The herald., 1898-07-28
The WORK OF A FIfND
THE HERCULES POWDER WORKS
AGAIN BLOWN UP
Two Explosions-The First Set by a
Fuse-Many Killed and Injured.
No Clew to Perpetrator

OAKLAND, July 27.-An explosion of
nitro-glycerine In the works of the Hercules
Powder company at Pinole, Contra Costa
county. shortly after o'clock this morning
instantly killed four men and seriously In
| jured twelve Others one of whom will prob
ably die. The dead are:
| Patrick Murphy, John Ashe, Herbert
Stratton, ]. p. Alvarez.
The wounded: Robert Bradhoff, w. Ev-
| ans, l., z. Evans Jerry Collins, Gus Sandal,
Thomas Stout. j. L. Walton, N. Welsh, ].
r. Luca, x. B. Quinan, John Brunton, ]. B.
Rice
Most of the injured were removed to the
hospitals and all are resting easily tonight
with the exception Of Bradhoff who is not
expected to live.
There were two explosions. the first occur
ring at las a. m. and doing little damage.
To prevent the possibility of fire work.
ing force was called out to remove.the de-
bris and the men were thus engaged under
direction of Assistant Superintendent Birm-
ingham when the second explosion wrecked
the building and caused fatal havoc, several
of the victims being torn into fragments.
A partly burned piece Of fuse, to which
a cap had probably been attached, was
found near the scene OF the first explosion.
leading to the belief that the disaster was
not the result of accident, but was caused
Intentionally. the purpose being to destroy
the works. The time chosen for the first
explosion was an hour when the place was
deserted by all except the night Waterman,
so evidently there was no desire to kill the
employees. The Hercules company manu-
features the high explosives used in the
making of powder for the United States
government at the Santa Cruz mills. Opin-
lon is divided as to the motive for the dread
full crime, II crime It was, but the prevailing
belief is that 1t was the spite work of some
discharged employe, anxious to injure the
company. The property loss will not exceed
$500, the nitro-glycerine house having been
shut down yesterday and not containing
over thirty pounds OF explosive material.
W. R. Quinan, superintendent Of the
works, said tonight that he was convince
that the explosion was due TO some one who
wanted to destroy the property. The piece
Of fuse found, he says, was doubtless so
placed as to explode the blow tank which
contained glycerine In process Of manufac-
ture into dynamite. The great disaster Is
attributed by Superintendent Quinan by ma
terial thrown into the air by the explosion
falling on the filters, which are shallow
tanks filled with salt, through which the
nitric acid percolates.
A. r. Veale, sheriff OF Contra Costa coun-
ty, says that everything points to the the
ory that the explosion was not accidental.
An unknown man was seen around the
works last night, ana a close investigation
is being made Of the suspicious circum-
stances connected with the tragedy.
VI the men k'iieo' .. r. AWare1 leaVes
wioow ana nVe chiioren; 1eroer. otra'toi'
recently returned from ms "euuihs 'our'
fatrick murphy ieaves wis anu t"o cn".
o1en' Ashe was NJ. Maii,eu ~ anu
brunton' VINO were inIuiea, oe'o"s ~ 'Ne
STANFORD uhiVefs'y ioU.o",. 'ean''
OAhN1A1>o' -, a..
Ohii'al,i"n i'ieu .Ao T,s,..n 80.
ths "es'e,n r,-,,,..,a,a
panys "orhs d. ".ei'oso, ueo
oestroylns .housanuS -. uoa w.
properly anu oaus'"s ' az ..s o,,nnmn 49,
lives quay w .n. 1o-a,,,"r D.
ni'ro-siyoefins nouse ~ 60 o.,
ger "orKs q. r'no.e ~ oo..A 49,, ~. ,an.
w. was a,so n,eu oause ~ w.. on, ny. nc .vs.
OF oons'oeraoie property 0u' "''o '"""'
ives
.y......,. a.. <.o.,o.
iouno III p'e.e y. .ue' 49, Nv s,-s.
winch was p'oneu ~
oul'uine oA.e. nv i.
rouf soAs 49,.
hlieo anu 'i.'e1A IN .,,, ~ 49,
10 eApoo'eu 'nas .. Wv
iore 'oAoi.o. - 49,.
sieu' anu "a 80 ~.
lives hol 80" W. -, NV
eAp.os'on VIM" wiz 'p"'' '''e'''
10 their graves
Inc nrst eApiosion ooouieu "Dou' A'''
g. m'' III 'ne mixing pam.
NO one haa oeen "orA,hs a,ounu 'nis
puilolng on 'he previous oay' an Inc men
being calleo OH 70 aho'her poruon oi INC
WORKS. ihere Is NJ oouo' tha' 'nis eA-
piosion ~ao .no ~ a 'esenseAuA menu.
A fuse hve 1eet IN length was 1ound east
CT the mixing pant ouiiolne
A"o Apo'o. o,o"u " 'ne
scene ana the men Went TO work to remove
the oeorls' Much Oh re oepris from the
mixing pant hao laHeh oh 'no "as"house'
which Is situated on the slope pefow the
mixing plant. Inc men were WORKING