The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 5, 1904, Page 35

' Pages 3510 48 THE SAN FRANCISCO, SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 1904. EXPLOSI FIVE L1 ily, and Five Chinese In- stantly Killed by Deto- nation of Nitro-Glycerine PN, PREMONITION SAVES YOUTH FROM DEATH s Howard Veale Receives Mys- | terious Warning--Men Bat- tle With Flames Unmind- ful of the Terrible Danger ————— Three hundred exploded at Works this ushed out the f them white lant from destruction wed the explosion men were injured, one sly that he may die. R McCULLOUGH, ITH probably frac- t injured. there was property. The the complete elati mixing z plant and the closure es of the great Of the two »thing stan i but a b e gelatine plant sion t ken suf- the other two to the ground the fiying de few by FOLLOWS EXPLOSION. aust have th FIRE T € occurred at clocks in Pinole There was rred upon of the t works happened at € no time for fire had in a dozen landed upon full of explo- ass was being de- es in a dozen direc- nvestigate tely 1 rules of safety and the employes of the fed out to do t t out the flames. The led every man to an hour they all It took all es, 50 that r, 2 badly lac- men were caught by ile fighting at the i beneath them. v of these workmen turned immense amount ef many ng of high explosives were danger of being embers. It was keep the flames away he big storage houses, and out the struggle came victory. After ad been saved from destruct ere was time to investi- gate the ruins of the gelatine plant, where it was certain there was nothing Jeft of the five human bengs to tell the tale. Where formerly there stood a stout bullding for the manufacture of gelatine there only remained then a few blackened ruins. Even the great ulkheads surrounding the works to the falling ainly a fight t ¥ ° ¥ y the effects of just such an ac- cident as occurred to-day were toppled over on tReir sides, VICTIMS ANNIHILATED, or e human beings who had gone t uction a little while before there remained bardly enough of their flesh for ide tion. The skulls, or pieces of the skulls, of McCullough and £ were found but that was all. here was nothing to help reveal the identity of two of the Chinese. One person only escaped Ot of the six who were regularly employed in the gelatine house. He is Howard Veale, 18 years old, son of Sheriff Veale ' of Contra Costa County. Veale's es- cape was nothing short or miraculous snd he owes his life to a premonition th there would be an accident to- day. Just before the expiosion Veale was suddenly seized with the convic- tion that the plant would be blown up. Then he said to McCullough, who was foreman of the plant: “It dom’t look good to me. to blow up.” ‘ With these words Veaie left the place ran behind the bulkheads fifty cet atvay. He had not any more than behind them and thrown himself the ground when the explosion me. Timbers landed on all sides of the youth, but'he escaped altogether hurt. P The body of a Chinese, thought to be that of Ah Hung, was found some dis- tance from the scene of the ruin, She's go- i S Two Whites, One With Fam- | 1 endeavor to | lives. | 'CALIFORNIA’'S PLEDGED DEMOCRATIC DELEGATION EVOLVES A SCHEME TO AID PATRON CANDIDATE Y { | 1 LL/ AR e Z=owALd 7 CoOFFEY . T poNALD at | Son of Well Known Tailor | “Aecused of Uttering and Passing Fictitious Check A warrant was Fritz y dore A ed by Police Judge sterday for the rest of Theo- igel on a felony charge of ut- tering and passing a fictitious check for $965 90 on May on the W Bank. The complaining witness is John E. Miles, assistant cashier of the bank. The check was drawn in favor of Fred Bacon and purported to be signed by Sam Klein. It is alleged that both these persons are figments of Figel's imag- ination Miles says that Figel called at the bank last Saturday and said he want- ed to open an account in the name of Sam Klein, one of his friends. He de- posited a’ check in favor of Klein on the New Western Bank, and on the strength of that deposit the check for $965 90 presented by Figel on Tuesday morning was cashed. It was later found that the check on the New Western | Bank was worthless. It is also alleged by Miles that Figel s €| had passed several fictitious checks on | the Bank of California and other banks, | but he supposes that they had been made good by Figel’s father, who has 2 tailor shop in the Flood building, as | no action has been taken against him. | Miles further says that his bank will not compromise