pinole summer 2012 hi o ical society n...

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Published quarterly by the Pinole Historical Society Pinole Historical Society Newsbriefs P.O. Box 285, Pinole, CA 94564 www.PinoleHistoricalSociety.org [email protected] Summer 2012 PHS, PINOLE LIBRARY TO HOST PROGRAM ON SEPTEMBER 6 he internment of Japanese-American citizens during World War II will be the subject of a joint program of the Pinole Historical Society and Pinole Library on Septem- ber 6 at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Office Building in Pinole. The program, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., will feature a panel of local Japanese-American citizens who experienced the World War II internment camps first-hand, and videos about the three-year incarceration of more than 110,000 citizens in 10 camps throughout the West. This program will be a prelude to a September 29 appearance at the Hercules Library by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, co-author of Farewell to Manzanar, the much-acclaimed book about her life in California’s Manzanar internment camp. Published in 1973, it has been reprinted several times. It was also made into a movie. Thanks to Barbara Saito, of the Contra Costa chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League; Tom Panas, of the El Cerrito Historical Society; and former Pinole Councilwoman Virginia Fujita, for their help in putting together this program. Continued on page 5 T In this issue President’s Message — Page 3 — Use your smartphone to find PHS on the Internet — Page 4 — Please help PHS build a historical archive — Page 6 — PHS thanks its donors — Page 7 — The rise and demise of the Fiesta del Pinole — Page 8 — Historic Pinole: 1904 explosion killed 5 workers — Page 11 — Local history books available from PHS — Page 14 —

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Page 1: Pinole Summer 2012 Hi o ical Society N bpinolehistoricalsociety.org/phsnewsbriefssummer2012.pdfPublished quarterly by the Pinole Historical Society Pinole Hi o ical Society N b P.O

Published quarterly by the Pinole Historical Society

PinoleHistorical

SocietyNewsbriefs

P.O. Box 285, Pinole, CA 94564www.PinoleHistoricalSociety.org [email protected]

Summer 2012

PHS, PINOLE LIBRARY TO HOSTPROGRAM ON SEPTEMBER 6

he internment ofJapanese-American citizens during WorldWar II will be the

subject of a joint program ofthe Pinole Historical Societyand Pinole Library on Septem-ber 6 at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Office Building inPinole.The program, from 6:30 to

8 p.m., will feature a panel oflocal Japanese-American citizens who experienced theWorld War II internment campsfirst-hand, and videos about thethree-year incarceration of morethan 110,000 citizens in 10camps throughout the West.This program will be a

prelude to a September 29appearance at the Hercules Library by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston,co-author of Farewell to Manzanar, the much-acclaimed bookabout her life in California’s Manzanar internment camp. Publishedin 1973, it has been reprinted several times. It was also made intoa movie.Thanks to Barbara Saito, of the Contra Costa chapter of the

Japanese American Citizens League; Tom Panas, of the El CerritoHistorical Society; and former Pinole Councilwoman Virginia Fujita, for their help in putting together this program.

Continued on page 5

TIn this issue

President’s Message— Page 3 —

Use your smartphone tofind PHS on the Internet

— Page 4 —

Please help PHS build a historical archive

— Page 6 —

PHS thanks its donors — Page 7 —

The rise and demise ofthe Fiesta del Pinole

— Page 8 —

Historic Pinole: 1904explosion killed 5 workers

— Page 11 —

Local history books available from PHS

— Page 14 —

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PinoleHistoricalSocietyBoard of Directors: Marcia Kalapus, President; JeffRubin, Vice President; Mary Drazba, Treasurer; Jo AnnGannotti, Secretary; Shirley Ramos, George Vincent.Directors Emeritus: Dr. Joe Mariotti, Jack MeehanNewsletter Editor: Jeff Rubin

2

WHERE TO FIND NEWSBRIEFS

900 San Pablo Ave., Pinole, CA 94564

Pick up Newsbriefs at these locations:A Center for Hearing Health (Dr. Joel Ross),

