The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-11-02
FEARS CROUNDlESS
BUTTE IN NO DANGER OF SLIDING
DOWN Hal.
BUILDING OFFICER LANE TALKS
Sensational Interviews Credited to Him
in Salt Lake Newspaper
Are Emphatically
Denied.

Building Inspector Lane is amused.
When not engaged with business he sits
quietly in his Office on the top floor of
the city hall and laughs softly to him
self
Occasionally he is interrupted by the
entrance of frightened citizen who
comes to know whether Butte is sliding
down hill or cracking up into sections
and town lots that will make the work
Of surveyor unnecessary in the fu-
ture.
The inquiries are all answered with
emphatic negatives
But the inquiries are numerous and
the negatives of like kind, and were 1t
not for the patience of the building in
spector he might grow wrOth.
Not so. however. as he has liberal
stock Of the virtue in his make up and
that, coupled with keen appreciation of
a joke, enables him to laugh softly
Safety of Butte.
But all things come to an end, even
a building inspectors patience, and yes
terday Mr.. Lane decided to put all
doubts at rest as to the safety of Butte.
In response to an inquiry he said the
interview recently credited to him in
Salt Lake paper was all nonsense. He
had never authorized il, he said; had
never made the statements ascribed to
him, and was at loss to know where
the story originated unless in the vivid
imagination Of some over-ambitious
scribe.
He declared emphatically that Butte
was perfectly safe. He said there were
lines Of settlement visible in at least
three places, but added that there was
absolutely no cause for alarm. COntlnu-
ing, the building inspector said:
"There has been considerable talk
about a crack in South Butte. AS
matter of fact. it exists and that IS all.
1t is two and half inches VIDE and
extends about 800 feet.
ut follows a general line of settlement
at an angle of from 5 to degrees, and
which extends from east of the Mountain
View mine through South Butte. taking
in the Braund House, the Cash saloon
and other buildings.
Not Considered Necessary.
'The crack is first noticeable east Of
Grant street, between Galena and Mer-
curry streets. 1 have never tried to find
bottom there, as stated, as l had not
considered that necessary, there being
no occasion for alarm.
extending from east of the Anaconda
mine, to the neighborhood Of the Flor
ence and Clarendon hotels, the Lynch
building and the old Parrot school
house, and still third line Of settle
ment, beginning at the old Office building
at the Alice mine.
"This last settlement extends through
the st. Lawrence Catholic church as far
down as the north wall of the county
court house and takes in the residences
of w. A. Clark, Charles Clark, James
Forbis, Miss Green and others and the
Morris Flats and the Presbyterian
church All have settled more or less,
but are by no means in any danger.
"Now, as to the cause of these settle
ments They are, of course due to some
underground action. Large bodies of ore
are being daily taken from the earth,
and naturally there must be some settle
ment resulting.
Absolutely No Danger.
But there is absolutely no danger
from it. There can be none. The
theory has been advanced that the
noticeable settlement of buildings was
due to the quality of material or to
faulty construction, but that is not the
case.
I'VE know that after Du. ldinS mas
been standing year all process of set
Element, both interior and exterior, has
taken place.
consequently when after a number
of years a building which has been in
tact. begins to settle, we know the cause
must be in the earth. To the unsophis-
ticated that might be alarming, but the
danger is as nothing.
"You can rest assured that Butte is
all right; that it is not going to slide
down hill or tumble in, and that the
citizens of the city and their property
are as safe as they could be anywhere
else.
'.You can also rest assured that the
statements credited to me in the Salt
Lake or any other paper are absolutely
without foundation. l repeat, there is
absolutely no danger and certainly no
cause for any alarm"