The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-29
BUTTE News.
4 SOLID FROZEN MASS
MAKING LITTLE PROGRESS
Members OF b Police Force Believe
the Fires Were of Incendiary ORR
gin-The Conduct of Fire De-
partment to Be Investigated.

AT noon yesterday work was re-
Eumed at overhauling the ruins at the
Hale house. which was Interrupted by
the storm. The ruins are now a solid
frozen mass. For two days water was
played on the ruins. and as the wealth
er was below zero. the water froze N
solid mass OF ice encased the bricks.
half burned timbers and rubbish of all
sorts. Then came the storm. covering
Il all with snow. The workmen yes
terday accordingly found progress
slow. The work was directed toward
getting a passageway into the ruins
from the street so that teams can drive
in and be loaded up. This was all that
was accomplished during the after
noon. A large force of men Will be
employed to-day.
Il don't believe the Hale house was
set on fire." said J. j. Haggerty yester-
day. Nor do I believe the Mullins
house was set ON fire. | can see no
evidence TO justify such suspicion. No
one would think of such a thing as In
cendiarism but for the fact hat two
boarding houses burned in N week.
That l regard as a mere coincidence.
Most of the members of the police
force, however. and the firemen. too.
regard both fires as of incendiary orig
Ill. lla tAt Va III
could have been is a matter of con-
lecture purely. IL is idle to uppose
seeking revenge against the Anacon-
da for the Anaconda COM
pany had no interest whatever i'm Pat
Mullins boarding house. Most of the
miners i'm the boarding house worked
in the Anaconda mines, but that was
owing to the fact hat that house is
convenient to them. The ~incendiary, III
1ncendiary there was. must either have
an insane prejudice against big board
ing houses or else he must be seeking
20 kill off as many Irishmen as posi-
BILE as quickly as possible. There was
a story round yesterday that on
March IL a drunken man made himself
obnoxious i'm the Hale house. cussed
the Irish. the pope, etc, and was put
out. He vowed vengeance at that time
and said on the day after the Hale
house fire there would be more to fol-
low: hat IL was not over yet. How
ever. this Is only one of a number or
stories that are around N no prog
ress has really been made toward SOW
ing the mystery of the fires.
The fire committee of the city u
Gil will meet at 3 o'clock this after
noon to investigate into the d or
the fire department at the Hale house
fire. chief Flannery asked for the IN
vestigation pm account of some criti-
clSmS Wn1cn nau Deen mdue. Inc coU-
mittee consists of Aldermen Rowan.
Melcher and Davey. The chief said
yesterday in regard To the investiga-
ton:
II am well satisfied that we did as
well as a fire department of the size
could do. | have always maintained
that we are not strong enough to cope
with a big fire. Take any big build
ing in Butte and unless we catch the
fire in its incipiency it's likely to prove
too much for us"
The funeral OF Fred Rohde, n Of
the victims of the Hale house fire. vas
held under the auspices OF the Butch
ers' union. M the expenses were de-
frayed by two members of the Butch
ers' union. Boyd Dickinson and Chris
Binder.
Mrs. Louise T.. Irwin Of Pittsburg.
Pa, has written inquiring about John
irwin. who was slightly injured I'm the
fire. She has a brother of that name.
but had not heard from him I'm ten
years. She thinks this may be her
lost brother.