AccuTech Auto Care, A.D. Dern Insurance, The AlleyCafe, Antlers Tavern, Bank of the West, Barry EvansStudio, Bay Park Retirement Residence, The BearClaw, Big O Tires, Blue Sky Sports, Cafe Soleil, ChinaHouse, Cindy’s Shear Cuts, Coldwell Banker BartelsRealtors®, Coldwell Banker (Joni Vasquez and DaveVida), Crocketts Premier Auto Body, Feriel El Ghaoui,D.D.S., Embers, Farmers Insurance (Madeline Crandall), Farmers Insurance (Carol White), Garden of Gems, Douglas Gordon, D.D.S., Grocery Outlet,Happy Sashimi, Hercules Fitness, Kaiser PermanenteMedical Office Building, K&L Automotive (Rodeo),Kendall Financial Services, Ladies Workout Express,Lakeridge Athletic Club, Masala Specialty Gift Store,Mechanics Bank (Pinole Valley and Pinole Vista),Neto’s Pizza, Old Time Realtors, Douglas Oliver,D.D.S., Oliver’s Hardware, Park Pharmacy, AttorneyDonald E. Patterson, Peggy’s Perfections Bead andBoutique, Pinole Art Center, Pinole City Hall, PinoleCreek Cafe, Pinole Library, Pinole Paws, Pinole PoliceDepartment, Pinole Senior Center, Pinole Senior Village, Pinole Valley Community Church, PrestigeRealty (Jojo Soriano), Lawrence Radcliffe, D.D.S., Realty World (Viktor Manrique), Ricky’s Corner, Ristorante Due Rose, Sam’s Dog House (Pinole and El Sobrante), State Farm Insurance (Mark Bucklewand Rick Chalk), Sunshine Floor Covering, TaqueriaSanchez, Tenax Law Group, 10th Inning BaseballCards, The New Deli, The Red Onion, The UPS Store,Tina’s Place, Top Floor Salon, Albert M. Tsang, D.D.S.,Waffle Stop, West Contra Costa Transit Authority, Windermere Rowland Realty, and Wilson & KratzerMortuaries.

It’s also posted on the PHS website.FOR ADVERTISERS: 3,000 printed copies of PHS

Newsbriefs are distributed every quarter, generatingreadership among thousands of Pinole and WestCounty residents. Hundreds more receive the newslet-ter directly from the PHS via its database and website.If you’re interested in advertising, please contact Jeff Rubin at [email protected] or call him at (510) 724-9507.

PHS CALENDARMEETINGS

ONGOING

August 8, September 12, October 10, November14, December 12, 2012: Monthly Board of Direc-tors meeting. The public is invited to attend andspeak on any of the items discussed at these meet-ings. Pinole Senior Center, 6:30 to 8 p.m.

September 6, 2012: Membership meeting: Kaiser Permanente Medical Office Building, 1301Pinole Valley Road, Conference Rooms 2A and 2B,6:30 to 8 p.m. See front page for details.

Pinole Library history exhibits. Two exhibits at thelibrary, 2935 Pinole Valley Road. Library hours are: Monday (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), Wednesday (2 to 8 p.m.),Friday and Saturday (12 to 5 p.m.).

PHS booth at Pinole Farmers’ Market. Every otherSaturday through December 22.

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A Pinole Landmark

President’s Message

Marcia Kalapus

Marcia Kalapus, President, Pinole Historical Society

very now andagain, a non-profit is fortunateto have extraordi-

nary people volunteertheir services to helpmake the enterprisemore effective, efficient,and sustainable.The Pinole Historical

Society is one of thosefortunate organizations inthat all our volunteersare top-drawer. Recentlyour volunteer treasurer,Sheila Grist, decided notto further her tenure as a board member; shecontinues to volunteerwhere needed.Shelia joined the

society several years agoand became active in collecting many artifactsand other items, labeling

as a non-profit for compliance, includingincome (federal/state)taxes, sales taxes, andinsurance.Sheila updated our

bank accounts and CDs.She introduced us to a

EWE APPRECIATE SHEILA GRIST’S CONTRIBUTIONS

more functional way totrack our expenditures/profits. We are now computerized with onlinebanking. She accomplished

her goal of making thesociety’s financial pro-gram up-to-date, easilyaccessible, retrievable,and in one place.Sheila is a dynamo,

and she is missed. Butwe know that she will bearound, helping us whenneeded.Volunteers are always

needed; if you are inter-ested in joining us,please let us know, as wehave a good time doingwhat we do in providinghistorical events andactivities for the citizensof Pinole.

