St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-07-10
FELT EIGHTY MILES.
a Terrific Explosion Of Pow
der on the Bay at San
Francisco.
Three White Wen in the Nitro
Glyeerine House Instant
~ Killed.
The Exact Number OF China
men Who Lost Their Lives
Not Known.
Windows Shattered in Hun
dreds Of Places in San
Francisco.

SAN FRANCISCO. July AT 9:23
o'clock this morning this city was
shaken from end to end by terrible
explosion. What it was or where it &C.
Cured no one could tell. Before the
people had recovered another explosion
fully as severe as the first again shook
buildings and caused windows to rattle.
People began to realize that only the
explosion of powder nafli could have
produced shock of that nature. The
explanation had liza rdly been arrived at
when at 9:39 there occurred terrific
explosion that shattered windows all
Dver town, blew i'll skylightS. broke
plate glass on Montgomery ave-
nue., California street. MontgOm-
Try street. Kearney street and
other thoroughfares and caused people
to rush into the streets as though con-
vulSion was about to tumble all the
buildings about their ears. The con-
sternation was still at its height when
there followed two more shocks. little
less severe than the terrific one which
had just been felt. Glass ratified into
The street all over the city, and not few
buildings, according to their inmates,
came near collapsing. Men in the
tower of the fire alarm station were
sure that the structure was going to
SUiidpSt. Al Tit dldCG ilOlei IllClc WdS
great fear among the guests, and all
over the city there was created a feeling
Of alarm. The intensity of the shock
ran be appreciated when it is known
that it was distinctly
Felt at Sacramento,
eighty miles distant. and that windows
were cracked at Napa and other points
along the bay shore, twenty-five miles
from the scene Of the explosion. Along
the east side of San Francisco bay are
number of powder manufactures,
which have been scenes Of periodical
explosions. in which a number of lives
have been lost. At Highland. about
half a mile from West Berkely, and
north of Berkely and Oakland. are To-
Gated the works of the Giant Powder
company, consisting of chemical works.
mixing and packing houses, five large
buildings in all, together with three
large powder magazines and a number
of small ones. and iC was
here that the explosion Oc.
Cured this morning. The explosion
began in the nitro glycerine works, but
conclusion soon caused ali explosion in
one of the magazines. Flames also
broke out to add 10 the danger, and.
though wreciling train had promptly
been sent from Oakland, the eff
forts of the crew were confined in
keeping off the great crowds OF people
that pressed forward to the scene, for
within 300 yards of the flames, unknown
to many, was a magazine containing 800
pounds of black powder. the explosion
of which would nave caused great fatal
ity. The work nf gathering the remains
of the dead and caring for any one vino
might liaye-escaDed from the flames and
ruins was pushed forward as rapidly as
confusion and danger that the work
was slow at the best. The flames from
the burning packing and mixing houses
were terrific and
Drove tiae Crowds Bac<
repeatedly. Cinnamon were huddled
together i'll little knots with ScOrched
faces and hands, and their suffering
was intense. Even surgeons were pre-
vented from passing the guards. for the
largest OF the black powder magazines
q lay just over tie brow of the hill, and
flames from the burning wreckage were
creeping nearer and nearer from the top
OF the hill. Just about the magazine
could be seen evidences of the eXplo-
sion. On tile western slope the scattered
tlmberS OF the giant powder works were
blazing furously, while a little yellow
stream tricklIng down toward the bay
showed where the contents OF the acid
tanks had emptied themselves. All the
mixing and packing houses of the black
powder and sulphur mill were in ashes.
The damage 20 the black powder works
alone will amount to over $4,000.
The very first explosion that occurred
caused the giant powder magazine TO go
up. The black powder mills lay di-
rectly I'D the path of the explosion and
burning brands weie heaped upon the
already wrecked buildings, and almost
before the frightened Cinnamon conld
collect their senses the powder in the
black mills had exploded. 1t was Tor
long time impossible TO gain any idea
of the number of lives lost. The COM
pany declined 10 give out any particu-
lars. and as most of the men employed
were Chinese. the names were not OBJ
tainabie. However. an estimate was
made at l O'Clock that there were 10l, of
whom l0l were Cinnamon. but there
was reason 10 beliye that that estimate
was far ia excess OF the actual number.
The cause Of the explosion is said to
have been the upsetting of
A Bottle Of Acid
In the Office. which set fire TO the build
ing. Early this afternoon no one would
approach the magazine, which had not
exploded, and which contained 800
pounds OF giant powder and dynamite.
Fortunately, however. the fire was kept
away from the main magazine. Three
white men. who were working in the
nitro-glycerine house, were killed. They
were:
JOHN BOWE
WALLACE DICKERSON.
CHARLES GUBEhLitiE
Their bodies were found. The head
engineer Of the glycerine house was
blown twenty feet, and Knocked sense
less HE first explosion gave the men
i'll other departments warning, and they
ran in time 10 escape. Mrs. Painter, OF
West Berkely, VITO was sick. was SO
affected that size is believed to be dying.
a boy named Borcherer was blown
through tie roof of one, of the buildings.
lie will die. Tie body of a Chinaman
was found on the railroad track, half a
mile from the works. The remains of
Chinese Icy lrighifully mangied were
found near the scene. John Farley.
workman walking near the mixing
house, was blown into the bay. but
swan out. The bodies of the three
white men were found near the debris
terribly manglCd.
Later Accounts
cenfine the list of dead among the white
employees TO these three men. 1t is al
most Impossible TO ascertain the exact
NUMBER OF Chinese who were killed.
Oiiy TWO DouieS or Cinnamon were
found up TO this evening, but it is be-
lieved that several others lost their
lives. The bodies Of the dead are now
in Oakland morgue. One of the most
striking features of the explosion was
the extent of damage in the way of
broken windows that was caused
IN this city, Twelve miles from
the scene. The officers of the Giant
Powder company were seen after
the explosion occurred. AS they saw
the wreck of nearly every structure,
they expressed qualification at the ex-
tremely small loss OF life, considering
the terrific force of the explosions and
the large number of men employed.
They say it is almost impossible to esti-
mate The loss, but 1900. 600 will probably
be the outside figure for the damage TO
the powder works. The San Francisco