The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-12-19
AMOUNT OF POWDER
Getting at the Facts in the Big Ex-
plosion Case.
MANY BOXES OF HERCULES
In His Deposition w. E. Hall Says
He Believes Not Less Than Two
and q Half Tons OF Powder
Caused the Damage.

ander McAivry testified that when he
heard the fire alarm on the night OF
Jan. Is he went down to the scene of
the confiagrafion. The department had
arrived there a few seconds ahead of
him. The fire was in the Kenyon-Con-
nell warehouse in the north and west
side. There was no fire I'm the Butte
Hardware building at the time. The
firemen were at work on the building.
Jack and Ed Sloan were trying to cut
an opening into IL and two other men,
one of whom was Sam Ash. were hold
ting the nozzle. While they were at work
there was a puff" or slight explosion,
which raised the roof and threw a piece
of iron over the building which nearly
fell on the firemen. The crowd and the
firemen ran back, and then the men re-
turned to work, and Chief Cameron
called for water and IL was turned into
the hole made by Sloan and then the
big explosion occurred. Before throw
ing the water into the Kenyon-Connell
building one of the fremen said some
water should be thrown on the Caplice
building TO keep 1T from burning, which
was done. At that time the Caplice
and Butte Hardware buildings were not
on fire. As soon as the water was
turned into the Kenyon Connell build
ing the explosion came. First there
was flash and then the report, which
knocked McAlvry senseless. When he
recovered consciousness he got up and
ran away. All around him were lying
dead and wounded. and men were
moaning and CRYING for help. McAlyry
standing of the Kenyon-Connell build
dng. After he had gone away for some
distance McAlvry returned to search
for a friend and met him coming away
and they retreated a short distance,
then watched the fire. While they were
1rx-Ir tx.sw d.
a louder report than the first. The sec
ond explosion knocked him down and
threw him some distance but he did
not lose consciousness. The second big
explosion also came from the Kenyon
Connell building. On cross-examina-
tion McAlvry stated he did not remain
inconsistencies for a long time, for
the debris had not stopped falling when
he recovered. He didn't notice the
character OF any of the falling material
but something struck him on the right
foot and cut his shoe and burned the
leather. From the shape OF the cut he
concluded IL was caused by one of the
destructive and fatal "rabble heads"
When he returned home he also discov-
cred that he had a cut over the heart
and a piece of sheet iron in his leg.
The sensation he experienced at the
second explosion was that he was being
raised into the air and carried along.
know whether he was or not, and when
he stopped he felt as If he had run up
against solid wall. The witness gave
d. as his theory that the explosion crea-
ted a vacuum in the air in which he
was forced along, and when the air re-
coded he encountered what felt to him
like solid wall. McAlvry was sure
that the Butte Hardware building stood
intact and uninjured before the first
explosion.
David Walsh. a switchman in the
employ of the Montana Central rail
way, testified that in the course OF his
business he had become familiar with
giant powder in boxes. He frequently
looked into the Kenyon Connell ware
house and was in there about 3 o'clock
on the afternoon of Jan. Is and saw
eight or nine boxes of the powder there.
He went into the building to look for
a piece of pipe and walked up to the
north end and saw eight or nine boxes
piled near the door at the end of the
building. The boxes were % or "a inch
es long and about IL inches deep. There
was on the north end of the building,
near the door referred to. small room
partitioned off. The witness didn't
know II IL was an Office or powder
room. During the IL months preceding
the 18th of January he was around the
warehouses every day and frequently
saw powder delivered at the Kenyon
Connell warehouse. Sometimes there
was delivered there from 25 to 80 boxes
at a time. One delivery was made
along about the 1st of January. There
were between 25 and 30 boxes in the
wagon at that time. but he could not
tell how many of them were unloaded
there at that time. The cross-examina-
tion was conducted by ]. L. Wines, who
asked Walsh IL he might have not been
mistaken as TO the number of boxes,
and their contents. in the building on
the afternoon of the 18th OF January.
but the witness said he was positive in |
his own mind that there were eight or
nine boxes and that they contained
powder. He had used powder and had
handled lots Of IL. and he could not be |
mistaken. He saw the word Powder"
on two Of the boxes, and the other box |
es were of the same character
Marion Bean, teamster for the |
Butte & Boston. testified that he was
with giant powder boxes. He |
was uncertain as to their size but Knew |
that they weighed so pounds each He |
delivered powder at the Kenyon-Con- |
nell warehouse, and delivered some
there seven or eight days before the |
day Of the explosion. Several times he |
took powder from the warehouse and |
delivered Il to the Butte & Boston. the |
last time about six weeks before the |
explosion.
How many boxes of powder did you |
deliver at the Kenyon Connell ware |
house on the seventh OF eighth of jan |
uary?" asked Mr.. Nolan.
Thirty boxes"
How many boxes did you take away |
from the warehouse about six weeks |
before the explosion?"
Fifty boxes"
How many boxes did you take away |
on a previous occasion?'
From 25 to so boxes"
On cross-examination by Mr. For5is. |
the witness said he got the powder on |
the platform OF the warehouse and AL |
so delivered II there. He could not saw |
whether or not the powder had ever
been in the warehouse. and eaid the |
Butte & Boston and the Kenyon-Con- |
nell company did powder business to- |
yether. and the latter sold il to the |
mining company On carload lots, but |
sometimes the mining company had 10 /
borrow some and IL was on such occa-
Sons that ne got powder at the ware |
house. and afterwards returned It, He /
I'D not know that notice had 10 be Civ /