Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1873-11-26

Last Saturday morning, about Z O'Clock,
spark from 10 comotive set dre to a coal
oil truck car, Of a freight train, eastward
bound, when about mil es west of Thomp-
sentown station On the I" truck was an
oil tank, the capacity Of which was three
to four thousand gallons of oil. As soon
as the fire was discovered the car was cut
from the train and the authorities at this
station informed Of the trouble. A party of
employees, numbering, between fifty and
an hundred mea were speedily sent to re-
move the obstruction fr ON the track, by a
rnodss operandi familiar to railroad men,
truck aad all was showed of the track to
the mountain side Of the road. The tank
lodged on the bank, about S fee below the
be ID OF the road and lay para.el To the
track. oil was escaping from numerous
little crevices in the tank and Ted q con
stant hainc about it; volumes of gas were
rushing from larger openings in the top,
and the whole appearance of the tank sug-
gested the thought OF an explosion. Sud-
denly it took place, with such force that
men, the nearest Of whom were about forty
feet from it, could not stand but were COM
PEELED to turn and run, q number were
blown down Fat en- tn. ground. The vol
utn of oil sped upwards at an angle that
passed il far above the heads of the men,
if it had passed outward along the ground
every man would have been killed, Instant
ly. A sheet of burning oil was thrown
over, and far beyond house that stood
one hundred yards away towards the noun
tain, and SO alarmed the inmates that they
ran out screaming lire. People on the op-
posits side Of the ri, er say that the flames
sped sky-ward i've hundred feet, to the
hUight Of the mountain. There was a per-
| feet shower Of hot oil, ON some men it fell
with blaze setting ire to their cloths, of
this number was Lloyd Cramer, a youth
10 years OF age, he received such quanti-
! ty all over his person that he vas stIhed and
fell, and beic:e assistance reached him,
which Was not for about the space of three
| minutes, he was burned 50 badly that his
lie was dispaired of by all who saw him.
As quickly as possible he was taken TO Pat
terson, and all that skill could do for him
was employed, but he gradually ssnk away
without pain till about O'Clock in the even
ing when he died. He was buried on
Monday afternoon IN the Cemetery. Geo.
Kelly who stood at Cramer's side at the
time ofthe explosion also received portion
OF the same tongue OF flaming oil that lap
ped up the life OF young Cramer, and was
also instantly in blaze, he was not how
ever thrown down. He ran speedily to the
river into which he plunged, thereby ex-
tingGishiug the fire aud saving his life.
AGam Ernest, jr-, John Kaufman, Sam ue!
Earnest. George Heinback. John Pan
nabaker. Jacob Conrad, and others whose
names We have not learned were struck by
flaming oi! and 10 greater or less degree
burned, snG their clothing set on fire, others
were struck with hot but hanelcss oil tha,
passed through their clothing and scorched
ard biisiered wherever it struck their bodie.
| About thirty men were scalded aud burrc cd
People r,iIes away saw the dash and tame.
and heard the report of the explosion.
The tank was broken crosswise about
midway from the ends, and the respec iivt
pieces lay an hundred yards apart.