Twenty-six people died and fifteen were injured in the worst accident the harbor has ever seen. Phineas Banning's steamer, the Ada Hancock, exploded and left only seven on board uninjured.
The Banning Museum: Video
General Phineas Banning
Phineas Banning was a visionary with tremendous energy and love for the multi-ethnic Southern California area. He played a pivotal role in the development of one of this country's great cities. Banning was instrumental in building the Port of Los Angeles, constructing the first breakwater and dredging the harbor. He ran an extensive network of stage and freight routes that connected the nascent port east to San Bernardino and south to Fort Yuma.
