Captain MacBride was in charge of the squad, Chief Gunner Adamson placed the charges and the third gunner set them off.
They were ordered to save San Francisco, and they obeyed orders, and Captain MacBride and his two gunners made history on that dreadful night.
Captain MacBride's dynamiting squad had realized that a stand was hopeless except on Van Ness Avenue, their decision thus coinciding with that of the authorities.