The San Francisco call., 1898-12-06

new works. All others feared to Ven- ture upon the hazardous undertaking. after the long record of fatalities it had caused.
 With the five Chinamen and an as- sistant named Butterworth Kennedy started to get the plant into running order again. It was necessary to in struct the new men in the methods or handling the explosives, and 1t was while engaged in doing this that the explosion occurred
 Butterworth's escape was almost mil raculous. minute or so previous to the explosion he was in the building with Kennedy and the five Chinamen. sharing in the superintendent's in- Structfon. For some reason or other he stepped outside and started to cross the field to another building some distance away. It was but the question of . few seconds, and the last moment had come for those he had just left. He saw the structure with its inmates go up into the air, and was forced to dodge in order to escape the. showering wreckage
 Charles D. Kennedy, the superintend- ent of the works, was one of the best known clubmen of Alameda County. He was a graduate of the State Uni- versity and one of the resident mem- bers of the Athenian Club, having made it's headquarters his home for some years. His popularity was great. and no Bohemian or social gathering was complete without him. He was al- ways regarded as the embodiment of hoy 1v,I htc ;x,n Pov. sorrow to hundreds of his acquaint ances.
 Kennedy was an expert and thor oughly understood every branch of his business. His duty was to exercise general supervision over the whole of the works, and 1t was because of a diff ficulty in securing competent man for foreman of the mixing-ho that he has lately undertaken the task himself. He has been instructing a young man named Butterworth in the art of mix ing hitter and glycerin for some time and by the merest chance his pupil was not In the house when it blew up.
 When F. H. Putnam, secretary of the powder company, congratulated But terworth on his fortunate escape, the latter shook his head and replied that he regretted that he could not have gone to his death instead of Kennedy. Each workingman volunteered words of keenest regret for their unfortunate superior. Pitman made this state ment:
 'I know of no one in whose words and deeds I would place explicit con- fidence to a greater extent than in those of Kennedy. He was more than the average man, and we all loved him. We would have had our works com pletely destroyed and lost every dollar on earth if there were such a means by which fate could have spared him. His loss is the greatest loss We could have suffered.
 You may depend on one thing, and that is that the explosion was not the result of an accident, for Kennedy was too careful to allow an accident to oc- cur. Everything was going all right SO far as human ingenuity could direct 1t, but something over which he had no control must have happened, and you know the remainder of the story"
 Perhaps there Is no one upon whom the blow fell with more force and &C.,
  Lukens, president of the Judson Pow der Company. Deceased had been con- nected with the Judson Company as superintendent of the works ever since they were opened in 1891.
 MT. Kennedy was a most efficient superintendent" said President Lu- kens. Prior to his superfntendency over these works he held similar posi- tion at the works of the California Wig oral Powder Company, at California City, Marin County, when l was presi- dent of that company. He had been working around powder ever since 1884. He never experienced an explosion of any character in California City. nor until the explosion last October and the present one. He was one of the most careful, efficient and reliable men in his line on the coz st; than him there were none superior, either personally. professionally or in any other way.
 MT. Kennedy was formerly first lieutenant in the United States rev. enue marine service. He had also served in the marine service on the Atlantic coast, and while thus en- gagged his heroism in saving the lives of passengers on a wreck off the coast of Massachusetts was rewarded by a gold medal voted to him by Con- gress. He was navigating officer at the time, and during a terrific storm braved the high sea and went to the rescue of the drowning people.
 "Mr. Kennedy was a single man, a native of New Bedford, Mass, where his mother lives. A married sister and a brother, John c. Kennedy, reside in Boston, the latter being connected with Carter, Rice & Co, the big paper firm of that city. Another brother, Michael Kennedy, Is connected with I. To- primer, the druggist, at Seventh and Market streets, this city,