The Giant Powder Company was an
explosives
An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...
manufacturing company which operated from the mid 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, located in the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
of California. The Giant Powder Company was the first company in the United States to produce
dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germa ...
under an exclusive license from
Alfred Nobel
Alfred Bernhard Nobel ( , ; 21 October 1833 – 10 December 1896) was a Swedes, Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, businessman, and Philanthropy, philanthropist. He is best known for having bequeathed his fortune to establish the Nobel ...
.
History
The company was incorporated in August 1867 by Julius Bandmann of San Francisco for the express purpose of manufacturing Nobel's newly-patented explosive in the United States. Bandmann immediately began construction of his factory in what was then the remote southern part of San Francisco, now
Glen Canyon Park
Glen Canyon Park is a city park in San Francisco, California. It occupies about along a deep canyon adjacent to the Glen Park, Diamond Heights, and Miraloma Park neighborhoods. O'Shaughnessy Hollow is a rugged, undeveloped tract of parklan ...
in the
Glen Park neighborhood of the city. The facility was ready by early 1868, with production commencing in March. The location of this factory is
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
as
California Historical Landmark
A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance.
Criteria
Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...
number 1002.
On November 26, 1869, an explosion destroyed the Giant dynamite factory, killing two and injuring nine people. A new facility was subsequently built at another site located in the western part of San Francisco, among the sand dunes and scrub that later became part of the
Sunset District
The Sunset District is a neighborhood located in the southwest quadrant of San Francisco, California, United States.
Location
The Sunset District is the largest neighborhood within the city and county of San Francisco. Golden Gate Park forms the ...
(in the vicinity of today's Kirkham, Ortega, 20th, and 32nd Avenues), but another accident destroyed that plant as well.
Plants in Albany and Berkeley
The public outcry that ensued from these two accidents prompted the Giant Powder Company to move across the bay to a more remote site in what was then
West Berkeley
West Berkeley is generally the area of Berkeley, California, that lies west of San Pablo Avenue (though sometimes it may also refer to the larger area west of Sacramento Street though this includes Westbrae, Berkeley, California, Westbrae), abutti ...
(now
Albany), between
Fleming Point Fleming Point is a rocky promontory in the U.S. state of California. It is situated in Albany, on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay. Albany Bulb is an extension of the point, having been formed in the 1960s from construction debris.
History
F ...
and
Cerrito de San Antonio (later re-named "Albany Hill"). The railroad station for the facility was named "Nobel". The Judson Manufacturing Co., whose founder and CEO Egbert Judson had acquired an interest in Giant when it was still located in San Francisco, established its chemical works adjacent to the Giant plant to supply it with the acids for manufacturing dynamite.
On April 15, 1880, another accidental explosion occurred killing many workers and several visitors. The company then instituted more stringent safety measures, including the planting of eucalyptus trees atop the adjacent hill to act as a buffer for surrounding communities. During the 1880s, Giant decided to start manufacturing its own acids, creating a rift with partner Judson who then left the company and formed his own in 1890, the Judson Explosives and Powder Company. He constructed his own facility nearby, on the northwest side of the Cerrito de San Antonio.
On July 9, 1892, an explosion occurred on the Giant property which killed all the workers on site, and caused damage to the nearby Judson site. The blast was widely felt, shattering windows for miles around, including those on the
campus of the University of California. The facility was entirely destroyed. Judson sued Giant for its damages and won.
Point Pinole explosives plant
In 1892,
[ the Giant Powder Company moved once again, this time to Sobrante near ]Point Pinole
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline is a regional park on the shores of the San Pablo Bay, California (the northern arm of the San Francisco Bay), in the United States. It is approximately in area, and is operated by the East Bay Regional Park Dis ...
, northwest of San Pablo (Sobrante should not be confused with nearby El Sobrante, California). The company town of Giant, Richmond, California
Giant (formerly, Nitro) was an unincorporated community, now within Point Pinole Regional Shoreline, and annexed to Richmond in Contra Costa County, California. It lies at an elevation of 23 feet (7 m).
History
The town of Nitro—Giant was establ ...
was established by 1895.
In 1904, two men were killed in an explosion at the plant.
In 1907, two men were killed and many injured in an explosion at the plant.
In 1915, the Giant Powder Company was acquired by the Atlas Powder Company
Atlas Powder Company was an American explosives and chemicals company. It was one of the two companies that emerged out of a court-ordered breakup of the explosives monopoly of Du Pont Powder Company, the explosives and gunpowder company founded ...
. Atlas, as well as the Hercules Powder Company
Hercules, Inc. was a chemical and munitions manufacturing company based in Wilmington, Delaware, United States, incorporated in 1912 as the Hercules Powder Company following the breakup of the DuPont explosives monopoly by the U.S. Circuit ...
, had been formed in 1912 as part of the settlement of the court-ordered breakup of the DuPont
DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...
Corporation's explosives monopoly. The new management implemented more rigorous safety measures.
Giant's production facility remained at Point Pinole for decades without any further serious accidents, although there were a few incidents. Giant produced a wide variety of explosives for commercial and military uses until 1960. The area where explosives were manufactured was named "Nitro" while the nearby company town was called "Giant". The area is still shown on maps as "Giant", and a principal thoroughfare through the area is called "Giant Highway".Google Maps - Giant and vicinity
/ref> The site of the Giant Powder Company at Point Pinole Regional Shoreline
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline is a regional park on the shores of the San Pablo Bay, California (the northern arm of the San Francisco Bay), in the United States. It is approximately in area, and is operated by the East Bay Regional Park Dis ...
is a California Historical Landmark
A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance.
Criteria
Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...
, number 1002-1, marked with a monument and plaque.[ California Historical Landmarks in Contra Costa County.]
On May 31, 1961, shortly after the Atlas Powder Company closed its Giant facility, it changed its name to Atlas Chemical Industries, Inc. as it started to move away from producing explosives. On July 21, 1971, Atlas was purchased by Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) was a British chemical company. It was, for much of its history, the largest manufacturer in Britain.
It was formed by the merger of four leading British chemical companies in 1926.
Its headquarters were at M ...
Limited (UK) and became its American affiliate under the name ICI Americas Inc.
See also
* California Powder Works
California Powder Works was the first American explosive powder manufacturing company west of the Rocky Mountains. When the outbreak of the Civil War cut off supplies of gunpowder to California's mining and road-building industries, a local manufac ...
References
{{reflist
''Pierre S. Du Pont and the Making of the Modern Corporation'', by Alfred Dupont Chandler & Stephen Salsbury, 1971, Harper & Row
"Point Pinole in the late 1800s and the first half of the 20th century was the site of the dynamite-making Giant then Atlas Powder Co. — and some disastrous explosions", Nilda Rego, ''The Mercury News'', November 1, 2012
External links
"Giant Powder Company", FoundSF
Photo of Southern Pacific Nobel station
(Contra Costa Historical Society)
Photo of the nitroglycerine mixing house at Nitro, Point Pinole
(Contra Costa Historical Society)
Albany's Explosive History with Dynamite, Part I, ''Albany Patch''
Albany's Explosive History with Dynamite, Part II, ''Albany Patch''
American companies established in 1867
Explosives manufacturers
Manufacturing companies based in San Francisco
Companies based in Contra Costa County, California
19th century in San Francisco
19th century in Berkeley, California
History of Contra Costa County, California
1867 establishments in California
Defunct manufacturing companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area
Manufacturing companies established in 1867
Disasters in California