, 1866-05-13

and 1ifd but few minutes longer The In
6tr1rnh with which he committed self.
destrution was razor, which Is supposed to
hsEc ten furnished him By his female friend.
The hdY VAS taken to Auburn.
NITR0.GLYCERlxE.
The hull and Appalling Details OF the
E1stoaton Ia San Ffanclsco-A GhaAs-
" s@ne OF Terrar.
from the Alta California, 18th ultl
At thirteen and hall minutes past one
o'cloc1 P. N. today our city was startled By
durfngh sicge, and tor mauy blocks in every
directhn from the northwest corner Of Cali
fo1ni1 Ind Montgomery streets the air was IL
led viii dust md flying rubbish, and glass
came attlfng down from eTery window Us IT,
the exTosion had occurred In each separate
the Faacrs by IN the vicinity Of Wells, Fargo
4 ca ,swas terrible. Men, women, children,
horstnen, pedestrians, dray and express
tenms Without drivers, came charging peIl-
nocls dcHp the street In ineHtficablo confusion.
Is stot IS the first panic began to suhslde
there Ias an immense rush towazd Wells,
Fargo I Co.'s buildings. aud tho streets were
most impossible Tor fire engines to be brought
into Petition to check the flames, which 1t
was tho}sht were about to break ont In the
sccne Of he explosion. At first It was lmpos-
sibie to bcate accurately the scene Of the cz-
plcsiGu, 10 terrible was the devastation aud
20 general was tho ruin In the vicinity but
inScs!ie afon made within Few minutes de-.
moEsratsd the fact that It occurred some
where i, the rear OF Wells, Fargo l. Co.'s
buildings on the northwest corner OF Califor-
MA and Montgomery streets, and Bells ASSAY
office, In Ihc rear OF Wells, Fargo & Co.'s, on
Etalifornii street, between Montgomery and
kcarnev 4reets.
Our rcprter gained admission through the
Union Glib rooms, over Wells, Fargo & Co.'s,
and o. nachfng the rear Of the building
scene Of rln which utterly beSgars descTip-
tion met he eye. The largo one.story struc-
ture, containing the office and hi1liard saloon
Of the Union Club, over tho arched gateway
which leads into the rear Of Wells, Fargo i
Co.'s ol3io, from California etreet, was an en-
tire wreck, the erd being blown ont, the door
torn into splintcts, the iron roof rolled up
Ikea piece OF wall paper, the rai1ers hang
ing Loose In every direction, the furniture
su1aihed md billiard tables crashed by The
Mcieht Ct debris; The brick kitchen Of the
Union Clch, which stood In the area In the
rear Of Wells, Fargo d Co.'s, was gone en-
tizc1y, only fragments of the timber lying
here acd there among the debris which filed
the area. The rear wall Of Bells brick build
me-, Used as an assayer's laboratory In the
rear Of the assay office, was falling IN tragg-
menti at every minute, the roof hanging
and the stoEehouse Of Wells, Fargo + Co. WAS
lying mere heap Of brick, plaster and broken
ti1abcrs, Blood was visib e In mauy places.
and men with heads and hands cut by falling
glass or t,mbers we're running back aod forth
In search for missing friends. The main and
rcar walls Of Wells, Fargo It Co.'s buildlns. were
terribly shattered, while fragments OF door,
ways and window sashes only remained IN
place Throughout the entire building. Two
| 1ne horses attached to the rntns OF Wells
Fargo 4 CO.'S express wagons, lay In the ngo-
MICS Of death In the areu. Everybody seemed
stunned By the suddtnness Of tue shock, and
| no ono appeared to know which way to turo
| or where IL begin. There WIS not whole
| window for long distance from the building
| Ia which the explosion took place, and Ii
Branuan's Block. opposite Wells, Fargo
GUS on Montgomery street, the Stevenson
House, opposite, and many buildings be
| tween California and Sacramento streets
| shattered To fragments, while huge splinter;
| Of costly p}ate glass covered the street. Thl
! wood WORK Ut Wells, Fargo Il Coils establish
| mcnt Yas, 3tpost, wholly blown to fragmenta
! aa.tevrn' thfAoors were thrown outw ard intt
| the street. Ff1gfientsb bf human remains wer
found reattcrcd In many plaess. In the nuo
| tion rooms Of Cobb & S1ntou, on tue east sid
| OF Montgomery street, lay human bral1
almost intact. no other fragments Of the bod.