the matter, but will | push it to a finish. | Figel acquired considerable notoriety | through his arrest on June 30, 1897, for | the mugder of nif employer, Isaac Hoff- |man of Hoffman, Rothchild & Co., wholesale merchants, Battery and Mar- ket streets, on June 1. | ployed as cashier for the firm, and on | the evening of June 1 Hoffman's body was discovered in the office. There was every indication of a desperate strug- gle. Figel claimed that he left Hoff- man in the office just in time to catch | the Tiburon boat. ‘Figel was tried.on the charge of mur- der before a jury in Judge Murphy’'s Ecnurt and was acquitted on March 7, |1898. Seven charges of felony embez- | zlement and two charges of forgery against him were dismissed on Decem- | ber 3, 1898, on motion of the Distrjct Attorney. o e which shows that he, too, sought safety | from the impending disaster. He might have escaped had he hidden himself behind the bulkheads, but he went in | another airection, where there was no | protection at all. CAUSE OF EXPLOSION. John Bermingham, superintendent of i the California Powder Works, gave out jan authorized statement covering all the details of the explosion, including also a hazard as to its cause. He at- jtributes it to the probability that in ylowering the mixer paddles into the | mixer the workmen ailowed it to drop lupon the rubber buffers too violently !and the elasticity of the rubber allowed the mixer to sfrike the bottom with such force as to ignite the.explosive. McCullough, together with Veale, was wmixer, which had been sent to the ma- | chine shop only yesterday. Veale told the officers of the plant afterward that when he saw McCullough lower the shaft into the machine he became frightened and ran out of the house. ' It is estimated that there were ‘some 300 pounds of nitro-glycerin in .the mixer at the time it exploded. No Figel was.em- | engaged in preparing a hoist for the| | Augustus Floyd, -Fargo | der declaring that the estate would be | | July 5, ALLEGES FIGEL DISTRIBUTION SWINDLED BANK ‘TN 4 4\l S PREVENTED Supreme Court Blocks Plan of _Gopeevic to Secure Estate of Deceased Wife Milos - Miltrov mento street the Sacra- gripman, who came into public noticd by marrying Ha Gopeevie, car sufferea a reverse in his attempt to secure possession of his wife’s estate at the hands of the Su- preme Court yesterday. Other rela- tives of the young heiress want a share of the property and the ex-gripman is endeavoring to thwart them. He induced Judge M. S. Sayre of Lake County to Issue an or- Superior distributed to next Mon- day. The other heirs attempted to per- suade the Judge to postpone action for awhile, but he refused. The question was presented to the Supreme Court with the request that Judge Sayre be restrained from distributing the es- tate. The court re- straining order yesterday, returnable and directed that Judge Sayre be present at that time to show why the prohibition should not be made permanent. Miss Harry Floyd was an orphan possessed of $400,000. Gopcevic was a gripman with a narrative that he was a descendant of the royal family of Servia. The gripman would raise his cap to the heiress when she got on his car and the heiress would smile at the gripman. The outcome of this interchange of courtesies was a mar- issued a temporary riage which startled the various grades of soclety. A few months later the bride sud- denly died. In her will she devised one-half of her estate to her husband and the other half to any child that might be born to them. As she died childless, the entire estate, under the law ,belongs to Gopecevic. The young weman’s mother had given the estate to the daugnter with the proviso that the property should re- vert to Mary Floyd McAdoo, Rosalie F. Humes and Isabella L. Matthews in case the girl should die childless or intestate. These are the three, con- testants that hope to break tks #1ll of Mrs. Gopeevie. Judge Maguire represents e thyee relatives of the deceased. + larger amount is allowed to be mixed in the house at one time oa account of the danger involved in its making. Fortunately the finished powder in the glant powder bullding that was burned had just been removed to the magazine and all that remained in it was some mixed stuff that did not explode. Coroner Curry has taken charge of the remains of the victims of the ac- cident and will probably hold an in- quest on Monday next. The funerals of the white men wiil be held on Mon- day, too. Both of them were members of the Masonic order and McCullough was a Knight of Pythias besides. Mec- Cullough leaves a wife and two chil- dren to mourn his loss. He was 30 years old and a native of Caljifornia, Smith’s only relatives are a mother and sisters, living at North Beach in San Francisco, He was 27 years old and was born In California. —_——— San Francisco Veterinary College, Next session will begin June 6. Catalogues by apulyine ta Dr. E. J. Creely. 