them, logging them intoa database, and placingthem in containers,where they are protectedfrom the elements.She worked with her

late mother, SuzanneShaw, devoting manyhours putting things inorder. Now, because ofSheila, we have adetailed accounting ofeverything we own.When we needed a

new treasurer a few yearsago, Sheila took over anundeveloped position.She immediately began adetailed financial analysisof what we needed toimprove documentation,record keeping, and anannual budget plan, andrevisited all of our state-government requirements

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The Pinole Historical Society promotes awarenessand appreciation of history through preservationand education, and chronicles the city’s heritage

for current and future generations.

4

1918-201294 years

Serving Families

Your smartphonecan find the PHSon the webFind out more about Pinole’shistory by using your smartphoneto scan this QR code. It will takeyou to the Pinole Historical Society website.

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Joel Ross, M.D., F.A.C.S.Otolaryngologyhead and neck surgery

Johnna McMartinHearing Instrument Specialist

HA #3918

A Center for Hearing Health

1700 San Pablo Ave., Suite FPinole, CA 94564(510) 724-1095

HOW TO KEEP YOUR HEARING LOSS A SECRETCome in for a FREE PREVIEW of Secret Ear® hearing aidsby Starkey. These tiny hearing aids feature advancedwireless technology designed to:• Improve hearing in noisy situations• Eliminate feedback and whistling• Make TV listening more enjoyable• Enhance phone conversations

There’s no substitute for professional hearing care.Appointment times are limited, so call today!

(510) 724-1095

CUSTOM WIRELESS HEARING AID EVENTAugust through October!

[email protected] www.ccfhh.com

We have postcards, greeting cards, and refrig-erator magnets—featuring photos from our book,Images of America: Pinole. You can order themat www.PinoleHistoricalSociety.org.To order on-line, print the order form and

mail it with your check to the Pinole HistoricalSociety, P.O. Box 285, Pinole, CA 94564.All of the photos in our book—and others in

our collection—are available for purchase in anysize you want. All of these items make great holiday gifts. For

more information, contact the PHS at (510) 724-9507 or at [email protected].

PHS PRODUCTS FOR SALE

STILL GOING STRONG!• Daily deliveries by phone •

(510) 724-4241

SEPTEMBER 6 PROGRAMContinued from front page

Houston will appear at the Hercules Library September 29 at 2 p.m. as part of California Reads,a program of Cal Humanities developed in partner-ship with the California Center for the Book and the California State Library. It invites Californians fromall walks of life to participate in reading and discus-sion programs and related activities hosted bylibraries, schools, colleges, bookstores, and othercommunity institutions.Farewell to Manzanar was chosen as a featured

book by the California Reads program.Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston was born in 1934 in

Inglewood. The youngest of 10 children, she wasseven in 1942 when her family was relocated to theWorld War II internment camp at Manzanar, in theOwens Valley foothills of the eastern Sierra betweenthe towns of Lone Pine and Independence, approxi-mately 230 miles northwest of Los Angeles, takingonly the belongings they could carry. The Wakatsukis spent the next three years in the

shadow of guard towers behind barbed wire, virtualprisoners in their own country. Houston’s father hadbeen arrested and imprisoned for supposedly sellingoil to Japanese submarines.

PHS AT THE FARMERS’ MARKETWe’re at our booth at the Pinole Farmers’ Market onalternate Saturdays through December. Our schedule is:August 4 and 18; September 1, 15, and 29; October 13and 27; November 10 and 24; and December 8 and 22.One or more of our books, greeting cards, postcards, andmagnets will be on sale at each farmers’ market. They aregreat additions to your history library and make wonderfulgifts.

