The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-01-16
Is KILLED IN BUTTE.
Three Car Loads Of Powder Ex-
plode During q Fire.
NOT ONE FIREMAN ESCAPES.
All Of the Spectators slain or Wounded
The whole District Presents tho
Aspect Of . BastieAeld.

Bsrtte. Merit. Jan. ia FIRE occurred
togzxsat In the Butte Hardware Com
Ysany's warehouse, IN which gl<srt powder
was stored. The fire department was at
work On the FIRE when an explosion tcok
place, killing a number OF people While
Efforts were bstng made 10 remove the
dead ard wounded. second ami third ex-
rscs4Ccas occurred. TIE entire fire depart
nsent was wiped out, including the cakef
ami al the horses. Three policemen were
among the killed, who VIII number al
least sevent y-five. Plate glass was
broken all over the city. and the damage
10 property - enornscsas. 1t IS smposzsi-
bic to get details at present. An the am
balances are rusasng to and from the
scene of the explosion. The reiaaves Of
the kissed are frantic and the cry is IN
CONSERVATION TIE powder was contained
s.a the warehouse in violation of the law.
The FIRE broke out in the Montana
Central yards. and soon several cars l0ad-
ed with powder caught FIRE. Just as the
fireman were closing in around the blaz-
ing cars am explosion occurred, killing
q number OF firersen and spectators ard
manning many others. The firenen who
had escaped Immediately rallied and
were beginning another attack when a
second explosion, more violent than the
first, took place. The people in the vi
cindty were thrown down and the streets
for half block around looked like a
battlefield. Debris was thrown nigh in
the air, coming down half mile away.
Many people on the streets in the center
of the city were thus injured. The few
Remaining firemen were gathering them
selves together and attempting to es-
cape To a place OF safety when the third
and last explosion occurred. This. TOO,
killed and injured many people. There
We're several cars CT the powder and all
of them exploded.
The whole heavens were lighted up,
and the city shook as ii an earthquake
WAS in progress. Immediately after the
FIRST explosion the entire hospital corps
ami police force We're summoned, ard
many of the attaches of these depart
ments are among those killed and in
iured In the subsequent explosions Eff
teen dead bodies have already been gath
cred together, and there doubtless are
a great many more in parts of the yard
that no one dares To approach. Every
house for blocks around Is turned Ato
hospital. Every member OF the fire
Denver. Jan. IA special to the Re-
publican from Butte says: The Nre start
ed in the Royal Milling Company's ware
house and spread to the Kenyon Cornell
warehouse. In which We're stored several
car loads OF giant powder. The first ex-
piosson was the most terrific, and killed
every fireman. save two. belonging to the
Central fire station. One of these was
standing behind the hose cart horses. and
the other was at a water hyirant sew
erai hundred feet away. So far between
fifty and sixty mangled bodies have been
recovered, and more are being picked up
on all SIDES. II Is impossible 10 get
names tonight. II is estimated that
about 100 additional persons were injured,
several of whom died after being taken
to the hospitals.
At this hour U2:10 a. m.l wagons are
still taking dead bodies from The scene
of the explosion to the various undertake
ing establishments and the wounded to
their homes and hospitals. The latter
are 4li full. The list of dead will pos
sibiy reach seventy-five. and the damage
to property Will be more than 81 900, 600.
In all three car loads of powder ex-
ploSied, one Of which Was stored In the
Butte Hardware Company's warehouse.
which adjoined the Kenyon Cornell ware
house. Large pieces of iron were thrown
miles. Several bodies were hurled long
distance and picked un unacceptable
masses Of flesh.