The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-07-31
leN ACRES OF FIRE
Fearful Oil ConAagration at
ns. Hunters Point.
aiao1a3ni so
LAND AND WATER ABLAzE.
Nearly Forty Thousand Barrels
@ of Oil Destroyed.
,.r,etrifs o-->---- SOD Iiits
HEAVY LOSSES IN SHIPPING.
A Bark, Two Brigs Three Canal Boats, Two
Lighters and Two ScOws Burned.
THE ELEMENTS IN CONFLICT
Heroic Conduct of the Police Boat
and Revenue Cutters.
. STs''77 81 e -. :. e: .lEs
Burning Vessels Cut Out and
Swamped.
A FIRE RAFT ADRIFT.
Narrow Escape of the Village
of Port Morris.
A Tempest of Flame and Heaven
of Smoke.
Scenes and Incidents Of the
Fire.
PROBABLE LOSS $1,000, 900.
Narrow Escape of the Village
of Port Morris.
A Tempest of Flame and a Heaven
of Smoke.
Scenes and Incidents Of the
Fire.
PROBABLE LOSS $1,000, 900.

The greatest COnhagratiOn that has ever marked
the history Of Hunters Point originated yesterday
morning, about q quarter before eleven O'Clock, ON
board canal boat lying at one of the piers Of the
Standard Oil Refining Company As most New
Workers are well aware, Hunters Point Is located
nearly opposite Sixteth street, East River, the
Long leland Shore and is the great entrepot of the
oil trade Of the port OF New York. Here are
carried on the refining and shipment of Pc
trOleum on q scale covering millions upon millions
Of dollars annually, and the entire town is devoted
TO the trade In oil. 1t has many times been visited
by fires OF more or less destructive nature but the
connagratien Of yesterday exceeds all past expert
ences OF the kind. -rtf
The fire originated in the hold close to the cabin
OF the canal boat In question, the of which
eel, however, could not be learned. She was lying
on the north side OF the canal pier, and conse-
auently on the upper or northery side of
the Standard OIL Company's works. A steady wind
was blowing at the time nom about north-north-
west, and as q consequence the whole oil yard and
the buildings situated thereon, lying as they were
to the south Of the initial point Of connagration,
were In the pathway Of the flames. The CON-
pany's docks cover river front of not less
than three hundred yards, and there were
lying at the piers at the time the fire
commenced about eighteen vessels of all kinds.
Among these were nine seagoing vessels, loaded
and about to load for European ports; six or seven
canal boats, with Oil brought mainly from Buffalo,
and some two or three lighters and scows. 1t so
happened that the canal boat on which the fire
broke ont was the most northerly Of all these YES
sells, and was herself lying outside of an empty
lighter and was about to unload on to the
pier over the decks Of the latter vessel
All ofthese oil-carrying vessels became more or
less saturated with OIL and as soon as
THE FIRE HAD BROKEN OFT
II leaped among the barrels and almost imme-
tiately spread throughout the entire hold of the
boat. The few hands employed on board fed to the
dock, and In an instant the barrels below were
bursting one after another, sending out
streams Of name and clouds of black
smoke. Before any one could summon presence
Of mind enough to get the boat fairly adrft
the flames reached the pier and then the work of
devastation commenced. The pier was covered by
large storage shed, containing at the time $1,000
barrels of oil. In five minutes from the time the
FIRST cry OF fire was raised the shed was vast
furnace OF lurid flames, and five minutes later the
entire superstructure came down with roaring
crash. Fifty feet from this shed was another
storehouse, containing about ten thousand barrels
Of OIL and a perfect sea Of burning liquid rolled
from the first shed into this building. Then fol-
lowed another terrific scene Of exploding barrels
followed by steady, rolling stream Of flame that
crept along the ground with suphurous front Of
fire and an awful crest OF smoke towering nky and
dense into the air.
Nearly al the vessels were instantly cut OF from
the shore by =. :-.:.sy-- 10y !.
WILDERNESS OF wnEArHING FIRE,
and their only hope was in cutting adrift. On the
north side OF the pier close to the canal boat the
brig ROslyn, OF Nova Scotia, lay at her moorings,
and at the end of the same pier within hand.
spike length Of this vessel, was the bark Eddie,
British vessel, twO-thirds loaded with OIL At the
stern of the Eddie lay the bark Elpis
said to he a Norwegian craft, with nearly
full cargo on beard. These three
vessels being nearest to the incendary canal boat
were doomed. There was no time to cast of or cut
snoorings, no time to hoist sail, and their crews
ned along the piers southwark or took to the boats
The remaining half dozen sea-going ships had few
minutes grace, and cast OF their hawsers: and
inst then gallant little tug-boat which chanced to
he passing at the time, steamed swiftly in and towcd
out the, two most mperilled vessels, and turned
them sdrift in the stream. BY this time the other
vessels had been blown to the south Of the docks
ana were out of danger, and, in company with a
schooner and half n dozen scows and canal boats,
''hteo over TO the New York shore, where they
c'nstere" together In group In haven Of safety.
Al Instance OF 100 feet from the large shed and
10 the westward OF the river front were located
four large iron cylindrical tanks, each containing
from three to four thousand barrels OF oil, and a
tank containing about three hundred ana INV
barrels of naphtha. AS the names from the '
FIELD OF BURNING OIL
on the piers swept into the air they were
carried over the tops OF two OF the most
southerly OF these tanks and the oil mt once
became lgnited. Then these two vast cauirons
blazed forth from their SUBMITS, and sent long
waving streamers of fire through the black heaven
ofsmoke which eno0mpassed them, and the scene
became terribly grand. In the course OF hair an
hour there wasa sea OF fire raging over an area of
probably ten acres or ground, eating away the
!oundstions OF the buildings, leapng through
uc ueg1n3 ana spars OF the ships,
pouring oyer the edges of the piers
IKE vesuv1an lava cataracts. and floating ont on
sbe surface fMe river. still further to the west
ware 5000 large brick building In which IL Is
SAD there are stored over TWENTY-FIVE thousand
barrels or oil. On the side OF this building nearest
80 the river were the shops where very Consider
able part OF the process OF refining is carried on
Sno here was located more valuable machinery