The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-06
BODIES IN THE RUINS.
Boulet, a Marked Man, Says
His Enemies Did Not Do
the Deed.
THEY HAVE sURER WEAPONS.
Stories Of the Terrible Disaster at
New Orleans Told by the
Survivors.

NEW OhLEANO, La, April D. Inc
fearful explosion which wrecked Salathe's
saloon, the ship chandlery and Fisher
mans Exchange, the adjoining saloon,
two landmarks opposite the French Mar
ket, resulted in the death of at least five
persons. The Salathes, husband, wife and
their little babe; Paul Rigaud, the bar
keeper, and John Edwards were the vic
tins whose bodies have been recovered.
The Salathe servants spent the night else
where and escaped. Two children who
were dragged from the ruins, although
badly bruised and shocked, will live. Half
a dozen people in the vicinity were injured
by falling debris, but all will recover.
The barroom was generally crowded at
the hour of the fatality; but from all &C.
counts there seems to have been provi-
Dental lull in trade when the explosion
occurred.
L. A. Boulet, who had such a narrow
escape, when asked if he thought the ex-
plosion was an attempt to kill him for
having slain Balestraci, shook his head
and replied that he thought not.
"The Malta" he said, would not adopt
such means to kill their victim. They
have other and surer means of doing this
kind of work. I firmly believe that the
explosion was the result of an accident"
This man Ariestene Balestraci and Bou-
let were in the saloon business together.
Boulets wife contracted liaison with
Balestraci, which caused Boulet to leave
her. Balestraci would tauht Boulet with
his dishonor, but was always surrounded
by friends when doing so. Two years ago
they met at the French Market, and
Balestraci, who was carrying cane, drew
from its sheath a large sword, with which
he attacked Boulet. The latter drew re-
volver, fired and killed the Italian.
The trial resulted in Boulet's acquittal.
Ever since then Boulet has been looked
upon as marked man. His friends tried
to persuade him to leave the city, or, at
least, to stay away from the market, but
he refused. Last night he occupied room
over the barroom on the second floor, and it
is believed the explosion was done for the
simple purpose of killing him. Balestraci
was the leader of the Italian colony and
Just the sort of a man to be at the head of
the Malta.
C. III. Witty, collector of the French
Market, was standing on the corner oppo-
site the saloon when the explosion took
place. He was in the habit OF going to the
saloon often during the night to chat with
the barkeeper, whom he knew very well,
and had just walked across from the mar
ket to the corner when the explosion &C.
CURED. He said it was accompanied by
terrific sound, apparently half smothered,
as if blown up from the bottom of the
building. The edifice trembled, and then
went up with a tremendous CONFUSION,
throwing parts of the building high in the
air, tearing down the Ursuline-street wall,
and leaving the greater part of the wall
standing in the rear of the building.
Witty says it went up like mighty
flash, and the explosion was followed by
big blaze that went high into the air and
then subsidized somewhat. Walls and debris
came down with a crash, and Immediately
the air was full of smoke and dust, blown
everywhere from the grocery-store.
One of the survivors was L. R. Boulet.
He says: 81 was asleep on the second floor
OF the saloon in corner room. | was
awakened by the ceiling falling on me.
lay still for what to me seemed long time,
when heard some one crying: 'Oh, my
God, my childP / could hear the people
talking, but | could not make myself heard.
Several times | called out as loud as could
After while l tried to move, and l found
that by cramping myself into as small
place as possible l could breathe easier.
'"Then l heard some one walking over
me. / called out and he answered. He
proved to be friend named Willie Morse.
When he heard me he told me not to be
afraid, but to keep quiet and he would get
me out in five minutes. He went away,
but soon came back with friends, and
they started digging hole over me. They
worked fast, and it did not take long to
make hole large enough to pull me.
through. do not remember much more,
for the strain was so great that I was
almost unconscious when they took me out
and brought me over to the saloon.
81 am not hurt except a few scratches.
/ know Mr.. Salathe kept some powder in
his store, but | do not know how much.
cannot imagine how the powder came to
explode. Some people say it was not
powder that exploded, but I don't know
of anything else in the house that could
have caused the wreck. / believe there
were number of persons buried in the
ruins of the saloon, because it was. the Gus
tom of good many to come into the sa-
loon about II O'Clock and sleep there.
have seen as many as ten and fifteen at
one time. 1t will be impossible to tell until
the ruins are thoroughly searched"