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PHS SEEKING FAMILY FILMS FOR HISTORICAL ARCHIVEot film?The Pinole Historical Society is embark-

ing on a major project to archive the city’shistory — family by family and event by

event. Our objective is to establish a permanent, digitized collection of Pinole’s history.Do you have film of past Holy Ghost parades,

Pinole Valley High School Homecoming parades,Memorial Day or July 4 parades?How about important athletic events, such as a

high-school football, basketball, baseball, softball, orvolleyball game?Perhaps you have film of

an important event that tookplace in Fernandez Park, or aribbon cutting or an eventthat has a place in Pinole’shistory—such as the 1958flood?We’re looking for any

video or film you have—VHS,

Beta, camcorder, DV tape, 8mm, Super 8mm,16mm, 35mm, motion picture. Nearly everyone has taken home movies. That

makes everyone who has taken film a historian.We want to collect, digitize, catalog, and preserve

old movies on DVD (and whatever formats are tocome) to exhibit, educate, and entertain.The PHS will share these videos on a film archive

that we will establish, similar to the The PioneersFilm Archive on YouTube created by the CaliforniaPioneers of Santa Clara (www.youtube.com/sccpioneers).

Film connects with thepast in a unique way. It’simmersive, educational, andentertaining for young peo-ple. It’s a way to get youngpeople interested in history.Got film? Please contact

us at [email protected]

The Pinole Historical Society is grateful for donations of

artifacts, photos, newspapers, memorabilia—anything of historical significance. Please contact us at

[email protected] call (510) 724-9507.

GOT HISTORY?

G

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2718 pinole valley road • pinole, california 94564510.758.8881 www.eathappysashimi.com

PHS interviews on city of Pinole website

Miss one of our programs on Pinole Communi-ty TV?Not a problem. The city’s website now has a

dedicated section devoted to PINOLE HISTORY onits “Videos Online” page.You can view the numerous PHS programs right

on your computer. Go to www.ci.pinole.ca.us/about/videos.html and scroll down to PINOLEHISTORY. You’ll find our interviews, Veterans Dayprograms, both of George Vincent’s Walking Toursof Historic Downtown Pinole, and the very fine PCTV-produced, 12-part series based on the Historic Walking Tour brochure. It’s great TV!

he Pinole His-torical Societythanks MiltPeddy, of the

film restoration program of the California Pioneers of Santa ClaraCounty, for arranging to have four reels of 8mm filmdonated by PHS member Jim Payne digitized —

for free — savinghistoric footage from the 1962 PinoleLabor Day Parade,and the 1963, 1964,and 1965 Fiesta DelPinole parades.

The CaliforniaPioneers of Santa

Clara County offersfree film-transcriptionservices to any historical society inNorthern California,

as part of its mission to preserve the history of localcommunities.

Visit the California Pioneers website and itsYouTube archive. Milt Peddy may be reached [email protected].

* * *The Pinole Historical Society will be showing Jim

Payne’s Fiesta del Pinole videos at an upcomingmembership meeting.

The meeting will feature a panel of Pinoleans discussing their memories of the parades.

PHS THANKS ITS DONORS:

T

Want to advertise with us?Call (510)

724-9507 for informationand rates.

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2265 Pear Street • Pinole, CA 94564(510) 724-5312

HoursMonday – Friday6 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Saturday – Sunday7 a.m. – 1 p.m.

THE RISE AND DEMISE OF THE FIESTA DEL PINOLE

Back in the day By George R. Vincent

Part 1: The first Fiesta

inoleans havealways loved asummertimeparade.

In the late 19th andearly 20th centuries,Fourth of July paradeswere annual events witha small-town patriotic flavor.The population in

1903 was about 600. Inthe early days, Pinole wasa lodge town, and manyof the lodges spearhead-ed the parade events.There were civic groupssuch as the Lions,Eagles, Elks, Odd Fel-lows, Knights of Pythias,Redmen, Pochahontas,and Rebekahs, amongothers.Decorated floats from

local businesses such asGreenfield’s DepartmentStore and the manylodges, Young Ladies’Institute (YLI) marchingdrill teams, horsebackriders, marching bands,and barbecues at CityHall plaza and FernandezPark highlighted the holi-

day festivities. Red,white, and blue colorswith flag-waving specta-tors lined the paraderoutes of San Pablo andTennent avenues.Bill Lewis’ blue-

