The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-01-16
BUTTE'S HORROR.
A Fire Breaks Out in a Big
Warehouse
And Causes Explosion Of Giant
Powder,
Wrecking All That Part of the
City.
HALF FAHUNDRED DEAD
And the Number of Injured Can
not be Estimated.
Limbs of. People Blown Hun
dreds of Feet.
FIREMEN KILLED.
But Three Members of the Fire
Department Escape.
4 Terrible Destruction Of Life
and Property.

BUTTE, Mont, Jan. 16-A fire occurred
in the warehouse of the Butte Hardware
company last night, followed by awful
results. A large amount of giant pow
der was stored in the building and when
it exploded the havoc among the people
and buildings in the vicinity was terrific
No one suspected the presence of pow
der in the warehouses and as is GUS
tomary when fire is raging people were
crowded around the burning structure as
close as they could get.
The fremen had arrived only minute
or two before and were almost in the act
of turning on the first stream of water
when small explosion took place.
This seemed to be sort of warning
of what was to follow; for no sooner had
the first puff occurred, than people be-
gan to suspect the presence of greater
quantity of the explosive in some other
part of the structure, and some of them
fell back.
4 Before they had reached q place of
safety, however, thelffrst great explosion
took place and hundreds of people were
thrown right and left and many of them
were mangled beyond recognition.
Bodies were strewn for hundreds of
yards in all directions.
Some were thrown against houses and
mashed to pulp, while flying debris lit
eraly knocked the head from others
where they stood.
Bodies Fly Through the Air.
One body, it is said was seen flying
l. 49,
yards.
Arms, legs and other pieces of bodies
were lying around everywhere. Many
of the wounded were pitiable sight
After the first explosion occurred
many of the wounded were compelled
by their helplessness to lie near the fire,
and the heat only intensified the pain
they were suffering
They begged to be taken away, but
there was no means of conveying them
from the scene at that time.
a hackman, seeing the terrible state of
affairs drove up and attempted to assist
in the removal, but while in the act the
second explosion took place and killed
him and his horses and many of the
wounded.
Five minutes later a third explosion
came but it was mild one. and it is be-
| lieved that very few, if any were in
jured in this 1t had all occurred in
fifteen minutes, the most horrible quarter
of an hour in Butte's history. The dead
were strewn everywhere and the cries
| and groans of the injured and dying
presented scene altogether unearthly
Between the Northern Pacific and Great
| Northern depots, a space of 300 feet, the
ground was literally covered with parts
| of human bodies.
| AS Swept BY a Cyclone.
| The houses in the vicinity were as thor
oughly wrecked as if a cyclone had
: passed through them. One of the rescu-
! ing corps gathered up twenty seven dead
bodies in one pile. Eight were in an
other Two and three in other piles.
| The rescuers pulled some of the bodies
| out still quivering. Every vehicle in the
| city was brought into service to carry
! away the scores of dead and the hun
dreds of injured The hospitals were
filed. The spare rooms in the hotels
were taken, and private houses were
thrown open where it was necessary.
| Nhe fire department was utterly de-
| stroyed with the exception of three men.
At 9:55 p. N. the fire department re-
sponded to call from box 72-the call
of death. There was a r amor that there
| was powder in the Butte Hardware com
pany's building, where the fire was, but
this was denied. and after a moments
hesitation they began hghtIng the fire.
The hose wagon crew: Chief Cameron,
Assistant Chief Sloane. Sam Ash, Ed
Sloane. Dave Moses, Dave Msgee and
Jack Flannery. Magee was the driver
and remained with the wagon about forty
yards away, while Flannerv was at the
hydrant.
The hook and ladder was manned by
Geo. Fifer and Pete Nolan of the regu-
lar paid department and William Orr,
one of the volunteers. Chief Cameron
directed the attack On the building and
while some of the firemen hauled line
of hose along the others started to tear
off the iron covering of the building SO
that they cauld get at the flames.
The Roof Flew OFF.
Just as they had succeeded in tearing
off part of the covering and secured an
| entrance the first explosion came. a
binding sheet of fame forced the roof
from its fastenings and shot hundred
feet into the air, followed by a second OF
deadly silence, and then came the awful