Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1895-01-25
RUIN AND DEATH.
Details Of the Catastrophe that
Overwhelmed Butte, Mont
SIXTY LIVES WERE LOST
Twenty Tons Of Giant PoWoer
Spread Ruin Through Section
of the City,-Llke the Scene OF
a Battle.-Human Bodles
Shattered.

of the City,-Like the Scene Vi
Battle.-Human Bodies
Shattered.
Twenty tons OF giant powder went up at
one last during the cou1agration In tue
Montana Central yards, foil almost Inn
mediately by two less explosions, wreckln9
this entire quarter Of the city, killing or
woundns nearly evory man connec'e with
the Butte Ere department, and moving down
by scores spectators who crowded the streets
in the vicinity OF the hra.
The city is iu awakening from the stupor
into which it was plunged by the disaster,
and Investigation is hourly adding to INC
horror OF the accident The latest reports OF
the number OF lives lost ind cate that it Is
likely to exceed sixty The list OF injured la
shorter, approxlmating fifty, the terrihc
force of the explosions having merciiully
killed outright instea Of manning.
With the fire department practically anni-
hilated, the engines remaining as masses OF
twisted AMI discoIored metal, the flames
burded until nearly daybgeak, when they had
entirely consumed the warehouses oil Inc
Butte Hardware Company, the Parchen
Dachnell Drug Company and the Kenyon
Connell mercantile company, the Electric light
plan' SchIitz brewing building and nour
and feed warehouse The Northern Pac'hc
freight depot was completely wrecked, sig
car, were burned and struc ures for squares
alb ut were wrecked or swept out ot exis-
tence
At955P NJ, an alarm OF fire was turned
in from Box 70, in the Montana Cen RAJ
Yards. The fire department re'pondeu
promptly, and at 1908 were preparing 10
turn water on the blaze,
There was O rumor that there was powuer
in the buildings, aud this reached the ears
Of the 6remen as soon as they reached the
scene. but it was deniel, and after mo-
ment's hesitation they be al lighting tne
fire.
Chief Cameron was directing the work on
the building. and while some OF the nremen
hauled line OF hose along the others starteu
70 toor off the iron covering of the warehouse
50 that they could get at the names. Jus'
os thev had succeeded in wrenching OIL q
mart OF The covering the first explosion came
A binding sheet of fame forced the rool
from IFS fastenings and shot hundred iee'
into the air. This was followe by mo-
ment,s silence, and thea came heavy roar,
and the upper walls Of the building were
blown into fragments
HERoIsM AMID HORRORS.
There were heroes among the spectators
however. and rs soon as the stun o
the shock passed away, while some raj
in terror. they Immediately began pulling
tba mutilated bodies of the firemea a1t
niured from the proximity OF The hamas
From al! over the city people began moving
toward the fire, and the crowd had great
increased within five minutes Just aoou
that length of time at,er the first explosion
second EXPLOSION almost equal in volume
the first heightened the terror all over tD
citv and spread death AMI destruc'le
omono scores OF citizens. Parts OF Dodle
were hurled hundre Is OF feet away. ma
near the Northern Pacific water tank was a
most struck by the leg and thigh OF huma
being driven by the force OF dynamite irol
the fearful scene.
There were still heroes let to help pull II
i sbriekng woun led and the grooming
o There had been two explosions, and tnei
j mi hit be mora. Trero were rumors OF ca
loads OF powler in the vicinity, besides tna
stored in the warehouse.
LIKE BATTLE FIELD.
r Five minutes later the third explosion q
+ come but it was mild one AMI it is believe
Z that very few, If any, were injured by It, II
] disaster had all occurred in ftleen minutes
u tbe most horrible quarter OF an hour
q Butte's history. The scene alter Inc e1p'o
. ion resembled a field OF battle more th'
) anything else
;. The dead were strewed everywhere, a.
, Tho cr.cs and eroans Of the injured and d
o ing presented scene altogether unear'n'
/, Rlood and brains ware scattered aoou
|. Here and there were legs and arms; scaV'e
|. ed around were pieces Of flesh and entrai
r. Il was sickening Between the Northe
e Pacific and the great Northern depots
= space OF three hundred feet, the ground "
/ literally covered with parts OF human Deln
,e and with the dead aud injured. The sce
le was ono OF utter ami desolate deStructi'
ID Houses in the vicinity were badly wreck
= as if cyclone had struck thom' One Oh
q rescuing corps gathered twenty-seyen bod
in one ace Eight were in another
and three we're in groop5 here and tnel
The rescuers pulled some of the bodies
still quivering. the remn 'nt' OF the nun
ii beings sill groaning whie legs and al
had been torn of. Shapeless tr INKS qu'v