The Raiders from 790C
by George Chevalier

Permit me to relate a couple of nefarious escapades pulled off by the 790C Modelers. We found out that the Worselys over in Union Oil Quarters on Sosa Hill over looking La Boca Rd. had a concession to supply roasted Peanuts to the YMCA etc. The house being up on stilts the ovens for roasting said peanuts was under the house. In broad daylight with no one home we swooped down on the oven and the raid was a success but the peanuts were not for they were still half raw. We never went back ! The other was making gunpowder and while I don't remember the exact ratio of ingredients it consisted of potassium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal. The first two items we purchased in the storehouse and the other we liberated. After mixing we tightly wrapped a pile of it in newspaper which was placed on a flat rock with another flat rock on top. You now stood back and lobbed another rock on to the pile which produced a loud explosion, lots of black smoke and the zing of a lot of rock shrapnel. Realizing the risk in this we sought other uses. At that time there was no USO, ELKS or Court buildings on La Boca Rd. so we hid in the grass and placed these packets on the Tram Car tracks. This of course resulted in a very loud explosion with a huge cloud of black smoke and the screams of La Boca House wives imploring the Lord to save their Souls. The tram never stopped ,just keep chugging along. The Balboa Police Station may have still been in the old wooden building over in front of the then BHS. And so we faded back to headquarters under 790C.