The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1895-01-25
AWFUL EXPLOSION
DEAD sTREwN EVERYWHERE
Firemen Respond to Their Last Call
Shapeless Trunks Culver and
Die in the Arms of the
Living.

out in the Butte Hardware COM
pany's warehouse in the southern part
of the city at $50 O'Clock last night.
Ten minutes later a terrific explosion
of powder occurred, which broke
hearly all che plate-glass windows in
the city mile away, and shook the
buildings to their foundations. Fire
men who were fighting the flames at
the time were nearly all blown 60
pieces. Two more explosions followed
at intervals of five minutes, each kill
ing and wounding numbers of men.
The excitement was intense. The fire
attracted large crowd. Hundreds
standing near the scene when the first
explosion occurred were cut down by
the terrible force of the explosion. The
debris from the cars standing near the
warehouse and adjoining buildings
was scattered high in the air for a half
mile away, many flaming articles
striking people in the crowd and about
the city.
At 9:55 o'clock the fire department
responded to a call from boz 72-the
call OF death to nearly the entire de-
partn ent. The firemen heard a runlor
, that there was powder III the building,
but this was denied and after a mo-
ment's hesitation they began fighting
| the fire. At 10 p. M, when the men
| had barely started to work, an explo-
sion shook Butte to its very founda-
tions. The powder in the warehouse
blue up, spr. aiding death and ruin to
all near. All but three tiremen were
killed. Heroes alaong The spectators,
as soon as the stun Of the shock had
passed away-while some ran in ter
ror-immediately began pulling the
mutiIated bodies of the firemen and in.
jured from proximity with the flames.
From all over the city the people be-
gan moving toward the fire, and the
crowd had greatly increased within
five minutes.
The second explosion, almost equal
in volume to the first, heightened the
general terror, and spread death and
destruction at the disastrous scene,
In this explosion scores of citizens
were killed and injured. Parts of the
of bodies were hurled hundreds of feel
away. One man near the Northern
Pacific water-tank was struck by the
leg: and thigh of human being
driven 10y the force of the dynamite
from the fearful scene. Still, heroes
were left to pull the shrieking wounded
and .groaning to distance, but thu
people of the town hesitated, Their
had been more rumors Of carloads o
powder in the vicinity besides tina
| stored in the warehouse. Eve minute
later a third explosion did come, but !
l was mild, injuring but few.
: All occnred in fifteen minutes Th
( awfulness of the scene after the explc
r sions is beyond description. 1t pre-
I sented the appearance of field Of bal
! tie. Dead were strewn everywhere
: Tie cries and groans Of the injure
t and dying made the scene altogethe
e unearthly. Blood and brains wer
t spattered around, with here and ther
J. pieces of flesh. Between the Norther
e Pacific and the Great Northern depot:
e space of three hundred feet, til
ground was literally covered wit
parts of human bodies and with th
dead and injured, 1t was scene
Y utter and absolute destruction.
s Houses in the vicinity wei
T. thoroughly wrecked as If by a cyclon
y One rescuing corps gathered twent.
le seven dead bodies in one pile. III
1t rescueGs pulled some bodies out sti
1t Qurivering. Remnants Of human |
r. ings were still groaning, while the
'r legs and arms bad been torn ol
a. Shapeless trunks qpiyerel and died
n, the arms of the living,
al Every vehicle in the city w
brought into service to carry away Il
the scores of dead and the hundreds
injured. Hospitals We're filed, spa
p, rooms In hotels taken, aud prlva
Il houses thrown open where 1t W
70 necessary,
Chief Cameron directed the alta,
10 on the building, while some tirem'
or hauled the lines Of hose along, otht
". started to tear Of the iron covering !
~ the buildInR 80 they could get ut Y
aasasa lapt n ibyy sess S$itII