Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1894-1895, 1895-01-18

Stored in n Warehouse, Contrary TO
Law, and the Victims Were Un-
warned All the Glass in the City
Demolished and the Property Loss
Will Reach Enormous Figures.
During the progress of a fire ar the
kenyon-Cornel Hardware Company's
warehouse in Butte, Mont. Tuesday
night Il terrific explosion occurred. as a
I, suit of which it is estimated that sew
! cnty-iye persons have lost their lives.
When the smoke had cleared away the
| terrified survivors were sickened ut the
sight of the ground for block around the
scene of the explosion strewn with the
! quivering and diSmembered flesh of men
and horses. pinned down 10y fragments
of the fire engines and burning brands
! from the demolished warehouse. Upon
/ the site of the warehouse there was a
! CHASTITY hole filled with debris. blazing in
hundreds of places. with here and there
the fragments of an unfortunate fireman.
The noise Of the explosion broke all the
glass in the city and caused the houses to
rock so violently that the residents were
stricken with fear They did not know
from what quarter the disaster had come.
and as the explosion had almost DESTROYED
/ the burning warehouse there was little
to mark the scene of terrible destruction.
The news spread like wildfre. however.
and hundreds were soon around the spot.
Second and Third Explosions.
After the first explosion hundreds IF
people FASTENED TO the scene and this ac-
counts for the great loss of life. While
they were endeavorlng TO render assist
ance to the injured the second explosion
occurred, moving down the crowds of
men. women and children. as with a
/ sickle of death. The survivors were has
! tening from the scene when a third eX-
plosion occurred adding to the list of
victims. as many of the terror-stricken
people, fleeing from the scene of destruc-
ton. were moved down by the flying le-
bris.
1t was speedily learned that the entire
fire department. including the chief. men.
horses and all the machines, had been
utterly swept out of existence Owing
to the nature of the fire and its dangerous
locality the entire force was called out 10
prevent Il spread of the flames to ad-
joining warehouses and all of the men
We're at work. Three policemen were
detailed To keep the spectators back. and
they were also killed. Many of the spec
tators were instantly killed and several
were hurled back rods from the scene OF
the fire and rendered unconscious by the
force of the shock. Dozens of men were
found rods away from the warehouse
bruised. bleeding and unconscious, and
Il number of them will not recover.
| tar i'm nj
Company's warehouse and spread to the
Kenyon-Cornell warehouse i'll which was
stored Il carload of giant powder The
first explosion was the most terrific and
killed every fireman in the immediate
vicinity save two belonging at the Central
station. One of these was standing be-
hind the hose cart horses and the other
was at water hydrant some distance
! away.
1t is estimated that about 100 addi-
tional persons were injured. several of
whom died after being taken to the hos
pitfalls. The list of dead will possibly
reach seventy-iivc. and the damage done
TO property will be more than S1.0O0.00O.
In all three car loads of powder exploded.
one of which was stored in the Butte
Hardware Company's warehouse. which
! adjoined the Kenyon Cornell warehouse.
Every Fireman Killed.
The firemen who had escaped the first
explosion Immediately rallied and were
beginning another attack when Il second
explosion. more violent than the frs.
! took place. The people in the vicini Y
were moved down as with Il great scythe.
and the streets for half Il block around
looked like great battle field Debris
was thrown high in the air. coming down
half Il mile away. Many people Oh the
streets in the center of the city were thus
injured.
A few of the remaining firemcn were
gathering themselves together and at
tempting To escape to Il place Of safety
when the third and last explosion occur
red. This, too, killed and injured many
people. There were several ears of the
powder and all of them exploded. The
whole heavens were lighted ND and the
city shook as if an earthquake was in
progress.
Immediately after the first explosion
the entire hospital corps and police force
were summoned. and many of the detach-
ments of these companies are among the
killed and injured in the subsequent ex-
| blossoms.
The giant powder. which was for use
in blasting in the mines. was stored in
the warehouse contrary To law. md the
firemen had no warning of its presence.
After the first explosion il was supposed
that there had been single ear of the
explosive, but the subsequent horrors de-
veloped the fact that there were several
ears stored in the warehouse sheds.
| hnl fa1- Of
spot. clinging together. as if welded by
the hand of cruel death. and SO MANNED
and disfigured as to be totally unrecog-
! niZabe
Handel was Il stupcndous egotist.
When the musical correctness of pas