OBITUARY: Charles Grettenberg, Mitchell County, Iowa



                         Chas. Grettenberg Killed

                A Terrible Disaster at Butte, Montana, in
                        Which 100 Lose Their Lives.

A telegram from Butte, Montana, brought the sad news yesterday morning that
Charles Grettenberg had been killed on Tuesday night by an explosion.  From
his brother, Howard, who was in Osage when the news was received we learn
that Charlie had written them last week that he was getting along very
nicely and recovering rapidly from a injury he had received some time in
December.  By falling from a building his head had been badly cut and his
shoulder broken, so that he had been wearing a plaster paris case, but
expected to take it off in a few days. The young man was a tinner by trade
and the employee of the Butte Hardware Company.

Mr. Grettenberg was the son of Henry Grettenberg of Mitchell and a nephew
of S. E. Grettenberg of this city.  The remains will probably be sent to
the home of this parents for burial, reaching there by Saturday. How the
accident occurred was not mentioned in the message, but the associate
press dispatches give the following particulars, declaring the catastrophe
the worst of its kind in the history of the west:

BUTTE: Montana, January 15.-- A fire occured in the Butte Hardware Company's
warehouse tonight in which powder was stored.  The fire department was a
work on the fire when an explosion took place killing a number of people.
While efforts were being made to remove the dead and wounded a second
explosion occured.  The entire fire department was wiped out, including
the chief and all the horses.  Three policeman are among the killed, who
number at least seventy-five.  Plate glass was broken all over the city,
and the damage to property is enormous.

It is impossible to get details at present.  All ambulances are rushing
to and from the . . . .  (rest missing)


Copyright (c) 2003 by Marilyn O'connor
(Note: I am not necessarily related to the subject of the obituary.)

This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives.

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