uniformed Pinole Boys’Marching Band, later to become the white-

uniformed Pinole Municipal Band, led theparades. Gala paradeswere also held to wel-come home Pinole andHercules veterans fromWorld Wars I and II.One of the earliest and

largest summer paradeswas part of the annualPortuguese Holy GhostFestival, held in June onPentecost Sunday. Thetwo-day event crowned a queen of Portuguesedescent at St. JosephChurch. This was followed by a

parade of Portuguese andAmerican flags andmusic down TennentAvenue to the Portuguese(IDES) Hall across fromFernandez Park (today’sEpiscopal Church build-ing). A free Portuguese

P

U.S. troops crossing Pinole Creek during early20th-century Fourth of July parade.

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FIESTA DEL PINOLE

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Must bring ad.

Henry Langhorst riding an elephant in Fiesta del Pinole Parade.

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724 - 5464

feast followed. In 1916, Miss May

Vincent was the firstqueen. By 1950, whenMiss Carol Costa reignedas queen, 3,000 peoplewere fed sopas in thehall’s dining area. Therewere also Saturday nightdances in the PortugueseHall and Eagles’s Hallacross the street (today’scommunity theatre), anda concluding fireworksdisplay.In August 1949, the

Pinole Lions Club heldthe first barbeque andfiesta. This included aparade and a carnival inFernandez Park. Therewere no card or dicegames or slot machines.There was a game-boothfee of $2 per foot.Pinole’s population was1,147.In the 1950s, Pinole

began a suburban growthspurt that would increaseits population to 4,500by 1958, and to more

than 13,000 by 1969.The heyday of the lodgesin Pinole was waning,

giving way to new civicorganizations such as theChamber of Commerce.

Newcomers brought a new civic energy toContinued on page 10

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FIESTA DEL PINOLEContinued from page 9

Pinole’s changing land-scape with a desire toput Pinole on the map. In 1962, the idea of thegrand Fiesta del Pinolewas born. This was tobecome one of NorthernCalifornia’s major summer attractions.A number of Pinole

residents and city offi-cials got together anddecided it was timePinole emerged from itssleepy hollow past andgot some well-deservedidentification by honoringits historic roots.Credit for the idea of

the Fiesta del Pinole tocommemorate the city’sHispanic heritage and60th anniversary in1963, is given to residentJohn Healey.

Healey campaigned fora tribute to the city andits history originally as asmall celebration. Butthis quickly grew toinclude all of Pinole’s

civic, social, and serviceorganizations.An ad-hoc citizens’

committee approachedMayor Bruno Felice in1962 with a proposal fora festival, to which thecity council responded inwhat a reporter called“characteristic Pinoleanspeed.”Promoting the first

Fiesta del Pinole werePaul Badger, BrunoFelice, City Clerk BettyGrimes, Healey, and cityemployee Tom Tudor.The event’s theme was to celebrate Pinole’s discovery and naming bySpanish explorer PedroFages in 1792, as well as the founding of ElRancho Pinole by DonYgnacio Martinez in the1820s.So inspired was Healey

by Pinole’s history thathe wanted the first Fiestadel Pinole to be held onOctober 12, the birthdayof explorer Fages’shorse.The first advertisement

could be seen from I-80.The words and dates,courtesy of Healey, weredone in huge chalk letters on Faria’s Hillabove the freeway.The Fiesta, held in late

August, was a huge suc-cess. One Pinole residentput it this way: “You hadto live through that firstFiesta to believe it. It wasas zany as a scene froma W.C. Fields’ movie. Itwas unbelievable. It wasas if the entire town justsuddenly came out oftheir homes, then wentto Fernandez Park.”Businessman Henry

Langhorst, mounted onan elephant, led thenoisy parade from Pinole-

Hercules School #2(Collins School) alongTennent Avenue to Fernandez Park. Floats,horses, clowns, old cars,marching bands, drillteams, flags, scouts, andcommunity organizationsfollowed.One reporter wrote:

“The sidewalks werefilled with children wit-nessing the spectacle,and old Pinoleanswatched full of pride forthe ‘old city’, as well asnew residents of thePinole Valley of the lastfour years who came indroves.”Fernandez Park was

filled with game boothsand carnival rides, a Ferris wheel and rollercoaster and Tilt-a-Whirl.Throw a baseball at asalami on a string, knockit off, and win it. The Pinole Sports-

men’s Club and VFW hadbeer booths with oldPinole pictures and softdrinks. There were Satur-day night Twin HallDances to live music inthe Portuguese andEagles’s halls, followedby a Sunday barbecueand a massive fireworksdisplay.The little town had put

on its best dress tobecome a big Californiaattraction.Next issue: Subse-

quent Fiesta del Pinolecelebrations.

