The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-05-14 00:00:00

DREADFUL STORY.

Daring the drilling of an oil mill at Tidione, Penn-
sylvania, recently, a sudden rush of oil, at the rate of
70 barrels an hour, took plate, the stream ascending 41
feet above the surface of the ground. Above this mass
of oil the gas or benxine robe in • cloud, for 50 or 60
feet. All the Area in the *Pleb Tonnthnnti
amen), extinguished, excepting one 400 yards' distance.
The fire from this ignited the floating gas, and in •
moment the whole air was in roaring dames. As soon
as the gas took fire the bead of the jet of oil was in •
furious blaze, and falling like water from a fountain
over a space 100 feet in diameter, each drop of oil Came
down a blazing globe of boiling oil. Instantly the
ground was in • name, constantly increased and amp
mented by the falling oil. At once • scene of nide.
scritiable horror took place. Scores were thrown fiat,
and for a distance of 20 feet, and numbers horribly
burnt, rushing blazing from the place of misfortune,
shrieking and screaming in their anguish. Just within
the circle of the flames could be seen four bodies boiling
in the seething oil, and one man who had been digging ,
&ditch to convey away the oil to slower part of the
ground was killed as be dog, and could be seen, as be
fell over the handle of the spade, roasting in the
fierce element. Mr. H. IL Rouse, a gentleman largely
interested in wells in this locality, and whose income
from them amounted to 1,000 dolls. a-day, was standing
near the pit and WWI blown 20 feet by the explosion.
He got up and lan about 10 or 15 feet further, and
was dragged out bytwo men, and conveyed to • shanty
some distance from the well. When be arrived note
vestige of clothing was left upon him but his stockings
and boots. His hair was burnt off, as well as his finger
nails, his ears, and his eyelids, while the balls of his
eyes were crisped up to nothingness. In this condition
be lived nine hours. Mr. Rouse, immediately after
the calamity occurred, despatched a man for an.offleer,
and made his will, in which it is stipulated that 50,000
dohs. be given to the poor of his county, 200 to each of
the two men who rescued him from the fire, ke. He
died, however, without sieuing the wilL Six other
persons were immediately killed, whose names are not
known. In addition, there are the skeletons of flee
others visible withinl the circle of the Bellies, and as
many are missing—strangers, who came to witness the
Operation of the well, it is supposed that a number of
others have been burnt to • powder close to the
mouth of the well. Some 34 were seriously ir.jured,
besides others slightly. At the time of the explosion,
anything in the neighbourhood—GO or 70 rods—took
fire, and shanties, derricks, enginebouses, and dwellings
were at once involved in flames. The boiler of Dobb
well, 80 rods from the original fire, blow up with a tre-
mendous explosion, killing instantly the engineer,
Wesley Skinner, adding another intensity to the even-
ing's horrors. Al this time the whole air was on fire.
The jet of oil rushing up 401 t. was almost • pillar of
livid game, while the gss above it, to the distance of
100 ft., was flashing, exploding, dashing towards the
heavens, and apparently licking the clouds with its
furious tongues of heat. All this time, during this
treumudons combatiom, the sounds of the. explosions
and burnings were so tremendous and continuous that
they could be compared to nothing but the rushing of •
hurricanethe
w. so iac. t
or throughatornadno
an could approach
' heatwithin
h htf,
150 feet without scorching their skin or garments. It
was the most frightful, and yet the grandest pyrotech-
nical display ever vouchsafed to a human being. On
Friday morning the oil was still rushing up, on fire,
with the same regularity and speed, throwing, it was
cmleulated, at least 100 barrels an hour, covering an
immense space with flaming oil—a loss to the proprie-
tors ef she well of from 20,000 dols. to 25,000 daily.
No human pater can extinguish the flame., and the
oil must burn until the well is exhausted. No pen can
describe its fierceness, no tongue can describe the mag-
nitude of its horrors. The following wells, with
machinery were burned, with the accompanying esti-
mated loss of oil :—Wadsworth's well, 300 barrels
daily; Dobb's well, 250 barrels daily; Van Andon's
well, 100 barrels daily, T. Morisse. well, 250 barrels
daily; Hawley and derrick's well, about 2,500 burets
dinly.—Befalo Courier.