San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-01-16
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OF BUTTE
LITERALLY WIPED OUT.
THREE TERRIFIC EXPLOSIONS OF
POWDER IN BURNING WARE
HOUSES BLOW THE WHOLE
FORCE TO ATOMS.
Scores of Spectators Killed and Sew
eral Score Wounded-A City
That Mourns a Monu-
ment of Dead-Heroic
Sacrifices Made in
Vain.

last night the nre department. respouueu
from box 70, and it was the call OF death
to nearly the entire department. The
fire was either in the store of Kenyon
Cornell or the Butte Hardware company's
warehouse and both contained powder
There was rumor that there was pow
der in the buildings and this reached the
ears Of the firemen as soon as they
reached the scene, butt was denied and
after moments hesitation they began
fighting the fire. At 10 p. m. when the
men had barely started to work,
there was an explosion which shook
Butte to its very foundations. The pow
der in the warehouse blew up, spreading
death and ruin to all who were near. All
but three Of the fremen were killed. 1t
is believed that in the first explosion only
three fremen were killed. There were
heroes among the spectators, and as soon
as the stun Of the shock passed away they
ran to the assistance of the injured and
began pulling the mutilated bodies OF the
fremen and spectators from the proximity
Of the flames. From all over the city
people began moving toward the fire and
the crowd had greatly increased within
five minutes. Just about that length of
time after the first explosion, the second
explosion, almost appalling in volume the
first, increased the terror all over the city
and spread death and desOlation among
scores OF citizens. Parts of bodies were
hurled hundreds of feet away. A man
near the Northern Pacific water tank was
al nv tho fhiUh and leo nf a
human being driven by the force OF the
dynamite from the fearful scene. There
were still heroes left to pull the shrieking
wounded and the groaning dying 10 dis
lance, but the people up town hesitated.
There had been two explosions and
there might be more. There were ru-
mors of carloads OF powder in the vicinity
besides that stored in the warehouses.
Five minutes later third explosion oc-
Cured but il was mild one, and IL Is
believed that very few IL any were in
jured by it. The whole disaster had &C.
Cured in fifteen minutes, the most hor.
rible quarter of an hour in Butte's histo-
~. The scene of the explosion reSem-
bled field of battle more than anything
else The dead were Strewn everywhere
and the cries and groans OF the wounded
and diving presented a scene altogether
unearthly. Blood and brains were spat-
tered about here and there, legs and arms,
pieces o. flesh and entrails were Stcken.
ing. Between the Northern Pacific and
the Great Northern depots, space of 300
feet, the ground was literally covered
with parts of human beings and with the
dead and injured. The scene was one Of
utter and absolute destruction.
The houses in the vicinity were as thor
oughly wrecked as If cyclone had passed
through them. One Of the rescuing corps
gathered twenty-Seven dead bodies in
nile. eight moro ware in another. two
and three were in groups here and there.
The reScuing party pulled some OF the
bodies out still QuiveTing, the remnants OF
human beings still grOaning while their
legs ana arms were torn OF. The work OF
rescue was prosecuted in earnest, every
vehicle Ia the city was brought into ser
vice TO carry away the scores of dead and
the hundreds of injured. The hospitals
were filled. The spare rooms in the hotels
were taken and private houses were
thrown open where IL was necessary. The
hose wagon crew, Chief Cameron, Assist
ant Chief Sloan, Sam Ash, Ed. Sloan,
Dave Moses. Dave Magee and Jack Flan-
merry are all supposed to have lost
their lives. Magee was the driver and
remained with the wagon about forty
yards away while Flannery was at the
hydrant. The hook and ladder was
manned by Geo. Fifer and Pete Nolan, OF
the regular department and VIM. Orr
d NOluUJttI. Cultl bhC
work on the building and while some OF
the tiremen hauled line of hose along,
the others started tearing off part OF the
covering and secured an entrance to the
fire when the first explosion came. A
binding sheet of flames forced the roof
from its fastenings and shot a hundred
feet into the air. This was followed by
a second of deadly silence and then came
the awful roar carrying with 1T annihila-
tion TO those who closely surrounded the
death trap and destruction on every
hand
The dead who have been identified are:
j. b. Miller, attorney, Salmon City; J. ID.
Cameron, fire marshal; Geo. Fifer, Jack
Sloan. firemen: VIM. MCGEE, G. Tracey,
Fred Krombeck, Albert Goddard, j. j.
Enricht, j. j. McHale, Robbins, COu-
zague; Mike Mead, VIII Smead, George
Walton and Jack Charles.
1t is impossible to give anything like a
complete list of the dead at this time.
The loss of life is variously estimated
from 50 to rs. The wounded will proba-
blyexceed $50
After the first explosion many Of the
wounded we're compelled by helplessness
to lie near the fire. The heat only in
tensifed the pain they were suffering
They begged to be taken away, out there
was no means of conveying them from the
scene at that time. A hackman, seeing
the horrible state Of affairs, drove up and
attempted to assist in their removal, but