* * *The Pinole Historical

Society would love to seeyour Fiesta del Pinolememorabilia. Please contact us via e-mail [email protected] or call (510) 724-9507.

1956 Holy GhostQueen Margaret Faria

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Visit the Pinole Historical Society website for informa-tion on the society’s activities and events— and, of course, the history of the sweetest city in theEast Bay.

www.PinoleHistoricalSociety.org

It happened back then

This article is from theJune 5, 1904, edition ofthe San Francisco Callnewspaper.

BERKELEY, June 4 —Three hundred pounds ofnitro-glycerine explodedat the California PowderWorks this morning atPinole and crushed outthe lives of five men, twoof them white end threeChinese. In an endeavor to save

the entire plant fromdestruction by the firethat followed the explo-sion two other white menwere injured, one of

them so seriously that hemay die. The dead are:• Alexander McCul-

lough, 30 years old, mar-ried.• John Evans Smith,

30 years old, single• Ah Hung• Hong Soy• Loe Bow.The wounded are:• S. S. McKinley, skull

probably fractured.• George C. Cooper,

foot injured.Besides the loss of life

there was a greatdestruction of property.The powder companyestimates its loss at$30,000. This was due to"the complete wiping outof the gelatine-mixingplant, the giant mixingplant and the ice works.All around the enclo-

sure at the works are evi-dences of the great forceof the concussion. Of thetwo mixing plants there isnothing standing above

the ground but a few bro-ken timbers. Only thegelatine plant sufferedfrom the explosion, theother two buildings hav-ing burned to the groundafter being set afire bythe flying debris.Fire follows explosionThe explosion must

have occurred at 9:40o'clock, for all the clocksin Pinole were stopped atthat hour. There was a sudden

detonation, that jarredupon the ears of all with-in a mile of the plant.Every man about theworks, knew at oncewhat had happened atthe gelatine works. Therewas no time to go thereto investigate, for fire hadbroken out immediatelyContinued on page 12

Historic Pinole: 1904 Explosion Killed Five WorkersCONTRA COSTA COUNTY SHERIFF’SSON SPARED BY “PREMONITION”

ABOUT EXPLOSION. CLOCKS ALL OVERPINOLE STOPPED AT ONCE

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Historic Pinole: 1904 Explosion Killed Five WorkersContinued from page 11

in a dozen places. Burn-ing timbers landed uponthe roofs of buildings fullof explosives, and thedry grass was beingdevoured by the flamesin a dozen directions.In defiance of all rules

of safety and self-preser-vation, the employes ofthe plant at once hurriedout to do what theycould to blot out theflames. The fire department

called every man to hisstation, and for an hourthey all worked with desperation. It took allthat time to master theflames, so that someidea of the dangerinvolved in this undertak-ing may be had. The fight cost S. S.

McKinley, shipping clerkat the plant, a brokenhead, and George C.Cooper, a carpenter, abadly lacerated foot.

These men were caughtby falling timbers whilefighting at the ice plantand buried beneaththem.The bravery of these

workmen turned firemensaved an immenseamount, of property andprobably many lives.Tons and tons of highexplosives were time andagain In danger of beingfired by the fallingembers. It was mainly afight to keep the flames

away from the big storagehouses, and out of thestruggle came victory.After the plant had

been saved from destruc-tion there was time toinvestigate the ruins ofthe gelatine plant, whereit was certain there wasnothing left of the fivehuman beings to tell thetale. Where formerlythere stood a stout build-ing for the manufactureof gelatine there onlyremained then a few

