The record-union., 1899-05-07
Nitro-GIyeerine House Completely Wrecked
and Two Men Killed,
The Second Explosion at the Same
Works Within Two Days, the
Westinghouse Having Blown Up
on Thursday Last, Though in
This No One Was Killed and
But One Person Injured.

OAKLAND, May 6.-Once more Pr
mole, in Contra Costa County, comes to
the front with powder explosion, with
a loss of the lives of Arthur Graves and
l.. J. Wilkins foremen of the California
Powder Works.
Last Thursday morning, at 905
O'Clock, the mixing house of the Cali
fornda Powder Works at Hercules Sta
ton, a short distance outside of the
town of Pinole, blew up, the structure
being reduced to fragments almost in
the twinkling of an eye There was
only one person injured. He was Chris
Sass. He was struck by flying timber
while manning one of the tramway
cars and injured about the head
To-day, exactly at o'clock, another
explosion took place, this time the
nitro-glycerine house going into frag-
ments, and at the same time destroying
the lives of the two most trusted men
in the employ of the company.
What caused the explosion will never
be known. The only men who perhaps
might be able to shed any light ON tn
subject have been blown into eternity,
only the merest fragments of their
bodies being found among the splintered
/
The first intimation that the manage
ment had of impending danger was
when the explosion took place There
We're no men working in the destroyed
building. There were no men near save
the men who ret their ate and they
were simply looking over the structure
with view to putting it into repair for
future usefulness.
Mi oil Una Iiy7rr
ated in close proximity to the mixing
works which were { Croyed last Thurs
day. The concussion which the explo-
sion of that day occasioned destroyed a
part of the nitro glycerine building. The
latter structure had been in disuse for
some months. 1t was being held in
readiness to be used in case of accident
to or destruction of the nitro-glycerine
building which is now in operation
This morning Graves and wilkins.
foremen respectively of the nitro-gly-
cerine and shell houses went into the
injured building accompanied with some
pipe men, to repair whatever injury had
been done to the machinery by the ex-
plosion of last Thursday The pipe men,
after having finished their work, left
the building. Graves and Wilkins re-
NAMED to make further examination of
the structure The fact is known. be-
cause it is detailed by the repairing
gang who left the unfortunate men be-
hind them. What Graves and wilkins
did cannot be imagined. Certain it is
the explosion took place and the struc-
ture and lives We're DESTROYED together.
Graves had been in the employ of the
company for number of years and his
trustworthiness led to his appointment
as foreman of the very house in which
he was blown to eternity
Wilkins had not been in the employ
of the company SO long as Graves had.
He was nevertheless a trusted employee,
and was in charge of the shell house.
Neither Graves nor Wilkins were
married. Both resided in the boarding
house of the company on the grounds.
The loss to-day is $4,000.
Arthur Graves was a native of Eng
land and about 80 years of age. He had
splendid education and spoke seven
different languages. He came here
from Whittier about three years ago.
and on account of his superior educa-
ton soon worked his way I'D to fore
man of the entire dynamite branch of
the works. He was a very religious
man.
L. ]. Wilkins was p years of age and
came here about three months ago. He
came from Dawson City about year
ago. His parents reside in Council
Bluffs, Iowa