The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-01-25

| that you have dcscrlbed?'
!. We'll, it would depend upon the reia-
tive location Of the powder and pipe.
Twelve or 10 boxes would exert an awful
/ force"
Would three boxes throw the pipe that
| faro
II don't think it could
How much would you say then? ?"
II should say from 1000 to so pounds
/ if it was all thawed. Giant powder loses
! obout one-third of its strength when
1 frozen"
What amount of powder would be
| necessary to shake Hibernia hall IN Gem
| tervllle from the scene of the explosion ~
! ut would depend a great deal on the at
| mospherc conditions but l should say
/ about from ! 800 to 1900 pounds"
How much would it take to throw
a rabDe head from the Kenyon Cornell
warehouse TO the top of the Lewisohn
| building?"
About the same quantity / should say.
| Ii is my opinion that the explosion in the
west warehouse was the heaviest and that
from 1,50O 10 1000 pounds went off in each
of the first two heavy explosions"
GEORGE Z. HOWE.
Ex-County Surveyor George E. Howe
was examined at the afternoon session as
a powder expert. He said that he had
been engaged in railroad building for 20
years and was familiar with the use and
force of explosives. He gave il as his
opinion from all of the circumstances in
the case, that 10 tons of powder went off
in the first heavy explosion. He had ex-
pressed this opinion at the time of the ac-
cident, and had since seen no reason to
change il.
'Supposing that the second explosion
occurred in the warehouse of the Butte
Hardware company, and considering the
manner in which iron pipe and other
debris was thrown about. how much pow
der do you think exploded the second
time?"
IL should say about 10 tons, or the same
quantity as in the first explosion. 1t is
my opinion that there was a luge guam
thy of caps i'll the first explosion which
made 1t sharper than the second one, but
no more severe"
DO you think that the two large explo-
sions could have come from one pile of
powder boxes piled all together?'
NO; il Is my belief that the two heavy
explosions came from the two ware
houses of the Butte Hardware and Ken
yon-Connell companies. | think that the
explosion OF an amount of powder such as
l have stated, on a wooden floor, would
make an indention of two or three feet in
the ground underneath"
In reply to n question from Juror Adams
the witness stated that he did not think
that the upper boxes in pile of powder
could have exploded first aud forced the
lower ones through the floor, and that
they could explode a few minutes later
after they had thawed out. He did not
believe that the Two heavy explosions
could have come from the same building.
Giant powder he said lost from 40 to 80
per cent. of its strength when frozen.
w. S. WATSON.
w. S. Watson, warehouse man for the
Butte Hardware company, was then re-
called, and produced his warehouse ship
ping record, which showed that the follow.
ing quantity of powder had been shipped
from the warehouse between Jan. 1 and
10: dan. =, . boxes Alb, Il; 5th, >; 9TH, I
9Th. 10; ION, 4 12th, 4 14th, 5 10Th, 6.
Mr.. Co.ter compared this state
ment with the statement OF sales
submitted by General Manager
Watson and il was found that the ware.
houseman had no record of three boxes
sold on Jan. 8, one on Jan. 8 and one on
Jan. IL, according to the general man
ayers statement. The warehouseman
testified as follows:
Il have no record of powder delivered
at the warehouse between Jan. and 10.
/ don't know whose duty it was to take
an invoice of the powder we had on hand
Jan. 1. | know il was not mine. / had
nothing to do with ordering powder. The
last consignment of powder was received
at the warehouse on the forenoon of Jan.
IA. We had none on hand there then, and
/ had Il boxes brought III from the maya
zine as | had some orders for that day
and the next. Five boxes we're delivered
that day and had seven left. Six more
boxes we're delivered on the 18TH"
How much powder did you keep at the
warehouse as general thing?"
"Only enough to fill small orders of one
or two boxes"
How much did you have on hand on the
evening o. Jan. 1927
II will swear positively that we did not
have more than two boxes"
IF 40 or 80 pounds of Judson powder |
w n af ter
would you think ii came from 2"
From our warehouse | suppose. / was |
in my room on Colorado street opposite |
the school house when the first explosion |
went of, and thought it was an earth |
quake at first. l did not get my clothes |
on until after the second explosion, and |
did not reach tho warehouse until after |
the third one went off. l never had any |
business in the Kenyon-Connell ware |
house, and never saw any powder there. |
About Jan. II or 13 | saw 4 or5 boxes /
piled upon their platform for shipment" |
"How much powder did you see taken |
from or delivered TO the Kenyon -Connell |
between Jan. l and 15?'
Il never saw any great quantity"
where was the powder stored in your |
I'm the east half of the north end. |
nearly opposite the door, and not more |
than 10 feet south of til c north wall. The |
iron pipe was piled upon the north plat
form Just east oil the door and about IL |
feet from the powder"
DO you know what caused the ex-
ploslon and what did the damage?"
Il should think there was some powder
there"
Are you familiar with the use of
powder 2"
Il am not, never used any in my life.
saw little Judson powder scattered
around on the night of the explosion. |
think all of the powder in our warehouse
was frozen. | have seen the Hercules
powder but don't know of any difference
betwe en- it and the Judson In general
appearance"
Mr.. Watson said that the statement he
made yesterday that 100 cases of powder
had been delivered TO the futile company
some time this month was not true. Ii
was on Dec. , that the 100 cases was de-
ivered TO the futile company. The 100
Eases were delivered from the warehouse
md had been on hand two or three DAYS.
A car load had come in. and an order had
already been received, and so IL was mot |