510 G. G, avae ——le INSANE WOMAN IN RESTAURANT !Scene Created by Cultured | English Widow Results in; | Her Removal to Hospital AN | Mrs. George E. Wilson, a well edu- cated English woman, sald to be a | | widow, became violently insane at noon ! | ¥ erday in a restaurant at 219 Ellis: street. She was accompanied by her | nurse, a Mrs. Dennett, who had been | directed by Dr. Wilton Preston to bring | her charge to him this morning for | | treatment. On reaching the restaurant | Mrs. Wilson became unmanageable and | | persisted in entering the place, where | she created such a scene that the pro- prietor sent in a call for the ambu- |lance and had her removed to the Emergency Hcespital. There lrs. Wii- son was placed in a padded cell, but was afterward released in charge of her nurse and C.. Shepherd, her broth- er, upon order of Dr. Wadsworth of the hospital staff. Shé was taken to her rooms at $17 Post street. It was reported from several sources that Mrs. | Wilson is the wife of an Englishman, whose father is among the nobility of | England, but those in possession of the facts tried to suppress the story of her antecedents. She shows every indi- cation of refinement. Dr. Preston said she had been under his care as a patient for mental trouble but a short time having recently come here from Portland, Oregon, and that while there she had been under delu- sions caused by excitement over Chris- tian science. The landlady at 817 Post street, however, said that Christian science had nothing to do with the trouble, but was simply mentioned to Mrs. Wilson a day or 80 ago as a rem- edy for her condition and that she has been talking about that treatment until to-day, when she became violent. Dr. Preston thinks the trouble is but tem- porary and that with proper treatment Mrs. Wilson will recover. Further inquiry last evening at 817 Post street developed the fact that C. Shepherd, the brother of Mrs. Wilson, came to -San Francisco about six months ago. He was extremely reti- cent about his affairs, but seemed a highly educated and widely traveled Englishman. The sister came here a few weeks ago from the north for treatment, but the landlady could not say whether she came from Oregon or British Columbia. Shepherd, it was said, keenly felt the publication of his sister's predicament, and declined to discuss it. ———— Prisoners Sentenced. Joseph Murphy, alias Frank Carroll. who pleaded guilty in Judge Dunne’s court to a Charge of robbery, was sen- tenced yesterday to serve ten years in Folsom penitentiary. He and George Garron were arrested for holding up Joseph Joyce on the night of February 25, and robbing him of $20. Garron has yet to be tried. Frank Drew, con- victed “of burglary, was sentenced to serve four years in San Quentin. He rified the room of Walter G. Loring at 219A Mason street on the morning of January 6. —_— To Talk on Nature StiMy. The regular meeting of th. Academy of Sciences will be held to- morrow evening. The speaker of the evening will be Charles Keeler, who has chesen as his subject “Nature Study and Its Relation to Life and Art.” GEOL, CLEARZY ™ LOl/I X APASER HAIIARTEY" AL FELDE A5 FECRETARY. ALTETNGTE . ALTEZNAZE \RECRETALY 2N 5 %’ 57 W R #p PN - TS _ V=88 4‘ W\ | ks - i MEN ' THAT WILL CALIFORNIA IN T L DEMOCRATIC CONV = 4 Plans to Convert Hosts of Many States. A majority of California’s pledged delegation to the Democratic National Convention, which will be called to or- der in St. Louis on July 6, met at the Hearst headquarters, Grand Hotel, vesterday afternocn and scheme in the interest of their patron candidate that is sublime in its potent simplicity. Their scheme is nothing less than to convert every national delegate that divells west of the Missouri line to the views of Hearst. To do this Califor- nia's delegation will gather these wide- ly_scattered missionaries to St. Louis | on one special train, and while the measured click of rolling car wheels soothes their combative instincts the Tarpeyan eloquence will work their conversion. 