Show TEIEG RAp9IC NO HER Powder Works Go Dp in Smoke I San Francisco 21 Shortly after 4 oclock this afternoon the city was shaken by a heavy explosion four otbers followed fol-lowed at intervals of e few fipcondd and a dense column of smoke risingacross the bay was sufficient evidence of another addedto the numerous powder works disasters dis-asters that have occurred in this vicinity A brief telegram says the Giant Powder establishment near West Berkley station > sta-tion four miles north of Oakland 7aj blown up and a number of persons killed A Berkeley dispatch says it is now known the number of Chinese killed was not as great as at first reported Not over thirty are missing the fire is still raging and more explosions are expected momentarily The scene in the vicinity is terrible bodies can be seen lying near the line of fire but tho men dare not rescue them for fear of their own lives The assistant Eupeiintendant is missing and supposed to be killed The superintendent superin-tendent was not at the works at the time A workman named Oscar Forguffsky was pulled from the ruins soon after the explosion seriously hurt j seven Chinese have been taken from the debris all badly hurt All houses within a radius of half a mile are completely shattered the doors aid windows of dwelling houses of employees on tho opposite side of the hill were blown in and most of the occupants thrown to the floor The sheds and barns were laid flat The buildings of the Judson Works on the tide of the hill where tbe blasting powder pow-der was manufactured were thrown over and will probably have to be rebuilt re-built The cause of the first explosion in the mixing house is yet unknown other explosions followed in the space of two minutes All the buildings blown up were on the bay side of the hill but the fire crept rapidly around and now 9 pm large magazine is in danger No attempt hits been made to checs the fire owing to the danger Many workmen escaped miraculously Today is the I first Sunday in many months that the works were running full blast and orders ot seventy tons were loaded on the wharf A driver with a wagon load on the wharf jumped when he heard the first explosion and escaped when the wagon load blew up The wharf is now burning Hospitals were improvised and physicians came from Oakland and neighboring towns This is the most destructive explosion that has ever occurred at these works Should the magazine explode all tho bouses in Berkeley would bu damaged An effort will be made to subdue the flames and avoid this danger The total loa by reason of the explosion will teich not lees than SiOOCOO The Giant Powder works were damaged 60000 acid n1Ir of Judson Ss Co 40100 It is iwyua sible to ascertain tbe exact loss of life but it is estimated at thirty or forty The first explosion o curred about 4 oclock in the iiacsioK house iu which about 200 pounds of powler were stored It is not known whether any one was killed by the first explosion or not As soon as the packing house exploded a number of Chinamen employed in other departments fled for their lives and reached an open space when the mixing house exploded killing most cf them in their tracks It is thought Ferdinand Kempf was killed by this explosion In about a minute one of the smaller houses exploded followed immediately by the fourth explosion which doubtless killed the surviving employee A workman named August JTorEofsty was very seriously injured All other white men have been accounted fur and the dead are all Chinamen The o are some thirty or forty houses on the point occupied by employees of tha powder and acid works and most of the windows were shattered tbe doors and sides in many instances dashed in by the force of the concussions after each explosion The woodwork of the buildings caught fire and burned steadily for several noun Efforts to prevent the flames reahing the main magazine containg an immense im-mense quantity of powder were happily ticcesBtul The consequences would have been mos frightful had the large magazine exploded As one of the superintendents su-perintendents stated enough powder was stored there to have destroyed every living thing on the peninsula The cause of the first explosion remains a mystery This evening twelve bodies have been counted lying in the debris and the coroners cor-oners investigation tomorrow will probably prob-ably disclose more than double the number num-ber A force of men is engaged tonight extinguishing the fire and recovering the bodies San Francisco 22 Oakland dispatch The scene at the Giant Powder works this morning was one devastation and death In tue semicircular excavation where the packing bouses were locate the ground is covered with debris and timbers Huge rocks thrown by the violence of the series of explosions appear ap-pear on all fides Lying on the ground are tbe mangled bodies of twentyone Chinamen One Chinaman last night wasin the temporary hospital Mo far as known at noon one white man and twenty two Chinamen were killed Ibe white man killed is Ferdi nand Kompf assistant superintendent He coqld have saved himself but remained re-mained to try to save the works When the first explosion occurred he ran to the nitro glycerine house to torn ou water to extinguish the fire Ho was killed by the explosion of the nitro glycerine house It is thought that eight or ten bodies are in the ruins Oscar Fargpfsky the only white man wounded will probably recover re-cover Thirteen wounded Chinamen are lyicg in the quarters of the Chinese The greater number of those will recover The cause of the explosion still remains a mystery Whether the powder in everyone every-one of the packing house exploded cant yet be told Thy are all caved in and filled with debria The magazines are uninjured and the danger of further explosions is deemed at an end |