The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-09-02

confidence returned, and the more fortu-
nate employees under Superintendent Pol
lock commenced to subdue the flames.
The explosion set fire to the ruins of the
mixing-house and over a hundred acres
of tall grass was soon ablaze.
The men seemed to have task in hand
greater than they could accomplish. The
burning building was soon subdued, but
blazing grass around a powder factory is
ominous, and while some men worked
with hoses and sacks. others searched for
the missing bodies.
Considerable doubt and as much anxiety
existed for time as to who had fallen
victims and who were left. There was a
rollcall of the living and then a search for
the missing.
AS soon as the battle against the flames
had fairly commenced help came from an
unexpected source. The United States
vessel Gedney is lying at anchor off
PinoIe Point, and while the powder-works
employees were wishing for assistance a
boat was landed at the pier from the war
ship and fifty of Uncle Sans sailors
rushed to the relief of the hard-working
fire-fghters.
The increased force soon had the flames
under control and before 5 o'clock they
returned to their floating home after
having accomplished some heroic work.
When the flames were put out everybody
searched for the missing bodies.
The first one found was that of James
McNulty, who had been thrown short
distance down the bank. He had evi-
IDENTIFY been killed instantly and on his
body were enough marks of violence to
have caused death many times. McNulty
was for seven years deputy in the County
Clerks office in San Diego. He was a
single man, about 40 years old.
Near the bulkhead which formed one
side of the mixing house the remains of
w. w. Crater were found. He was fore
man of the packing-house, which was also
totally wrecked. He resided in Oakland
and was bright young fellow, about 80
years of age.
Crater's death brings gloom to two
households. In a short time it is believed
that he was to have led very worthy
young woman to the altar, but now pros
pective Joy has been blasted by cruel
mourning. Some distance above the little
railroad track on which nItre is trans
ported from its storehouse to the mixing
room were found the bodies of NJ. Garcia
Mortlrzo and John Freitas. Garcia was
an assistant engineer and single, but
Freitas was several years older and is the
father of eight children.
While the white employees were engaged
in the task of finding their dead, the
Chinese were hunting for their country
men. The remains in many instances
were so charred and blackened that it was
impossible to determine whether they
were white or Chinese.
When they were gathered in the dark,
damp niter-house, which is sunk into the
side of a hill, the Chinese did not follow
their usual custom of setting up a paper
joss and of lighting a number of punks.
They explained this by saying that they
were not certain that some of the remains
were not those of white men, and under no
circumstances would they invoke the joss
when such doubt existed.
A walk over the smoking ruins gave
ample evidence of the awful and unreli-
able results OF nltro-glycerine explosion.
The small group of eucalyptus trees
growing to the west of the mixing house,
which have just had time to grow green
since the explosion of last year, were
stripped OF every leaf and small twig, but
not single trunk was either broken or
laid low, while fences 200 yards away were
transformed into tiny splinters.
The iorce that blew up tons of earth at
the loot of big log spared it and a little
lnsulator fastened to il with small screw
was also left unharmed. Two OF the men,
treltaS and Mortirzo were workino on n
small car just above the mixng-house and
ooth men and the horse used for pulling
IL were blown partly up the bank and torn
10 pieces. The car is still on the track but
is burned and does not appear to have
felt In the smallest degree the awful force
OF the explosion. To the west OF the mix.
lng-house where all the lives were lost is
the packing-house, which is total wreck,
the blast seeming to have fairly gone
through the center of it.
In the grove of trees referred to amone
the wee bits of leaves was generous COW
ering OF splintered wood and small parti-
cles of glass glistening like diamonds
which had come many yards from the
frames where a few minutes previously
they had done duty as windows
1t was in this forlorn-looking place tn at
Chinaman was seen with small bor
under one arm and stick in his rigbt
hand, intently searching for something.
What are you looking for, John?' he was
asked. In a sullen tone he replied
"Pieces," and In his box were black, CORY.
unrecognizable remains of human bodies
Emerging from the trees a man was met
with human foot in his hand walking