3 It is a good scheme, and so admir- ably does it work in theory that it was gome time after its announcement be- fore the assembled California delegates could get down to the business of the meeting yesterday and call the roll The brilllancy of their plan staggered them. The calling of -the roll developed that there were present Delegates at Large D. M. Delmas, M. F. Tarpey and D. W. Carmichael; ‘District Delegates Jasper McDonald, W. M. Cannon, W. J. Mc- jee, J. B. Sanford, A. 1. McSorley, P. C. Cohn, J.'J. McDonald and T. C. Butler and Alternates M. F. Coch- rane, Louls H. Mooser, Edward 1. Cof- fey and A. B. Tarpey. Al McCabe filled the office of secretary, reinforced by George J. Cleary, who will carry the title of asslstant secretary to St. Louis. After M. F. Tarpey had been elected chairman and D. W. Carmichael treas- urer, the. question of the proper route to take from San Franecisco to the con- vention city in order to further the plan of conversion as outlined above was taken up. After some discussion it was decided that the California dele- gation, accompanied by that of Hawaii, should leave the city on June 28 at 10:30 a. m. Delegates were requested to gather at the ferry at 10 o'clock and for half an hour accustom them- selves to the blare of the band that will accompany them on the trip across the bay. L} At 11 o'clock the special train, com- posed bf four sleepers, an observation car, a composite diner and smoker and two baggage cars—the last two filled to capacity with fruits and wines—will start across the continent. The train will proceed over the Southern Pacific tracks to Ogden, Union Pacific to Den- ver. Santa Fe to Kansas City and Bur- “——-—4.! evolved a | —f P ——— FIND N0 CAUSE FOR A SOICIDE Officials at a Loss to Ac- count for Strange Deed of Bricklayer Hansen —_—— Mystery envelops the cause of the | suicide of Peter Hansen at the Grand | Hotel early yesterday morning, and the | authorities are at a loss to account for | his act. Mrs. Hansen, the bride of three days, had nothing to add to the story that appeared in The Call of yesterday morning. The bride, who was Lena Peterson, marriéd Hansen in her | [ I parents’ house in Petaluma three days lbefflre the tragedy and the wuple | came to this city to prepare for their | | trip to Seattle and the Northwest. | When they retired on Friday night to their apartments in the Grand Ho- tel Hansen was in cheerful spirits. At about half-past 2 o’clock in the morn- ing ke arose and went into an adjoin- | ing apartment. In response to his wife's | question he said that he would return | | shortly. A minute later she was hor- | rified to hear the report of a pistol pro- { ceeding from the room her husband | :had entered, and she ran in scream- | | ing. She saw his dead body seated in | a chair, his head resting en a - table and covered with blood. Then she shrieked in agony and fell uncopscious | 1 beside his body. | Hansen was a bricklayer and worked about the city for some yeafs past. He Is said to have inherited some | money from his father's estate in Ger- many, also the share of a brother who died in the Philippines. Mrs. Hansen's father came to this city early yester- day morning after learning of the tragedy and took his daughter back to hig home in Petaluma. e lington to St. Louis. At Reno the Nevada delegation will be gathered to the fold, and at Ogden Utah's delegation will join. At Grang- er, Wyo., the members from Alaska, ‘Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Mon- tana will hitch their cars to the train, while the Wyoming delegation will be gathered in at Cheyenne. At Denver the Colorado contingent will be coupled to the train, and at La Junta Arizona and New Mexico will become a part of the advancing force. At Menton the Oklahoma and Indian Territory delega- tions will be welcomed aboard, and at Kansas City the growth of the train will cease when Kansas and South Da- kota are met and greeted. Then will i the proselyting begin. After the question of the route had | been definitely settled the delegation ! went into executive session to discuss a question that for many years has been one of extreme tenderness to the Democrats—the question of finances. | However, no loud talking floated from | the meeting chamber, and it was | agreed without ruction that an assess- ment of $150 be levied on each delegate at large, $75 on each alternate delegate at largé, $75 on each district delegate and $50 on each alternate district dele- gate. The sum thuu/ raised will be used to defray the expenses of the delega- tion outside of railroad transportation, which has been fixed at $67 50 for the round trip. . Chairman Tarpey was empowered to appoint a committee of eight on recep- ! tion and a like committee on enter- tainment. His artistic judgment was also relied upon in the matter of selec- tion of badges and banner, which he ‘will have prepared immediately, :$225 a month. - HANDLERS OF FREIGHT N STRIKE Men Employed at the South- ern Pacific Railroad Com- ‘pany’s Yards Decide to Quit Places in a Body {DEMAND FOR HIGHER WAGES NOT GRANTED Employes’ Union Takes Ae- tion to Compel Compliance With Schedule for Twen- ty-Five Cents Per Hour —_— = Southern Pacific freight handlers at station “B” of Third and Townsend streets went out ¢n strike at 11 o'clock last night. They want 25 cents per hour and insist upon their demands. In steps a order to determine what should be taken a meeting of the union was held after the ultimate hour had expired last night and the vote of the Being Saturday for union was to strike. night, there was little work freight handlers to do, and quence the railroad company placed in an embarrassing position, nor was the union taking undue adyantage of conditions. The fact of the union making a de- mand upon the company is strictly in keeping with the rules of the union. After the unjon decided to go out on the | strike the individuals had nothing fur- ther to say. The question of an advance of wages was presented to the company one month ago and the union set the date for the reply last night. As no reply was forthcoming the union took the silence as a sign of refusal and went into counsel. What the results will be it is for the future to determ The company is firm and so are t men. Both sides are after results and they both Ay they will get them. The union de- clares it has the right of wages and the company says it has the right to say what it will pay. When the men quit last night their work was practitally done and no trains were delayed by the action of the union. Whether there will be any further trouble is a matter which is up to the company and the union + ¥ ASK 1 MAYOR FOR PROTECTION Special Dispatch to The Call STOCKTON, June 4.—The warehouse- men and millmen have demanded that the Mayor furnish protection for the non-union men who have replaced the striking and locked-out longshoremen. The police have thus far confined their efforts merely to preventing so far as possible, any overt act. Crowds of strik- ers and their sympathizers have been permitted to gather and annoy the workmen as they have gome to and from work. This keeps the neighbor- hood in an unsettled condition and is causing the pSlice to work overtime. Mayor Williams to-day told the un- jon leaders that if they would keep their msn away from the front he would try and bring about a settlement. For this reason the disturbed section was more quiet this evening. It is un- derstood that, regardless of the result of the conferences, the crowds will not be allowed to again congregate to an- noy the non-unionists. The warehousemen and millmen as- sert that they have plenty of men and that business is moving with usual dis- patch, and that the only trouble expe- rienced is in the annoyance to their employes. —_—————————— WELL-KNOWN MILL MAN SUED BY HIS WIFS Mrs. Rose Kenyon of San Jose Says She Was Deserted and Wants Alimony. SAN JOSE, June 4.—Charles S. Kenyon, the well-known will man and former member of the City Board of Education, is the defendant in an ac- tion for maintenance which was com- menced this morning in the Superior Court by his wife, Mrs. Rose G. Ken- yon. Mrs. Kenyon states they were married in 1883 and that in 1902 her husband abandoned her and he re- fuses to provide for or support her, despite the fact that she is without means and is in delicate health and unable to earn a livelihood for herself. She alleges that he has a salary of She asks for per- manent alimony in the sum of $100 a month. ——————— Another Claimant Appears. Still another relative of Palagia Marie Kryzyzanowski's, the wealthy Polish woman, who died recently, has appeared. She made her appearance yesterday among the others that have Jaid elaim to the aged woman's prop- erty, and, like the others, filed a con- test of Mr. Kryzyzanowski's will. She is Antonina Borkowska Ogonowska. She claims to be a niece of the de- ceased. Se resides in New York and is represented by Attorney D. ¥. Me~ Wade of g