The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1910-02-18
BODIES OF MEN
BLOWN IN THE
AIR 500 FEET
Children in School Miles From
Powder Works Driven to
Panic by Explosion
Fire Follows Blast and Only
Heroic Effort Prevents
Further Disaster

work or i-htiug the flames and remov-
ing the powder from the threatened
buildings. Martina had rendered his res
5rnation as superintendent of the plant
yesterday. 10 take effect upon the first
OF the month
Fire Follows Explosions
The defamation of the explosions had
hardly died away when two Of the dry
ing houses burst into flames. The FIRE,
burning with great herceness and
Tanned by brisk north wind, quickly
spread 10 adjoining buildings, and soon
tte coudagration was visible through
out the whole bay region.
Directly behind the center Of the FIRE
lelt lay the powder magazine a mas
sive concrete building containing be-
tween 10000 and 1900 pounds of pow
der. packed for shipment and all
through the morning guards OF anxious
laeu barred the approaches 10 the
scene ol the disaster, fearing another
TERRIBLE explosion. But the wind blew
.eIsistenuy from the north, carrying
1he flames away from the danger point
and when evening came and the IRE
iad subsidized the magazine was stin in
tacL
There Were - buildings at the works
and 10 OF these We're destroyed. Vice
President Mulhern estimated the COM
pauv's loss TO be between $4,000 and
SIS. 200. There were employed in the
various buildings when the explosion
occurred 81 white men, Il Chinese and
.lf hn OF n
luLurt Powder Mixers Gomez and Nc
Creadie. who were standing near win
dow in the mixing room, were blown
through the window TO the roof of an
adjoining building by the force of the
explosion. bur escaped with practically
DO injuries
URTOUS CROWD GATHERS
The sound of the explosions startled
the entire countryside, and as the news
of the disaster spread thousands OF
people locked toward the burning
works and stood in awestricken groups
lining the thorOughf2res for miles
around. Automobiles and rigs of every
description hurried TO the scene, but
most of them were deferred from ap-
preaching lie IRE by The warnings OF
tle men who apprehended another pos
sIhIe explosion.
WITH heroic disregard of their own
danger the men who escaped death in
the explosion picked themselves up as
soon as tnev. recovered from the shock
and began search for the dead and
injured. while others undertook the
hazardous task of carrying the powder
from the buildings i'm tine path of the
flames TO places 10 safety In great
shOvelfuIs. through the scorching at
mosphere they carried away the eXplO-
slve which threatened every moment
10 ignite and blow them into eternity.
In the ruins the searchers found four
injured men still breathing. They
were G0ulding and Onraet, and the
Two Chinese, Eng Sing and Wo Chez.
The diving men Were hurriedly re-
moved 10 the county infirmary and
given immediate medical attention. but
thcir burns were SO terrible that on
hope for their recovery was extended
from the FIRST.
HAS MIRACULOUS ESCAPE
superintendent Martina told the fol-
lowing story of his experience:
- was sitting in the company. Office
making up my pay checks for the
a month. when the crash came. In the
4 laboratory i'm the same building was
Tharp. the chemist Almost instan-
5 taueously with the sound Of the explo-
Z sion ] beard the building over my head
i give WAY and the roof fell in upon me
WAS knocked down and stunned and
= when = recovered my senses / man
. aged ] do not know how. TO eXtricatc
4 myself from the debris, and crawl itno
Z tue open. The ruins of the building
were then beginning 10 blaze. I looked
about Tor Tharp, but could ont see him
anywhere and he did not respond when