The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-12-18
Butte Department.


the next witness and testified that his
brother was 20 years of age at the time
| OF his death, and left a widow, but no
children. He was a mason by trade.
The witness said he was familiar with
the warehouses and that he started for
heard the alarm. He lived near the
scene of the fire. He reached a point
in the Montana Central yards, about
125 yards from the burning building,
when the first explosion came. 1t
raised the building up and he doged
under some cars. About half a minute
after he saw the flash the conclusion
came and the debris began falling
around him. The fire and the explo-
sion, he said. was in the Kenyon-Con-
nell building, and none of the other
buildings were on fire prior to the ex-
plosion. After the debris stopped fall
ing he got out from under the cars
and approached to within about so feet
of the fire. Nothing was left standing
of the Kenyon-ConneIl building, but
the Butte Hardware building was in
tact with the exception of the north
east corner, which seemed to have been
blown off. AS he was approaching the
building he met many people running
away. Many were injured and were
being assisted by others. Some were
crawling away and some were drag
SiuB themselves OH. Inc uedu were ly-
ing all around. In one spot he counted
eight bodies. All were lying on their
faces and with their feet toward the
fire. The bodies were so badly mangled
that they could barely be identified as
human bodies. Some were wounded so
badly that they could not move and
were begging for help and the witness
assisted in carrying some away. He
could not go nearer to the fire because
fnfnnGa a
been melted off the ground. The inter-
val between the first and second explo-
sion was about 10 or IL minutes. He
was expecting another explosion and
had been watching for IT, but was not
looking in the direction of the build
ings when IL occurred, and as soon as
he saw the flash he dropped into a pit
near which he happened to be. The
second explosion was about as violent
as the first. but IL didn't seem to throw
as much debris. The witness remained
in the pit until the debris quit falling
after the second explosion, and then
made up his mind that he had had
enough and climbed up over the bank
and found an injured man trying to
climb over the bank. He pushed the
man down into the pit and then the
third explosion came and the witness
again dropped behind the bank. After
wards he assisted in carrying off the
dead and wounded. He helped to car
ry one body which had the sides of
the head crushed in and the legs SEEM
ed about to drop off, so they laid the
body on the ground and turned IL over
and the witness recognized the body as
that of his brother. The face had not
picked up there was snow under 1t.
but all around II the snow had been
melted away.
Before Mr.. Goddard's direct examipa-
tion was concluded court adjourned for
the noon recess.
Mr.. Goddard. resuming his testimony,
said his brothers body was found a
short distance northeast of the north
east corner of the Butte Hardware
building. the feet extending toward the
Kenyon Connell building. On cross
examination by Mr.. Forbis the witness
said the bodies must have been blown
some distance by the explosion. The
two horses of the fire department hose
cart were killed at the first explosion,
and their bodies were lying near where
he saw the bodies of the eight men,
When the second explosion occurred he
had his side turned toward the burning
building. and while he did not see ex-
actly where II came from, he thought IL
came from about the same place as the
first He didn't think II came from the
Butte Hardware building. He thought
the sound of the first explosion came
about two or three seconds after the
flash He did not notice the character
OF the flying debris After the first ex-
plosion he saw the east end of the
Butte Hardware builing on fire and
the building had been blown in by the
force of the explosion. The witness
said he did not testify at the coroner's
inquest. and took no part in the inves-
tigation at that time.
naua Mo drfvar IF the hose cart
on the fatal night, was the next wit
ness, and testified that the alarm from
box ~ came in near 10 o'clock and the
department responded, the witness
driving the hose team. Arriving at the
scene of the fire they made connection
with the fire plug and then laid the
hose past the Butte Hardware and up
to the Kenyon-Connell building. There
was no fire in the Butte Hardware
building The witness drove the hose
wagon to within rs feet of the Kenyon
Connell building. which was in flames.
Magee's brother was with him on the
wagon. and as soon as the wagon was
turned around the witness jumped of
to blanket the horses. Chief Cameron
was engaged in Strengthening out the
hose and Assistant Chief Sloan cut a
hole through the corrugated iron of the
northwest corner OF the Kenyon-Con-
nell building. Cameron called for wat
by a report. Magee was facing the
building at the time and knew that the
explosion came from the Kenyon-Con-
nell building. He was standing by the
side of the horses and his brother was
holding them. The explosion killed
the horses, and one fell on the witness.
who was afterwards extricated. His
brother was blown to pieces. Chief
Cameron. Assistant Sloan, and Firemen
Ash, Nose and Sloan were between the
hose wagon and the burning building.
and were also blown to atoms. A large
number of spectators had been stand
ing around the building, but Mr.. Ma
gee saw none of them after the explo-
sion. The only injury he sustained was
TO his legs where the horse had fallen.
He was assisted up to the Garrison
house and took no notice of the build
ings after the explosion and couldn't
say whether they were still standing
or were demolished At the time of the
explosion Chief Cameron was standing
between the wagon and the building
He was not between the Butte Hard