| near 1t. 4 :piece Of human 1ertoern. va.
| blown over the buildings on tho cast sfde d
Montgomery street. and was picked up !!
tfont Of Sqtarza's On LefdesdoFH street.
| piece Of Eknll was lying on California strset
east Of Leldesdostf, with other fragments 0
human remains, nrd human arm struck th
third story window of the building across tn
str'tt+
Wells, Fargo s Co., Who are freight agent
for The Pacific Mail Steamship Company, 10
q iycd by the steamer sacramento, on her lat
trip mp from Panama, q quantity Of nitro gly
ccIine, which reached the is:hnus from Eu
rope, consigned to Dandmann, Nelson d Co.
Of this city; also two cases Of the same article
hut In larger sized boxes than Bandmanu !
plainly " Nitro Glycetine, y and tue lat, t,er two
one Of which was addressed to Idaho and 'th
other 10 Los Angeles, were refused by tn
party to whom they were consigned, as the,
arrived N damaged condition, Captail
Cox, Superintendent Of the Pacific Ma}
Steamship compapy,s wharf, Yesterday morn
tnE, scntthen down to Wells, Fargo & CO.
office, md they were placed IN the cour
yard, in the rear Of the Office, where th
steamer freight unclaimed is usuall
kent; . Webster. IT. the >shst freight ; elc5k &
fright clerk Of the Steamship Com
gentlemen luuched at the Union Club an
aftefward descended 10 the court yard By III
exterior stairway. The boxes were Id tn
yard, leaking, aud It is natural to suppos
that in examining the box, which was not
very large ono, they either kicked or turnc
the conclusion exploded the snme. Bot
Webster and Haven were absolutely rent t
pieces, showing that they must have been {ul
1ncdiatcly over or near thecxplosiTe materia
No other persons among the dead were 50 mr
ti'ated, some having their bodies filed Wit
blown oil, others receiving fractures, IN
krfcht, from tho Appearance Of his remain,
was evidently Killed by conclusion. Th
boxes containing the nitro glycerinc, whic
exploded, were each az feet high; and the
superficial measurement was X feet II fnche.
Drly one exploded, the Other being foun
licking but unexploded hours af'cr the cats
trorhe.
l. Lying In the rear were three bodies. TT,
not recognized, we're 1ifeless the third, " bic
was underneath the others. proved to be til,
| ot Garrett II. Bell, assayer and member
the Board Of Supervisors for the Eighth Df
trtct. Bells features weFe found to be sad
muttlated, and lis clothing almost torn oi
but he still brcathed, although insenslbl
Wells, Fargo i Co, where he soon e
pired. Meantime the search went on, hu
| dcdstsking part, irom time to time, In Il
mournful work.
Captain Cox, Of the Pacific Mail Company
1he, who was In the building at the time
tlr explosion, sent at once for cane
| stcycdoics from the Mail Company's Ehm
and the work Of cxhumation vas theacefo
ward car1ied On systematically. Brokt
walls wcrn cleared away, and the mass
bricks and rubbish where tho Cniou Cit
House kitchen had stood, beneath which
large number Of sufferers we're buried, IT,
re:uoIcd piece By piece, Us the m.ngled 1t
tins were brought out one after another, Al
conveyed away On stretchers or In carrlaEe
Tie scene waa lndescsibably mournful Al
| impressive
1 1zge number Of people were at lunch
the Cnion Club Dining nall, the doors II
4 windows of which were driven In, the tutr
ture destroyed, but none were dangerous
injured. The billiard room waa mass
rutns, hut no one was killed in it, and the I
cape Of 30 many who were exposed to t
force Of the shock Is astonishing. The li2
/ yellow smoke nscended to IN immense heig
into TIE air, and the smell Of g14 was perez
tible 10 the city front, Tho bodies were I
torn and mutilatcd By splinters, but n
burned, and but slightly ntackened, the eGe
p1osaon Of gunpowder or steam. It rese'
h!ed more that OF stroke of lightning. T
| ing On the City Hall Is at balEsnast, and /
Whole1oulmunity seems In mourning.
l. LAMESTABLE OCCURRENCE.
A Husband and HIS Two Ch1ldr,
Drpx ned in CFopAtnE, The llaaisalp
The Wife %RFed