Evening star., 1944-07-18
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were believed to be sailors living il
barracks near the shiploading area
and the $50 to 200 sailors loading
the cargo of explosives ct the time
A 19-year-old Navy painter, third
class, Floyd L. Scott of Baltimore
said that when the explosion
occurred the walls of the barrack.
caved in land 1 saw the barrack!
that can hold $500 men 60 down
There was the sound of men scream.
ing then ammunition started
going off guess it was about thu
biggest barrage of the war. High
explosives, augmentation shells ane
everything else were exploding"
Most of Port Chicago's home.
were knocked askew on their foun-
dations. The Red Cross said $50 tt
200 houses were made uninhabitable
and plans were being made to feet
l 900 to $500 persons in Martinez
because of a lack of cooking gas.
Glass and debris Uttered the Port
Chicago streets as the injured made
their way in the dark to emergency
Red Gross centers shortly after the
explosion.
Men, women and children walked
about the main section aimlessly
most of them wearing bloody ban.
dages, until they were evacuated by
the military.
The steps Of one Red Cross emer-
gency hospital were red with blood
Thought Japs Were Attacking.
John Miller. area co-ordinator fol
the ONCE of Civilian Defense, said
200 civilian wounded had been
counted so far. These included SO
seriously hurt.
K. E. Knapp of hayward. rail-
roadman atop boXcar l mile from
the blast. said he saw what looked
like e-high skyrocket-reda and
white.
Then came a terrific blast and 1t
seemed like star shells were filling
the air. Small pieces of metal from
the exploded ship began falling all
around"
Most Of the residents of Port Chi
cago and Martinez said they felt the
explosion heralded a japanese air
attack on the naval installation.
Jesse Andersen. Office manager OF
the Port Chicago Naval Ammunition
Depot. said two ships were involved
in the terrific blast, which set up
reverberations like that of an earth
quake for many miles. Anderson
said each ship had a crew of so tc
70 men aboard. In addition two
divisions of Negro sailors were work
ing on the dock loading ammunition
Each division would have, he said
some $50 to ITO men in them. These
figures total a minimum of 400.
ID. c. Sailor Estimates 600 Killed.
When they went down there tt
get them," Anderson added, they
only brought two back alive"
The Navy statement said a Sec
ond ammunition ship moored nearby
also was reported seriously dam
aged.
Seaman First Glass S. B. Scott OF
Washington, D. c., treated for blast
injuries. estimated 500 men were
killed.
My buddy and I were talking" he
told neWsmen. Suddenly an eX-
plosion tore down part of the bar.
racks. 1t wrecked the admlnistra-
ton building and the camp was
wrecked.
1t happened all Of sudden. We
were taken completely by surprise
and the next thing I knew there
were a lot of fellows lying around
moaning and crying"
Scott himself appeared dazed by
the experience.
Blast Felt 50 Miles Away.
Witnesses said the blast sent a
huge bolt of fame far into the clear
night sky, and then came a con-
cussion SO powerful it was felt at
San Jose, so miles away at the other
end of San Francisco Bay.
Windows were smashed within a
20-mile radius. Many San Fran
ciscans thought they had felt an
earthquake. The University of CAL
ifornia seismograph recorded the
shock as of moderate intensity.
Rescue workers struggled with
debris-choked roads and curtailed
communications to evacuate the
hundreds of dead and injured-in-
Guiding a large number of civilians
to Martinez, the Mare Island Navy
Yard, and emergency hospitals sci
up in American Legion halls and
virtually any building left standing
The peacetime population of Port
Chicago is $50, but has been swollen
by war workers employed at the
naval depot and at Mare Island.
Many of those killed were believed
occupants Of barracks near the am
munition ships.
Building Mile Away Flattened.
So terrific was the impact of the
explosion that not only were nearby
buildings f1attened but a railroad
building full mile from the source
of the blast was shattered.
Not a solid pane of glass remained
within several miles.
The Navy requested all available
civilian nurses at the scene.
The first walking injured were
treated at Martinez County Hos
pital, where every available physician
was assigned to the emergency
operating rooms.
A hospital attendant said "the
number is too great to count, but
there are many"
A Berkeley motorist, M. F. Daye
driving nearby, said great bolt OF
flame shot into the clear night sky
shooting up great circles of light