The San Francisco call., 1907-06-26
Witnesses Declare Orchard
Threatened Steunenberg

Members of the San Francisco firs
department who were called after the
explosion in the fat at eLavenworth
and Washington streets and who took
charge of the wrecked building testified
during the morning.
John J. Eckerman, member OF hook
and ladder company a, situated in
Pacific avenue between Van Ness and
Polk streets, five and a half blocks
from the scene of the explosion, said
that he heard the report and described
it, as the preceding witnesses had done,
as terrible" He shut of the gas and
noticed a strong odor Of escaping gas
in the basement He testified that the
walls of the wrecked rooms appeared
to have been blown out by an interior
force.
William T. Walsh. engineer OF engine
81. testified that the report was SINH
lar to that OF a gunpowder explosion,
but not like that of dynamite.
TT was not sharp like dynamits
explosion said Walsh. 1T did not
have the penetrating sound OF dy-
Mantle. It was more lige the gun
powder blasts that were used in several
instances during the time of the San
Francisco fire."
All the testimony brought forward by
Fred Milled, representing the Haywood
defense was directed toward impeach-
ing the testimony of Harry Orchard,
who confessed to having made two at
tempts on the life of F. W. Bradley.
who was president of the company
owning the Bunker Hill mines at the
time of the miner troubles.
WHAT DEFENSE WOULD SHOW
The defense has tried to prove the
Bradley door without being seen and
the impossibility of Orchard having
climbed to the porch at the back of the
house while waiting for the milkman
to leave the milk so he could poison it
with strychnine- 1t also tried to show
the appearance of the house after the
explosion and the volume Of sound of
the explosion which, Orchard testified,
he was too far away from to hear at the
time the blast exploded.
OF the four witnesses from the fire
department called yesterday, John w
Parry of engine company 81 testified
that the sound was greater than
blast of 500 pounds of dynamite which
he heard at the time of the San Fran
cisco fire. Thomas Canty, captain OF
engine company 81, who was two blocks
and a half away at the time of the
explosion, testified that the sound was
loud enough to be heard all over the
city He also testified, however, that
he had heard gas explosions. but none
that had the volume of sound of the
one in the Bradley fat.
WITNESSES SEE NO HOLE
None of these witnesses. although
they went all over the fat Immediately
after the explosion, noticed a hole in
the floor of the vestibule. which, ac-
cording to Walter H Linforth, owner
of the fat, was caused by the explo-
sion. ]. v. de Laveaga, who was asleep
in the room Immediately above the ves-
tibule at the time of the explosion, tes-
titled that the hole was Immediately
before his own door, three feet from
Bradley's door.
De Laveaga, as we'll as the fremen,
testified to having smelled strong
odor of gas after the explosion. De
Laveaga also substantiated the testi-
mony of witnesses previously called,
who said that there had been a smell
of gas in the house for several days.
The examination of witnesses was
conducted by Fred Miller, assisted by
Samuel NJ. Shortridge. attorney for
Walter H Linforth. The latter secured
judgment against the gas company for
$4,000 for damage due to the explo-
sion, on the theory that IL was caused
by escaped gas which had accumulated
in the walls.
o. M. Van Duyn. prosecuting attor-
ney for Canyon county, Idaho repre-
sented the prosecution. The examina-
ton will probably be concluded today.