New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-10
BLOWN UP IN A POWDER MILL
THREE AMERICANS AND SEVERAL CHINESE
KILLED IN CALIFORNIA.
TERRIFIC SHOCKS TELT IN SAN FRANCISCO AND
oAKLAND-BUILDINGS SHAKEN AND

TERRIFIC SHOCK? FfLI IN SNN fhHNNiNNO
oAKLAND-DUILDINGs SHAKEN AND
WINDOWS BROKEN.
San Francisco, July o.-An explosion occurred
nj the Judson Giant Powder Works near
West berkeley twelve miles from here, just after
o O'clock this morning destroying the WORKS anu
much property for several miles around rive
shocks were felt in this city within Few MIN
u,cs the last four being of terrific force, shaking
buildings cracking number Of walls, ana nrcak-
ing Mate glass In buildings eight blocks up from
the water front
II wns for long time impossible 70 gain any
idea ~ thc number Of lives lost. The company
declined TO give out any particulars. and ms most
~ the men employed were Chinese the names
were not obtainablc. However. an estimate
was made AZ 10 o'clock that there were lo4. OF
whom lOl were Cinnamon; hut there was rea-
son 70 believe that that estimate was far In ex-
cess Of the actual number.
Three white mcn, who working in the
ni.,o.olcccripe house were killed. They were
John Bowe, Wallace Dickcrson and Charles Gnher-
lice. Their bodies were found. The head engi-
moor NJ the glycrrIne house was blown twenty
TOO, and Knocked scnacless. The first explosion
gave the men in other departments warning and
tbey ran In time 10 escape. Mrs. Painter, OF West
Herkely, who Yves sick. was so affected that she
| is believed TO he dying. boy namel Borchero
was blown through the roof Of one OF the build
inqs. lie will die TIE body Of Chnaman
was found on the railroad track half mile from
the works. The body Of Chinese boy, fright
fully mang'cd. was found near the scene John
Farley, workman walking near the mixing house.
was blown into the bay: but SWAN ont. The
bodies of the three white men were found in the
debris terribly mang'el
Later accounts connne the list Of dead among
the white employees to these three men. II is al
most impossible 10 ascertain the exact number OF
Chinese who were killed. Only two bodies OF
Cinnamon were found up 10 this evening, but it
Is believed that several others lost their lives. The
bodies Of the dead are now in Oakland morgne
The first explosion shook buildings in this
city and caused windows to rattle. People be-
gan 10 realize that only the explosion Of pow
der mill could have produced shock OF that
nature This explanation had hardly been ar
rived nc when there occurred another terrific
explosion that shattered windows all over town.
blew in skylghts, broke plate glass and caused
people 70 rush into the streets. rs though n con-
vulsion was about 70 tumble all the buildings
about their ears The CONSERVATION wos still
M IT'S height when there followed two more
shocks. little less severe than tho terrific one
which had inet been felt. The intensity Of the
shock can bc appreciated when il Is known that
II was distinctly felt at Sacramento eighty miles
distant. and that windows were cracked at
Napa and other points along the bay shore, TWEEN
tv-6ve miles from the scene OF the ex poson.
The work. OF the Giant Powder Co. consisted OF
chemical works mixing and packing houses, five
large buildings In all. together with three large
powder magazines and number OF small ones.
The explosion began in The nitro-g lycerine works
and the conclusion soon cnu-c1 an explosion in
ore NJ the magazines Flames also broke ont
to add 10 tho danger, and though wrrcklng train
Ind promptly born sent from Oakland, the efforts
81 the crew confined 10 a lorgr extent
in keeping on the great crowds OF people that
pressed forward TO the scene. for 900 ynrds
Of the flames. unknown 20 many, magazine
containing o0o tons of black powder, the explo-
sion Of which would have caused terrible fatality.
The work ~ gathering the remains Of the dead
and caring for any who might have escaped from
the flames md ruins was pushed forward as
r,ridly MS possible but The scene one OF such
con fusion and danger that the work was slow at
the irst TIE nam"s from the burning packing
and mixing houses were terrific. and drove the
| crown back repeatedly Cinnamon were hnddled
| together I'm little knots with scorrhed faces ana
| hands. and their suffering intensr. Even
| surgeons wcre prevented from passing the guards,
for the largest Of the black powder magazines lay
| inst over tho brow Of TIRE hill, and flames from
| the burning wrrckare were creeping nearer ana
nearer from the top Of the hill Early This after
noon no one wonld approach the magazine which
| had not exploded, and which contained over Joo
| tons ~ giant powder and dynamite. Fortunately,
| however the fire KEPT away from the main
magazine
| The officers Of the Giant Powder Company weno
10 the scene after the explosion occurred. rs They
| saw the wreck of nearly every structure, they on
pressed qualification at the extremely small loss
Of liz, considering the terrific force OF the eN-
| blossoms and the large number of men employed
They say il is almost impossible 10 estimate the
| loss but S20O,G00 will probably e the
outside figure for the damage to the
pow,ler works The San Francisco Chemical
| Works. owned by Egbcrt Judson and j. d. y.
Shepard. were almost completely destroyed, and
| their loss il not far from $4,000.