Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-01-12

EIoAAniAaiy hAai1Aatlou u Inc fuDa
County Incendiaries
CALIFORNIA.
Terrific Powder Explosion.
SAN Francisco, January 11th.-An Oak.
land dispatch reports that the Hercules Pow
der Works at Pinole were blown up at noon.
Several men were hurt and some killed.
IsECoND DISPATCHl
PrNoLE, January 11th.-An explosion of
the mixing. house, or the boiler near it. near
the California Powder Works here, took
place at II o'clock to-day. Seven buildings
were wrecked, one Chinaman killed and two
wounded. Several white men were wounded.
AT OTHER POINTS.
SAN RAFAEL, January 11th.-At about
ten minutes to II this forenoon an explosion
occurred somewhere on the Contra Costa
shore that shook the houses in this town as if
by an earthquake.
LrvERMoRR, January 11th-A sharp shock
OF earthquake was felt here at 11:50 this
morning.
SAN FRANCISCO, January 11th.-A resi-
dent of Oakland says that the shock of the
explosion was so severe at that place as to
cause many people to run out of their
dwellings, believing it was the effect of an
earthquake.
THIRD DIsPATCH.I
SAN Francisco, January 11th.-The fol-
lowing additional particulars are obtained of
the explosion at the California Powder
Works at Pinele, Contra Costa county !:
Tbaso re owl, otf, tod Il i
Gate Park, in this city, have recently been
removed to Point Pinole, Contra Costa
county. The grounds occupied by the works
cover sixty acres, with water. front to the
north on San Pablo Bay, and about twenty
miles by road from Oakland. This location
was selected by the company because of its
natural fcrmation-ridges or elevations al.
ternating with hollows, giving its topography
a futed appearance. the valleys and
ridges diversing from a point at
the south to the waters of San Pablo
Bay on the north. In the valleys or hollows
were erected buildings used in the manufact-
ure of Hercules powder, each class of build
ings being separated by small hills, which, it
was hoped, would 80 segregate them that in
case of an explosion of the buildings in one
hollow those on the other side of the ridge
would remain intact. the hill acting as dead
wall. The company commenced work in the
new mills about two months ago, and repre-
sent that the greatest precautions to insure
safety had been taken. As is usual in cases
of powder explosion in mills, the cause is
not apparent. The officers of the COM
pany furnish definite information that it
occurred either in the packing or mixing.
house, while others claim that it resulted from
the bursting of the boiler, which was being
run st too great pressure. 1t is claimed
that there was no one in the mixing house at
the time of the explosion. James Dunn,
foreman of the powder department, was
standing near the Westinghouse when the ex-
plosion occurred. giving orders to two China
men. He WIS hurled to the ground and
badly Jared and bruised upon the face, while
one Chinaman was hurled against the
side of the Hill, nearly every bone in
his body being broken, his head split
open and one side of it carried for
distance up the hill. He was Instantly
killed. The other Chinaman was also hurled
through the air and against the side of the
hill, fracturing his skull and injuring him
internally and fatally, although he is yet
alive. Both the mixing and packing-house
were blown to spliHters, and the walls of the
nitro glycerine magazine, $50 yards distant,
were blown out, but the tanks were left
standing. On the other side of the ridge. A.
Long, the engineer, was blown through the
roof of the boiler-house, but is uniujured. A
Chinaman who was helping him had his arm
broken. The timbers of the acid warehouse
were all disjointed. TIE entire acid-house
w;ndows in tba 1odo;no' bnrsa 81 dr,n1l;v s.e
bonse blotvn o,,t MUSE '-'A u"oti
Snnsr;ntsndsnt Scott s+o+od +h.+ +baro
u,ere t1va,s,,. va ,.h;te ,,an 81 e.
f1b;no,oo,, ano,Io,,a5 ~ a. - -, -
three of the white men being employed in
the acid works. None Of them sustained in
Sh;,,oocy ona nc" i.;,IaJ anu GUS " cue
tallv ;n;nrsG AVID another had sn ern, b pnT
He had not had tbs roli nf er.n,oues noi1ed
Init behaved the shove 70 he 81, he Jasth,
and casnaltiay A. tbe h,,;ldnrs CO ar . "aans
shells he did not th;nt ths Jsn,aea r,n,,id
exceed S5 ono "''
Narrow Escape of a Family from a Hor.
rsbIe Death-piphtberfa- law
Ca.es
~, WILLOWS tCoiusa county; January 1lth.-
Inc frame dwelling OF VIM. a. Durham,
county, was with its entire contents de-
stroyed by hre at an early hour this morning
MT. durham himself was absent from home;
dis family, nowever, were all asleep, and
barely escaped with their lives. bis oldest
son, IN undressing TO rescue one OF the little
u.iui1n ,ioiAi 'ne ouih.uS nouso, .eocifSu
painful though not serious scorchlng about
the face. 1t Is not known how the lire
originated, but 1t Is presumed that 1t must
have been caused from fire in the kitchen
stove. In which few large Goals were LETT
when the family retired. The loss IS esli-
mated by MIR. Durham at about SZ,o0o. No
insurance.
Several cases OF diphtherIa IN mild form
are reported IN town. Ii Is conhned to
children.
The first of long series OF Sunday law
cases Will os begun In Justice Dedman's
Court tomorrow Inc array OF legal talent
ines interesting. The prosecution having
first been represented by John Cartwright,
who is a minister CT the gospel and makes no
pretensions as a lawyer, and feels unable to
cope with the Defense who have employed
Colonel John S. Saunders, OF this place, and
ex District Attorney Hatch ct Colusa, has
ordered reinforcements from Colusa in the
person of Judge May. The feeling on both
sides seems to be intensely bitter.
supposed stage Robbers Causht'
january 11th M arsha