |
quickly adjourned. He testified as fol- |
lows: II went TO the scene after the |
third explosion and helped to remove the |
dead and injured. After they had all |
been cared for looked around and found a
great deal OF unexploded powder scattered |
about. picked up two sticks that were
marked Judson. | saw or 10 sticks /
which caught fire just as | was about to
pick them up and | had to run. These
sticks were marked in red letters and the
Hercules powder is bran ded with red /
letters. have handled giant powder for
years and 1t is my best judgment that 10
tons OF powder went off at the first ex-
plosion. think that the second explosion
a LIGHTER a II,
mines in California have set off from l25
to no pounds of powder At one blast and
the shock did not occasion any inconveni-
rnce in the next level above"
JOHN MILES.
John Miles. deputy state mine inspector,
testified as follows: AT the request of |
The coroner ! visited the scene of the eX-
plosion about 1 o'clock on Wednesday
/ saw sheet iron that bad been
bent and twisted together and thrown -
10 100 feet. | also saw pipe and wire scat
Tered for 20 fee, in north and NORTH