National Republican., 1883-01-23
DEVASTATION And DEATH.
The Frigbtful Explosion at the Giant Powder
Works in California.
Dismembered Cinnamon Blown in the
Ar--The Dead and Missing
Fatal Explosions Yesterday at Elkton, Nd. Long
Island City and Wheeling.
Loss OF Life and Great Destruction OF
Propcrty-The Causes,

SAN Francisco, Jan. GA Bcrkely dis
patch says: 1t is now known that the number
ofChuosc killed by the explosion Of the Giant
Powder works is not as great as was first re-
ported. There are not over thirty missing.
The fire is still raging and more explosions
are momcutarily expected. The scene in the
vicinity Is terrible. Bodies can be seen lying
near the fire, but the men dare not rescue
them for fear Of their own lives The assist
ant superintendent Is missing and Is supposed
to he killed. Tho superintendent was not nc
tho works. workman named Oscar Tor
guisky was pulled from the ruins soon after
the explosion seriously hurt Seven Of the
Chinese have been taken from the debris, all
badly hurt. All the houses IN radius Of
half n mile are completely shattered,
the doors and windows of the dwellings of thc
employees on the opposite side Of tho hill are
blown in aud most Of the occupants were
thrown 20 the floor Sheds aud barns were
laid Hat. The buildings of the ludson works
ON the hillside, where blasting powder was
manufactured, were thrown over and will
probably have TO be rebuilt. The cause Of the
first explosion In the miNiug house is yet un-
known. Tho other explosions followed In the
space of two minutes.
All THE BUILDINGS BLOWN ur
were on the bnysidc of the hill. but the fire
crcpt rapidly around. Many Of the workmen
escaped miraCulously. Yesterday was the
first Sunday In many months when the works
were running full blast, and orders Of seventy
tons were loaded on schoonors at the wharf.
\ driver with team and load Of powder ON
the wharf jumped into the water when the
first explosion was heard aud escaped, Just NJ
his wagon load exploded. The wharf took
fire and burned rapidly. Hospitals were inn
proviscd in the undamagcd houses aud
the wounded were cared for. Physi'
clans came out from Oakland and other
towns This is the most disastrous explosion
that has ever occurred ut these works. Tho
total loss by reason of the explosion Will rcach
not less than 100000, the giant powder
works sustaining n damage to tho amount of
S6O,0O0 and the acid works of Judson u Co. of
$4,000 1t is impossible to ascertain the eN-
net loss of life, but il is estimated between
twenty and forty. The first explosion oc-
CURED about 4 o'clock in the packing house,
in which about 200 pounds of powder were
stored. 1t is not known whether any one
was killed by the first explosion or not As
soon as the explosion in tho packing house
occurred Il number of Chinamen employed in
tho other departments
FLED FOR THEIR LIVES,
and had reached an open space when the OK
ploson in the mixing house took place, kill
ing most of them in their tracks. 1t is
thought that Ferlonank Kompf, the superin-
tcndcnt, was killed by this explosion. In
about u minute another explosion occurred in
one of the smaller houses, followed immc-
diately by n fourth explosion, which doubt
less killed the surviving employees. August
Forgofsky, workman, was very seriously
injured. All the other white men have been
accounted for, and the dead men are all
Cinnamon. There are some thirty or forty
houses on the point occupied by employees of
the powder and acid works, the windows of
which are shattered, aud the doors and
sides in many instances arc dashed in by the
conclusion. After each explosion the wood
work of the buildings took fire and burned
steadily for several hours. Efforts to prevent
| the flames from
REACHING THE MAIN MAGAZINE,
containing an immense amount of powder
were happily successful. The consequences
would have been most frightful had the large
magazine exploded, as one of the superintend.
cnts stated that there was enough powder
stored there to have destroyed every living
| thing on the peninsula. The cause of the first
explosion remains Il mystery. Last evening
twelve bodies had been counted lying in tn,
debris and the coroncr's investigations to-day
will probably disclose more than double thai
number A force of men were engaged last
night IN eXtinguishing the fire and recovering
bodies.
A SCENE OF DEvAsTATIoN AND DEATH.
A dispatch from Oakland says the sceno n
the Giant powder works this morningwas on,
of devastation and death. In the semi-circu
lar evacuation, where the packing houses arr
located the ground is covered with debris ant
timber. Huge rocks thrown by the voenc,
of the series of explosions are on all sides
Lying on the ground are the mangled bodie
of 2l Cinnamon. One Chinaman died las
night in the temporary hospital. So far II
known at noon ono white man and % China
men were killed. The white man killed /
Ferdinand KOmpf, the assistant supcrintcnd
cnt. He could have saved himself but rc
mained TO try and save the works When th
first explosion occurred he ran to the nitro
glycerine house to turn on water to eXtinguisl
the fire, but was killed by the explosion of thi
house. 1t is thought that or 10 bodies are Il
the ruins. Oscar Forgowsliy, the only whit
man injured, will probably recover. Thirtee
wounded Cinnamon are lying in the quarter
of the Chinese. The greater number of thes
will recover.
The cause of tho explosion still remains
mystery, and whether the powder in ever
one of the packing houses exploded cannot b
told. They arc all cavcd in and filled wit
debris The magazines are lminiured, an
danger of further explosions is deemed at a
end.