ten o'clock
Oakland , San Leandro , Haywards -- all were burning ; and to the northward , clear to Point Richmond , other fires were at work . It was an awe-inspiring spectacle . Civilization , my grandsons , civilization was passing in a sheet of flame and a breath of death . At ten o'clock that night , the great powder magazines at Point Pinole exploded in rapid succession . So terrific were the concussions that the strong building rocked as in an earthquake , while every pane of glass was broken . It was then that I left the roof and went down the long corridors , from room to room , quieting the alarmed women and telling them what had happened . `` An hour later , at a window on the ground floor , I heard pandemonium break out in the camps of the prowlers .