blackened ruins. Eventhe great bulkheads surrounding the works to modify the effects ofjust such an accident asoccurred to-day were top-pled over on their sides.Victims annihilatedOf the human beings

who had gone to destruc-tion a little while beforethere remained hardlyenough of their flesh foridentification. The skulls,or pieces of the skulls, ofMcCullough and Smithwere found, but that wasall. There was nothing tohelp reveal the identity oftwo of the Chinese.One person only

escaped out of the sixwho were regularlyemployed in the gelatinehouse. He is HowardVeale, 18 years old, sonof Sheriff Veale of ContraCosta County. Veale'sescape was nothing shortor miraculous and heowes his life to a prem-Continued on page 13

2870 Pinole Valley RoadPinole, CA 94564(510) 758-9462

7 a.m. – 10 p.m.every day

2401 SAN PABLO AVENUE, PINOLE, CA 94564

730 Crestview DrivePinole, CA 94564

(510) 724-4500(510) 724-3913

cell (510) [email protected]

Postcard of California Powder Works.

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Historic Pinole: 1904 Explosion Killed Five WorkersContinued from page 12

nition that there wouldbe an accident today.Just before the explosionVeale was suddenlyseized with the convic-tion that the plant wouldbe blown up. Then hesaid to McCullough, whowas foreman of the plant:“It don't look good tome. She's going to blowup.”With these words Veale

left the place and ranbehind the bulkheadsfifty feet away. He hadnot any more than gotbehind them and thrownhimself on the groundwhen the explosioncame. Timbers landed onall sides of the youth, buthe escaped altogetherunhurt.The body of a Chinese,

thought to be that of AhHung, was found somedistance from the sceneof the ruin, which showsthat he, too, sought safe-ty from the impendingdisaster. He might have

escaped had he hiddenhimself behind the bulk-heads, but he went inanother direction, wherethere was no protectionat all.Cause of explosionJohn Bermingham,

superintendent of theCalifornia Powder Works,gave out an authorizedstatement covering allthe details of the explo-sion, including also ahazard as to its cause.He attributes' it to theprobability that in lower-ing the mixer paddlesinto the mixer the work-men allowed it to dropupon the rubber buffers

too violently and theelasticity of the rubberallowed the mixer tostrike the bottom withsuch force as to ignitethe explosive.McCullough, together

with Veale, was engagedin preparing a hoist forthe mixer, which hadbeen sent to the machineshop only yesterday.Veale told the officers

of the plant afterwardthat when he saw McCul-lough lower the shaft intothe machine he becamefrightened and ran out ofthe house. It is estimatedthat there were some300 pounds of nitroglyc-

erin in the mixer at thetime it exploded.No larger amount is

allowed to be mixed inthe house at one time onaccount of the dangerinvolved in its making.Fortunately, the finishedpowder in the giant pow-der building that wasburned had just beenremoved to the magazineand all that remained init was some mixed stuffthat did not explode.Coroner Curry has

taken charge of theremains of the victims ofthe accident and willprobably hold an inqueston Monday next. Thefunerals of the white menwill be held on Mondaytoo. Both of them weremembers of the Masonicorder, and McCulloughwas a Knight of Pythiasbesides. McCullough leaves a

wife and two children tomourn his loss. He was30 years old and a nativeof California. Smith's onlyrelatives are a motherand sisters, living atNorth Beach in San Francisco. He was 27years old and was bornin California.

* * *Editor’s note: This

article is from the California Digital Newspaper Collection,Center for BibliographicStudies and Research,University of California,Riverside http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cdnc.These articles about

Pinole are featuredweekly on Pinole Patch(pinole.patch.com). We thank Pinole Patch Editor Rob Shea for pre-serving and promotingthe history of Pinole.

