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

he found himself 40 or so feet from
| where he stood at the time of the ex-
plosion and must have been blown that
distance. On cross-examination by
Mr.. Wines the witness said he had not
been familiar with the two warehouses,
| but knew II was the second of the two
| buildings. or the one farthest east, that
| was burning. The space between the
/ two warehouses was about 100 feet.
Dutton said he heard four explosions
| After he recovered from the shock of
| the first big explosion, he started back
toward the burning building to assist
man whose leg was injured. but he
found himself growing weak. and he
left the scene, and was not on the
ground when the two last explosions
occurred. After the first big explosion
he saw many dead men and a mass of
debris strewn over the ground. -srr
William Gemmell, freight agent of
the Montana Union. testified that, he
went out to investigate after he heard
the alarm of fire and was near the
building when the first slight explo-
sion. or pun, occurred. He said he
supposed" the fire was in the Ken
yon- Connell building. Mr.. Nolan tried
to have the witness say positively
where the fire was. He was sure the
Butte Hardware building was not on
fire, but still he only supposed the
ing. People were standing all around
the place. After the puff" Mr.. Gem
nell changed his position and walked
north of the burning building and
stood behind large boiler when the
first big explosion occurred. Mr.. Nolan
asked him IL the explosion had any
effect upon the witness. We'll. should
say So" replied Mr.. Gemmeil He also.
supposed the explosion came from
the Kenyon-Connell building. When
the explosion came, down i went be-
hind the boiler and stayed there until
OF OF faIIinUD said Mr.
Gemmell. He was little bit confused
when he got out from behind the boil
er. There was nothing left standing of
the Cornell building and the
Butte Hardware building was shat
tered. He was assisting some of the
wounded away from the scene when
the next explosion occurred. but he
could not tell where 1t came from. but |
thought Ii occurred in the Butte Hard
ware building. Mr.. Gemmell said he
came from the Caplice beer house. He
was very much confused at the time |
and wasn't entirely positive about any |
thing that occurred.
Richard Gurki lived at 227 Utah av-j
enue, about two blocks and a half
from the warehouses. He went to the |
fire and passed the Butte Hardware
building. There was no fire in that
building. but the Kenyon-Connell ware |
house was on fire. He saw the firemen |
working on the building, and soon a |
flash came through the roof and lit |
tie boy came up to him and told him |
there was powder in the warehouse.
About two minutes later the big explo- |
sion occurred. II came from the Ken
yon-Connell building and demolished |
IL. Gurki was knocked down behind |
boiler and remained there until the de- |
bris quit falling, and then he went |
home. s- /
George Burns, a miner, the next wit
ness, said he was at the corner of Main |
and Park streets when the alarm came /
in and went to the fire with the hook |
and ladder team. When they left Arf- |
IONA street he got on the hose wagon, |
driven by Dave Magee. and got off |
within about 40 feet of the burning |
building. He saw the firemen at work |
on the building. When the first puff |
came they were cutting a hole, into the |
Kenyon Connell warehouse. and when
a piece of sheet iron was torn off the |
flames rushed out. Water was thrown
in and then the big explosion occurred. |
The witness was sitting on the hook |
and ladder wagon at the time, and he |
heard a rumbling noise and turned |
around to look and saw a flash and was |
then knocked senseless. When he re- |
covered consciousness he saw the Ken |
yon-Connell building in ruins. The |
Butte Hardware building was still |
standing. He started to walk away, |
Il
second explosion occurred. He could |
not tell where ii came from, but he |
thought IL was from the Butte Hard |
ware building. SD |
James Allerton, who lives within |
three blocks of the scene of the ex-
plosion, went to the fire. He approach /
ed TO within about 120 feet of the fire /
and stood just north of the Butte
Hardware building and northwest of
the Kenyon-Connell warehouse. He |
was with a man who was a timer for
the Butte Hardware company and they |
talked about the company's building. /
Kenyon-Conneil building was ablaze.
He saw the first puff and the firemen
were at work on the building. One of |
the firemen tore piece of iron from
the building, and that was the last |
Mr.. Allerton saw. He heard the ex- |
plosion and was knocked down and |
started to run away on his hanls and /
knees After going some distance that |
way he got up on his feet and was
struck on the head by something fall
ing. He then stopped and looked up,
and for a while lodged the falling ce-
bris and then jumped behind BOILER
and remained there until the stuff stop
ped falling. He then got up and saw
the dead and wounded lying for a
hundred feet around him. Soon the sec
ond big explosion came and he was
knocked down again and then got up
and ran away. He had sustained no
other injury except a general shaking
up. He did not see where the second
explosion came from. but thought IL
came from about the same place as the
first. but a little farther south. 10
At the conclusion of Allerton's testi-