The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-28
MOODY rs DICTATOR
LAW AND ORDER PRESERVED IN
DEADWOOD IN TRYING
TIMES.
STORY OF THE BIG FIRE,
WHEN R0UGH FRONTIERSMEN BE-
CAME HEROES OF THE NO
BLEEST KIND.
HOW THE CITY WAS REBUILT.
Crow bv Magic Into Al More Com
modious and HaRdsOmer Place
Than Before the Fire.

Special TO the Globe. "a ..r
WASHINGTON, June Pei read
with interest a recent interview with
nv late colleague, Senator PetugreW,
said ex-senator Moody, Of South Da-
kota. Il was particularly interested in
his graphic description of the burning
of Deadwood. but he did not tell all
about it. The heroism of the people
in that frontier city was unparalleled.
They rose to the occasion and evinced
independent characteristics which sur
prised even me, although I was their
neighbor and friend"
Please tell me some incidents, sem
ator?'
Both during and after that dread
full fire they manifested courage and
fearlessness which were truly heroic.
From my home on the hillside l saw a
score of determined men carrying kegs
Of powder through the burning streets
TO q place Of safety Over a ton
powder had been stored in what was
believed to be a proof vault; but.
when adjoining buildings were burn
ing, some Of the men feared an explo-
sion, so they entered the vault and
carried the powder in kegs through the
street, while on each side of them for
blocks the fires We're raging most ter
ribly."
Was there only one powder house
in the city?"
NO, there were several. One of
them was filed with giant powder,
which was used in blasting by the
miners in the hills. You know giant
powder eXplOdes 10y heat and concus-
sion. Well, the house in which the
giant powder was stored burned to
ashes the boxes containing the giant
powder was burned, and the powder
Itself burned without an explosion
There was no conclusion and hence no
explosion. But in another vault. which
was presumably fire proof there was
two tons of giant powder, which could
not be removed About 5 o'clock one
side of that vault cracked with the
heat, and few bricks fell into the
powder, which could not be removed.
and the resultant explosion threw the
debris of the building over 300 feet into
the air. My residence is about 200
feet above the town, on the hillside,
and the white bluffs opposite are near
ly 400 feet high. I could see the en-
bers, bricks, timbers and flooring sail
ing away up the white bluffs nearly to
the top of them"
How did the great fire originator"
1t started about l o'clock in the
morning in a bakery. The flames ex-
tended to an adjoining drug store.
winch was soon wrapped in flame
Some chemicals and oils in that drug
store exploded and spread the fire all
over the town. and when that occurred
L knew that the whole town was DOOM
ed. l could see the people running out
of their houses, holding little pieces
Of wearing apparel or blankets in their
hancs; while some of them, almost
naked, carried little children and hur-
ried to the hills for safety My prem
tses were crowded all night, and at
least 400 people camped in my yard.
l fed over 800 at my breakfast table:
in fact, fed everybody who came, until
my provisions were exhausted and
then sent for more"
Were there many people killed that
night?"
Not a single life was lost. The
alarm was sounded, the bells rang. and
the citizens rushed from house to house
looking after their friends. so that ev-
erybOdy escaped
You say that, when your provisions
were exhausted, you sent for more.
We're not the provisions high just
them"
on the contrary, not a single COM
modify was increased in price by the
circumstances Of the calamity. Flour