The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-01-18
CARNAGE AT BUTTE
Awful Loss of Life Caused by
an Explosion.
Seventy-Five Persons Probably Killed
and Upwards OF Sixty Bodies
Recovered So Far.


Fatally-rh. Whole Town u Hospital
People Moved Down as with u scythe--
Three Explosions, One After Another,
Spread Death and Havoc I'm All Direc-
tions-The Whole Fire Department
Wiped Out-Brief Details OF a. Fright
fui Disaster.
BUTTE, Mont, Jan. l6.-Fire started
last night in the Royal Milling company's
warehouse in the Montana Central yards,
and spread to the Kcnyon-Cornell ware
house in which was stored several car
loads of giant powder. Just as the fire.
men were closing around the blaze an ex-
plosion occurred, killing number of fire.
men and spectators and manning many
others The flremen who had escaped i'm
mediately rallied and were beginning
another attack when a second explosion,
more violent than the first, took place
The people in the vicinity were moved
down as with q great scythe, and the
streets for half block around looked like
great battlefield.
Shaken as IL by an Earthquake.
Debris was thrown high in the air. COM
ing down half mile away, Many peo-
pie on the streets in the center of the city
were thus injured. A few Of the remain
ing flremen were gathering themselves to-
gether and attempting to escape to place
OF safety when the third and last exposition
occurred. This, too, killed and injured
many people. There were several lots of
the powder, and all of them exploded.
The whole heavens were lighted up and
the city shook as il an earthquake was in
progress. Immediately after the first OK
plosion the entire hospital corps and pc.
lice force were summoned, and many Of
the detachments OF these companies are
among the killed and injured in the sub
sequent exp asions.
Three Score Mangled Bodies Found.
Every house for blocks around has been
turned into an impromptu hospital.
Every member of the fire department has
been either killed or wounded The first
explosion was the most terrific and killed
every fireman save two belonging to the
Central station. One Of these was stand
ing behind the hose cart horses and the
other was at n water hydrant several hun
dred feet away. So far between fifty and
sixty mangled bodies have been recovered
and more are being picked up on all sides.
It is impossible to give tho names ut this
writing.
Hospitals All Full of Wounded.
1t is estimated that about 100 additional
persons were injured, several of whom
died after being taken to the hospitals.
The scene beggars description At this
hour wagons are still taking bodies from
the scene of the explosion to the various
undertaking establishments and the
wounded TO their homes and hospitals.
The latter are all full Tho list OF dead
will possibly reach scvonty-five and the
damage TO property will be moro than
S1000,0C0
UnrecOgnizabIe Masses of Flesh.
In all three car loads of powder explod-
ed, one of which was stored in tho Butte
Hardware company's warehouse which
adjoinod the KenyonC Cornell warehouse,
large pieces of iron were thrown for miles.
Several bodies were hurled long dis
lance and picked up in unacceptable
masses of flesh. Among those killed is
Joseph Miller, a prominent attorney Of
Boise City, and of the wounded three
names have been observation-disclosures
Pascoe, Fire Marshal Cameron and
Charles Schatzl9iu.
Thirty-si Bodies in One Pile.
LATER Every moment increases the
awful horror of the explosion. Thirty-six
dead were gathered in one pile. Many
other bodies had already been removed.
Most of them wero so badly disfgured
that Identification on the scene was inn
possible. The heads were missing from n
majority of the bodies; legs and arms
were lying on every side.