The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-17
BUTTE'S AWFUL SLAUGHTER
SiCkeninS Sights Revealed by The
Lifting Of The Smoke.

The Ground for a Block Around the
Scene of the Explosion strewn With
tho Guivoriug Flesh of Men and
Horses-A Hole seventy-hve Feet
Deep Exoavated in the Ground by the
Force of the Explosion-Many Per-
sons Living in Distant Parts Of the
City Made Deaf and Dumb by the
Force of the Shock-HumaD Heads.
Legs ana Arms Scattered for Blocks
N Every Direction.
Butte. Mont, Jan. 16.-When the smoke
caused by the successive explosions of
giant powder at tho hardware warehouse
last night had cleared away the sighe
which presented Itself TO the survivors
was slckening in the extreme. The ground
for block around the scene OF the acci-
dent was strewn with the quivering flesh
OF dismembered men and horses pinned
down by fragments of FIRE engines ana
burning brands from the demolished
warehouse. The warehouse was literally
blown TO pieces. and a hole IS feet deem
was eNcavated in the ground by the force
of tho explosion. 1t is feared that SONS
bodies were thrown into this chasm Nv,
the force Of the explosion and that thew
have been crcmated.
Owing to the nature Of the fre ans
its dangerous locality. tho entire FIRE forces
was called out to prevent the spread az
tho flames 70 adjoining buildings. Threa
policemen had been detailed to keep tho
crowd back. and they were also killed
Many of the spectators were instantlv
killed and several were hurled back sons
distance from the scene OF the fire ana
rendered unconscious by the force OF ths
shock.
Numerous persons living In distant parts
of the city have lost the power OF hearina
and speech from the force of the shock.
Tho list Of the dead Will probably reach
seyenty-tive. ana the damage done to
property be more than 81 10000 In all
three carloads of powder exploded.
small boy whose name Is not known.
about 10 years OF age, was found dead
In the street a block and half from the
scene of the explosion.
ono woman was killed in house half
"a block away by an anvil thrown through
the roof
Human heads, legs and arms were scat
tered Tor several blocks from the scene OF
the three explosions.
II Is believed a complete list of the dead
cannot be secured for several days.
The first explosion was caused by nitro
glyeorine stored In the private warehouse
OF me Kenyon Gonncll Commercial Conn
panY which was burned. The second
came from a carload of powder on tho
railroad track and the third from tho
warehouse Of the Butte Hardware Com
pany which adioined that of the Kenyon
Conncll Company
AT 10 o'clock this morning the known
number Of dead was forty-seven. This list
VIII undoubtedly be increased when the
debris OF the explosion Is removed. as IL is
almost certain that bodies lie hidden in
the ruins of the demolished warehouse.
OF the dead thus far reported, twenty-six
nave been Identified either wholly or par
tally In some cases the Identification
has been by articles OF clothing or lew
elry, the bodies being defaced and black
cned so as to render personal Identification
impossible 1t is not impossible that in
some cases mistakes have been made but
IN general there Is little doubt as to the
identity of the bodies. Some Of them. or
portions of the bodies, will never be iden-
titled, owing to the frightful mangling- they
have undergone.
The dead are now distributed among the
various undertakers, but some time to-
morrow all VIII be collected in one place.
so that Identification may be facilitated.
No arrangements have been made for the
funeral. but it Will be a public affair." ana
union services will be held by the clergy-
men Of all denominations.
The families Of the firemen and police
men who died in the performance Of their
duty, viii be taken care of by the city
Public subscriptions will be started for
the relief or others.
There is the greatest popular indlgna-
tion over the storage Of nitro-glycerine.
giant powder and rack-a-rock in the heart
Of the city, which is responsible for last
nights horror. An Investigation will be
instituted to discover who is responsible.
and If II is found that any public officials
are to blame for the violation of the city
ordnance they Will find this climate too
warm for them. on the other hand. ie
the mercantile firms who owned the ex-
plosves are found to have violated the
law deliberately. they will suffer nnan-
eially and otherwise. The people are thor
oughly aroused, and will make some one
answer for It. From all that can be
learned, the total amount of explosives
that went up In the three explosions was
nearly thirty tons. There were twenty
tons Of giant powder alone, that went up
IN one blast