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Name ______________________________

Address ____________________________

City __________________

State __ Zip ______

Phone ( ) _____________________

E-mail _____________________________

# of Pinole books @ $27 ______

# of Hercules books @ $27 ______

# of Richmond books @ $27 ______

# of El Sobrante books @ $27 ______

# of El Cerrito books @ $27 ______

# of Crockett books @ $25 ______

# of Rodeo books @ $25 ______

# of Martinez books @ $25 ______

# of Port Costa books @ $25 ______

TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED $___________(includes sales tax and postage)

Please mail your check for the total amount due,

payable to Pinole Historical Society, to:PINOLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

P.O. BOX 285PINOLE, CA 94564

Images ofAmerica

ORDER FORMFOR ALLBOOKS

LOCAL HISTORYBOOKS AVAILABLEFROM PHS

he Pinole Historical Societystocks Arcadia books aboutHercules, Richmond, El

Sobrante, El Cerrito, Crockett, Rodeo,Martinez, and Port Costa. And, ofcourse, we have plenty of Pinolebooks.

You may purchase one or more ofthese books from us at the PinoleFarmers’ Market—we’re there everyother Saturday through the end ofDecember.

Pinole, Hercules, Richmond, ElSobrante, and El Cerrito books are$24, including 8.75% sales tax.

Crockett, Rodeo, Martinez, and PortCosta books are $22, including 8.75%sales tax.

You may order one or more by mailand we’ll ship them to you. Send yourorder to Pinole Historical Society,P.O. Box 285, Pinole, CA 94564.

Mail prices, including sales tax andpostage are: Pinole, Hercules, Rich-mond, El Sobrante, and El Cerrito:$27; Crockett, Rodeo, Martinez, andPort Costa: $25

T

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15

CUSTOM-WRITTEN AND DESIGNED NEWSLETTERSFOR COMPANIES, NON-PROFITS AND ASSOCIATIONS

ESTABLISHED 1981

PHONE: 510/724-9507FAX: 510/741-8698E-MAIL: [email protected]: www.TheNewsletterGuy.com

The NewsleTTer Guy®

JEFF RUBIN1517 Buckeye CourtPinole, CA 94564

Paula Harvey Christina IsleyJanine Smith Carol CarpenterSusan Burch Liz Tharpe

TOP FLOOR SALONFull-Service Salon

Skin & Spa Treatments Color-Coded CosmeticsRelax & Rejuvenate Makeovers

1690 San Pablo Ave., Suite EPinole, CA 94564 (510) 741-1150

Tiep Vo(Kelley Nails)

50 years ago — 1962

NEW ADVERTISERShe PHS thanks all of its advertisers fortheir support and welcomes these newadvertisers:— Planchon Roofing— Prestige Realty (Jojo Soriano)

T

January 1: The United States Navy SEALs are activated. SEAL Team One is commissioned in thePacific Fleet and SEAL Team Two in the Atlantic Fleet.February 20: United States astronaut John Glenn

orbits Earth three times.March 1: The S. S. Kresge Company opens its first

Kmart discount store in Garden City, Michigan.June 25: The United States Supreme Court rules

that mandatory prayers in public schools are unconstitutional.July 2: The first Walmart store, then known as

Wal-Mart (which is still the corporate name), opens forbusiness in Rogers, Arkansas.July 9: American artist Andy Warhol premieres his

Campbell's Soup Cans exhibit in Los Angeles.August 5: Marilyn Monroe dies from an overdose

of sleeping pills and chloral hydrate, officially ruled a

"probable suicide." However, the exact cause of herdeath has been disputed.August 10: Marvel Comics publishes Amazing

Fantasy#15, which features the first publishedappearance of the superhero character of Spider-Man,created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

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16

PinoleHistoricalSociety2012 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

PLEASE PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION,AND SEND CASH OR YOUR CHECK, TO PINOLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY,

P.O. BOX 285, PINOLE, CA 94564

Business ($50)Sustaining ($500)

AMOUNT ENCLOSED:[ ] Cash $________[ ] Check $________

Date paid: ________________________

MEMBERSHIPS ARE FOR THE 2012 CALENDAR YEAR (EXCEPT LIFETIME MEMBERSHIPS)

(PINOLE RESIDENCY NOT REQUIRED FOR MEMBERSHIP)

Name __________________________________

Address ________________________________

City ___________________State __ Zip ______

Phone ( ) ______________________

E-mail__________________________________

CIRCLE ONE: Annual ($30)Life ($150)Dave Vida

(510) 517-7831

Joni Vasquez(510) 685-2162

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