Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-01-24

Law, and the Victims were Cn-
warned = All the Glass i'm the City
Demolished and the Property Loss
Will Reach Enormous Figures.
During the progress of n fire ut the
Kenyon-C Cornell Hardware COmpany's
warehouse in Butte. Mont. Tuesday
night terrific explosion occurred, as a
result Of which it is estimated that sew
enty-iyc persons have lost their lives.
When the smoke had cleared away the
terrified survivors were sickcned mt the
sight Of the ground for block around the
scene of the explosion strewn with the
quivering and dismembered flesh of men
and horses, pinned down by fragments
of the fire engines and burning brands
from the demolished warehouse. Upon
The site of the warehouse there was a
CHASTITY hole filed with debris, blazing in
hundreds of places, with here and there
the fragments of an unfortunate fireman.
The noise of the explosion broke all the
glass in the city and caused the houses to
rock so violently that the residents were
stricken with fear. They did not know
and as the explosion had almost destroyed
the burning warehouse there was little
to mark the scene Of terrible destruction.
The news spread like wildiire, however,
and hundreds were soon around the spot.
Second and Third Explosions.
After the first explosion hundreds Of
people fastened to the scene and this ac-
counts for the great loss of life. While
they were endeavoring to render assist
ance to the injured the second explosion
occurred, moving down the crowds Of
men, women and children, as with
sickle of death. The survivors were has
tening from the scene when n third ex-
plosion occurred, adding to the list of
victims, as many of the terror-stricken
people, fleeing from the scene of destruc-
ton, were moved down by the flying de-
bris.
1t was speedily learned that the entire
fire department, including the chief, men,
horses and all the machines. had been
utterly swept out of existence. Owing
to the nature Of the fire and its dangerous
locality the entire force was called out TO
prevent spread of the flames to ad-
joining warehouses and all of the men
were at work. Three policemen were
they were also killed. Many of the spec
tators were instantly killed and several
were hurled back rods from the scene of
the fire and rendered unconscious by the
force of the shock. Dozens of men were
found rods away from the warehouse
bruised, bleeding and unconscious, aud
a number of them will not recover.
| The fire started in the Royal Milling
| Company's warehouse and spread to the
| Kenyon-COrnell warehouse in which was
stored II carload of giant powder. The
| first explosion was the most terrific and
| killed every fireman in the immediate
vicinity save two belonging at the Central
station. One of these was standing be-
hind the hose cart horses and the other
was at water hydrant some distance
away.
| 1t is estimated that about 100 addi-
tional persons were injured, several Of
whom died after being taken to the hos
| pitfalls. The list of dead will possibly
reach seventy-fye, and the damage done
! to property will be more than 81 900 900.
In all three car loads Of powder exploded,
one OF which was stored in the Butte
| Hardware Company's warehouse, which
| adjoined the Kenyon Cornell warehouse.
Large pieces Of iron were thrown for
miles. Several bodies were hurled long
! distance and picked up in unrecogniza-
BILE masses of flesh.
Every Fireman Killed.
The fremen who had escaped the first
explosion Immediately rallied and were
beginning another attack when a second
explosion, more violent than the first,
| took place. The people i'm the vicinity
| yyarn r,nwa1 .loxyu n n with m oraot bo
and tie streets for half block around
looked like a great battle field. Debris
was thrown high in the air, coming down
half mile away. Many people on the
streets in the center Of the city were thus
| injured.
A few of the remaining fremcn were
gathering themselves together and at
| tempting To escape to a place of safety
when the third and last explosion occur
red. This. too, killed and injured many
| people. There were several ears of the
powder and all of them exploded The
whole heavens were lighted mp and the
| city shook as il an earthquake was in
| progress.
| Immediately after the first explosion
the entire hospital corps and police force
| were summoned. and many of the detach-
ments of these companies are among the
killed and injured in the subsequent ex-
plosions.
The giant powder, which was for use
in blasting in the mines. was stored in
the warehouse contrary to law. md the
firemen had no warning Of its presence.
After the first explosion 1t was supposed
that there had been n single car of the
explosive, but the subsequent horrors de-
veloped the fact that there were several
cars stored in the warehouse sheds.
Sixteen bodies were taken out of one
spot. clinging together. as il welded by
the hand Of cruel death, and SO MANNED
| aud 1ioGv,tvad n IN b, fntoIIxy an ra.oc