Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-04-27
COAL OIL BURNED.
six Thousand BarreIs of Crude OIL burned
in CleSeIand-.Iscss $4,000.
att least
From the Cleveland Herald, April III

From the Cleveland Herald, April 14l
The huge column of black smoke that
rose from the vicinity of Central Wav and
the Atlantic and Great Western Railway.
about eight o'clock Wednesday morning,
was occasioned by the catching on fire OF
four tank-cars of petroleum and of the ad-
jacent receiving-tanks of w. H. Doane &
Go. AT present writing-l1 A. NJ. Wednes-
day--the black volumes of smoke are seen
rolling up, for there is no such thing as ex-
tinguishing the fire, and all that can be
done is TO prevent the flames from commu-
nicating to the oil works of Westlake & Co.
Efforts are being made for this purpose by
digging bitches to prevent the flow OF oil,
and by all other conceivable precautions.
-Four tank-cars of crude oil were upon
the railway track, being discharged into
the receiving tanks, when passing loco
motive dropped fire upon the track, thus
lighting the gas arising from the oil-soal<ed
ground. The flames spread, almost like a
nash, to the tank-cars, set the oil ablaZe
and exploded them. The communication
of the flames to the nearest receiving tank
was natural result, and from this to the
other two. Such, at least, is the only plau-
sible supposition as to the origin of the fire
In the cars and tanks We're about 5000
barrels of crude oil, worth about s.. 20 per
barrel, making loss of over $50, 900 in oil,
besides loss of cars sand injury to tanks.
The loss is covered to the amount of S20, 900
by insurance.
The fire in the huge tanks continued 10
burn with scarcely abated fury during the
day, and till nearly midnight The dense
column of black smoke rolled up and dis
persed into great clouds, which hoated over
the central portion of the city, impregnat-
ing the air with noisome odors. Two
steamers remained at the fire during the
day and one at night, there being then lit
"a of filrt =, I,ft ~,
A large force of firemen and others were
constantly at work, taking every possible
precaution to avert the disastrous results
which would impend should the tanks give
way and flood of burning oil flow over
the adjacent ground.
Between one and two o'clock in the af-
ternoon a sad accident occurred A pipe
leading to one of the tanks exploded and
the blazing contents were thrown over
number of the fremen who were on duty
at that point. Edward Delaney, captain
of the hosemen of steamer No. 2, was terri
bly, burned about the face, neck and hands
and upon portions of the body. VIM. NJ.
Humphrey, hoseman of the same COM
pany, was also badly burned similarly to
the other, although with less severity.
First Assistant Engineer Bennett had his
whiskers spoiled and few blisters upon
the face, narrowly escaping serious injury.
Delaney and Humphrey were taken in
carriages to their homes, the former on
Fulton and the latter on Hichox street. and
everything possible was done for their re-
lief, At a late hour Wednesday evening,
Delaney was in critical condition, fears
of fatal result being entertained. HUM
phrey was comfortable, and, although suf-
fiering severely, will probably be all right
in few days.
The amount of loss will probably be fully
as great as said above. 1t was stated in the
afternoon that the amount of oil in the
tanks would reach 5000 barrels. The fire
burns in such cases until the last drop of
oil is consumed, it being simply impossible
to extinguish it.