Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-07-09
6kILLED|N
EXPLOSION
At VALLEJO
Black Powder Store House In
Mare Island Navy Yard
Blows Up This Morning.
81 Injured, Four Seriously
Much Damage Done In
City Blast Is Heard at
Sacramento

Vallejo, Cal, July 9.--Six persons
were killed and 81 injured at Mare Is
land navy yard. when the black powder
storehouse Of the island exploded today,
according to an official statement is.
sued at noon by Commandant Harry
George.
He declared that the dead are: Chief
Gunner A. S. Mackenzie and his wife
and two daughters; George Stanton and
N. G. Damstead. -Four of the injured
are in a serious condition, he said. All
of the injured are in the navy yard
hospital
The cause of the explosion is com
plete mystery, but police and govern
ment officials are seeking a man who
last night offered $50 to a Vallejo sec
ond hand dealer for marines uni
form.
Mckenzie had tried to rescue his two
children. His body was found on hill
side 100 yards from his home He was
clasping the younger child in his arms.
The other lay beside him. His wife s
body was found in the basement.
1t is estimated that $50 men were
at work when the explosion occurred
Commnadant George believes that many
more would have been killed and in
jured but FOR the fact that the men
were sent to work unusually early this
morning.
Seventeen powder filled houses coll
lapsed from the shock of the explosion
Two tanks were completely turned
ground. Thirty-five wooden buildings
were destroyed. Roofs We're carried
from two brick buildings
All damage at Mare Island is esti-
mated at between $4,000 and $780,
600.
Shock Stopped Steamer.
The eommandant announced that the
hospital staff at the island would be
able to handle the situation without
aid
Major James Rooney estimated the
damage to houses in Vallejo at $4,000.
The steamer Monticello, passing near
the island, was stopped still in its
course by the shock. Ships officers
were at loss to account for this. The
crew thought submarine attack had
been made. Several put on life preserv-
crs and prepared to leave the boat.
Stories of remarkable escapes were
brought to Vallejo by persons leaving
Mare Island shortly after the explosions
p. J. Morrison related how he, with
q party of other workmen, had been
carried in a house for about 100 yards.
II said
"I was holding shell. There were
six Others in the place. Suddenly we
saw a sheet of flame rise. / quickly
laid the shell down. There came
terrific crash. 1 felt the house start
sailing through the air. thought death
was at hand. Suddenly the house set
tied down on the ground again Part of
the wall caved in and some of the roof
fell. The other fellows were pretty
badly hurt. A little bit of my scalp
was torn off but otherwise / feel
great"
John Davis was driving up to the Me
Kenzie home when a piece of harness
broke. But for this accident he would
have been hurled to death with the
He was fixing the harness
when the explosion occurred.
First reports were that the entire
magazine of the navy yard was de-
Later workmen explained that
what is known as the black powder
magazine consists of several buildings.
One of these is the 'blaek powder
storehouse" and it was there the ex-
plosion occurred.
SO terrific was the blast that most of
the houses in South Vallejo, across the
straits. facing the part of the yard
where the magazine was located were
badly damaged. Most Of them had their
fronts blown in and several were un-
rooted. The roof of the roundhouse at
that point was blown in. Chimneys in
both Vallejo and South Vallejo toPpled
and fell under the blast.
Much Damage Done.
In Vallejo proper thousands of dollars
worth of plate glass windows on Geor-
gia street, the main thoroughfare, were
shattered and much other damage was
done.
The port side of the Southern Pacific
steamer FL Captain, which was in mid
stream when the explosion occurred, was
blown out and two doors of the vessel
were shattered. Six men on the steam
er were injured, none of them danger
ously. They are: Lieutenant c. Bird,
D. W. saulsberg. of Pasadena; carpen-
ter ]. d. soule. l.. S Tighe, F. c. Shell |
don and A. Widenburg.
All the windows in the office Of the
Paeifie station agent and the !,