Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1861-05-11

FRlGHTFuL EXPLOSION OF AN OIL WELL -
We have already made mention OF the explo.
sion Of an oil we'll 10 Warren county, Penn
sylvuna. We extract the following particu.
lars:
well which had been drilled two hun.
dred feet by ilawley & Merrck. had struck
oil, but the yield being less than expected
the pumping: was sbaEdOned and drilling com.
meDced. Over one hundred fe-t further we're
drilled, when at half past five on Wednesday
evening >unGen rush OF oil through the five
aud bali inch tubing threw out the drills
ard gnshed up the air forty feet above the
surface of the ground. At the least compu.
taton it was throwing from seventy to one
hundred barrels per hour. Above this mass
of oil, the gas OF benziue rose in cloud for
hFty or sixty feet. As soon as the oil com.
menccd gushing forth, all the fires Of engines
IN the neigh borhoOd were immediately extIn.
gusbed.
At about half past eleven, as n large mum.
her OF men and boys were about the well en-
gagged in saving the oil, the gas from tho we'll
which had spread in every direction, took fire
from the engine o. well over four hundred
rods distant when 10 a second the whole air
was III flame, with crash and roar like dis.
charges from park Of artillery AS soon as
The gas took dre, the head of the Jet Of oil
was in furious blaze, and failing like water
from fonntain over space one hundred feet
10 diameter, each drop come down blazing
globe of boiling oil. Instantly the ground
was flame, constantly increased and aug.
mentrd by the falling oil. At once a scene
OF indescrIoable horror took place. Scores
were thrown fiat, and for distance of 20
feet, and numbers horribly burned rushed
nyip 70 E,,l 4 Ill 6 r.
and screaming in their Anguish.
Just within the circle Of the flame could be
seen lour bodies boiling in the srething oil,
and one man, who had been digging ditch
to convey away the oil to lower part OF the
eround, was killed as he dug, and could be
seen us he fell over the handle of his spade,
roasting in the fierce element. Nj. Ii II.
Rouse, oi the firm of Rouse, Mitchell &
Brown, of the village of Euterprise, Warren
county. gentleman largely interested in
wells IN this locality, and whose income from
them amounted to & 900 day. was standing
near the pit and wus blown twenty feet by
the explosion. lie 60. up aud ran about ten
or f!ieen feet further. and was dragged out
by two men, aud conveyed to O shanty some
distance from the well. When be arrived
not vestlge OF clothing WAS left upon him
except his stockings and boots. Ills hair
was burned oil, rs well as his finger coils, his
ears aud his eyellds. while the balls of his
eyes were crisp"d up TO nothiugness. 10 this
condition he lived niue hours made his will
leaving SlOO.GOO TO the poor Of Warren
county; the same amount to repair the roads
CT Warren county, and $500 Il year to his
lather. his only living relation, Ior life. lie
Died, however, without slgupg the will.
The bodies OF five other men were recover.
ed and recognized. ln addition there are
skeletons of FIVE others visible within the
circle OF tame, and many are missing-stran.
gers who came to witness the operations Of
'he wells. 1t is supposed that q number of
others have been burnt to powder close by
The mouth Of The we'll Some thirty four
were wounded.
AT the time of the explosion everything in
the "ighhorhoOd-siXiy or seventy rods
took lire, and shanlies, drrrcks, engine hou.
ses and dwellings were at once involved in
flames The boiler Of Dobbs we'll, eighty
rods from the original well, blew up with
tremendous explosion, killing instantly the
engineer, Wesley Skinner. adding another
intensity TO The evenings horrors. At this
time the whole air was on fire. The Jet Of
oil rushing up forty feet was almost a pillar
oi !lvld Hame, while the ga. above il, to the
distance OF n hundred feet was flashing, ex.
plodlng, dashing toward the heavens, and
apparently licking the clouds with its furious
tongues OF beat Wheeling Union.