The record-union., 1896-09-02
Several Buildings Of the California Powder
Works Blown Up.
-Four White Men and Eight Chinese
Instantly Killed.
A Number of Cinnamon Also Injured
The Accident Due to the Gener=
alton of Gas in One of the Huge
Acid Tanks in the Nitro-GyCerine
House
r of Cinnamon Also Injured
House..

PINOLE, Sept. 1.-Generation of gas
In one of the huge acid tanks in the
itro-glycerine house of the California
Powder Works at Hercules Station this
afternoon caused a terrific explosion, by
which four white men and eight Chi
nese were killed outright, and number
OF Cinnamon injured, none of them seri-
ously
The white victims are: James Nc
Nulty, foreman of the mixing house, a
native of San Francisco 40 years of age
and single; w. w. Crater, foreman of
the packing house, resident of Oakland,
30 years of age and single; NJ. Garcia
Martirizo, assistant engineer, single;
John F'reitas, who leaves a widow and
eight children.
The burning liquid fired by the eX-
plosion quickly spread to the mixing
house, and a second explosion followed
even more terrible in it's effects than the
first one. In this building eight China
men We're working and all were blown
to atoms Martirizo and Freitas were in
g car just above the mixing house, and
their bodies were ShOckingly mangled-
McNulty and Crater were also some
where in the vicinity of the building,
near which their remains We're found
after the fire had been extinguished.
The intermittent explosion Of gas
tanks hindered the work of fighting the
flames for some time; after four hours
hard work they We're subdued, and the
work of exploring the ruins was COM
1nenced.
A walk over the smoking ruins gave
ample evidence of the awful and un-
reliable results of a nitro -glycerine eX-
llosion. The small group of eucalyptus
trees growing to the west of the mixing
house, which have just had time 70
Grow green since the explosion of last
last year, We're stripped of every leaf
and small twig, but not a single trunk
was either broken or laid low, while
fences 200 yards away were trans
formed into tiny splinters. To the west
Of the mixing house, where all the lives
were lost, is the packing house, which
is a total wreck, the blast seeming to
have fairly gone through the center
Of it.
1t was in this fOrlOrn looking place
that a Chinaman was seen with a small
hox under one arm and a stick in his
right hand, intently searching for some
thing.
What are you looking for John?''
he was asked.
In a; sullen tone he replied, Pieces" !"
and in his box were black, CORY, un-
recognizable remains of human bodies.
Emerging from the trees man was
met with a human foot in his hand,
walking along with no unpleasant ex-
preston on his face but rather a proud
look that he had such keen sight.
The former site of the mixing house
presented a desOlate appearance. The
ground was torn up, and mixed with
it We're splinters, chemicals and pieces
Of Chinamen's clothing. Above and to
10th sides are tall bare limbs of trees,
between which can be seen the wrecks
of buildings near by.
The damage caused by the explosion
while naturally great, is decidedly small
when compared with the fearful catas-
trophies that are periodically expert
enced in the various powder works
along the shore at Flemming's Point
and Pinole.
The nitro glycerine house. the pack
ing house, the mixing house, the car
penter shop and planning mill were badly
wrecked, but several buildings that
were in what might be called the track
Of the explosion escaped without in
jury. The packing house looks as though
q cyclone had passed clear through the
middle of it. The roof is quite close to
the foundation, but the middle is gutted
end torn asunder in a manner that
clearly indicates the force of the ex-
pIosion.