The record-union., 1899-06-18
Blow Up, Practically 0bIItsrating the
Entire Plant.
-Four Employees Killed Outright
and Two Others Seriously Injur-
ed-The Disaster Thought to be
Due to the Carelessness Of One
of the Dead Men Smoking In
the Graining Room.

SAN RAFAEL. June ia disas-
Irous explosion, followed in quick sue
cession by three others, occurred at
1855 p. m. to-day at the works of the
United States Smokeless Powder Com
pany, situated ON Point San Pedro, four
miles from this town. AS a result four
employees are dead, two seriously in
jured, while the plant of the company
has practically been obliterated.
Dead: Thomas Morrissey, Edward Sc
comb, John Secomb and Frank Hollen-
beck.
Injured: Charles Webster and John
Farrell.
The explosionl came from the granting
house. The cause will be forever a
mystery. One theory is that the sud
den ignition of the powder from spon-
taneous combustion caused the disaster,
but the generally accepted explanation
is that the explosion was caused by the
carelessness of either John Secomb or
Holenbeck As both are dead, the
truth will never be known, but it is said
that after dinner, and just before re-
suming work at the expiration of the
noon hour, these two men were srpok
ing in the graining room, and that a
spark from the pipe of one or the other
dropped in the powder.
The conclusion and the resultant
flames destroyed all the buildings at
the works, except the magazine and one
storehcuse. Eight department houses
comprised in the works We're wrecked,
and of four hardly vestige remains.
The ruined buildings comprised the
graining house, coating room, engine
room, two store houses, mixing room
and two outbuildings
The force of the shock may be i'm
agined from the fact that four tons of
smokeless powder were involved in the
explosion
OF the dead, Morrissey is the only
one having any recognizable remains.
The other three bodies are shockingly
mutilated and dismembered, hands,
feet, arms and pieces Of flesh being
strewn about over half an acre. John
Secomb was the father of Edward, and
hardly a. trace of either can be found.
Morrissey would probably have escap-
ed with only slight injuries if he had
not attempted flight He was in one
of the buildings only partly wrecked,
but at the first suggestion of an ex-
plosion rushed to the door and was
struck by a piece of flying scantling.
He was instantly killed. the force Of the
blow smashing his head to soft pulp.
1t is almost inconceivable that the
two injured men. Webster and Farrell,
are alive to tell the tale, but the physi-
clans believe both will recover. Web
ster was blown a distance of thirty
yards. stripped absolutely nude of cloth
ing with the exception of one shoe, and
horribly burned about the back, as
Well as suffering from the shock of the
conclusion.
Farrell believes he owes his deliver
ance to the fact that at the first
rumble he threw himself against a wall
which withstood the explosion. Upon
recovering consciousness he found him
self lying on the ground, $50 feet dis
tant from his former position. How he
got there. whether he was blown to
such a distance walked unconsciously
or was carried, he is unable to state.
The company states that it's property
loss will not exceed $4,000.
The San Rafael citizens were slow in
realizing the fact of an explosion, the
first impression confusing the reports
with the firing of the national salute
at the military stations around the bay
in honor of Bunker Hill day.