The New York herald., 1874-07-12
THE GREAT OIL FIRE.
A Scene of Terrible Grandeur
in WeehaWken.
A Pail of Dense Smoke Extend
ing for Miles.
The Oil Tanks Still AbiaZe-The
Story in Detail.

site fhlrty-i0urth street, New YORK, wbfcn were
struck by lightning on Friday evening. continued
to burn all night and all day yesterday. The Oil
yard has been established for eleven years, and was
once before visited by similar calamity about two
years ago. The yard contained about sixteen
tanks, twelve OF which were niled with crude oil.
The four tanks containing refined oil were very
small, 30 that 1t was almost exclusively crude oil
which has been consumed py fire. The tanks be-
longed to the Erie Railway but the greater part OF
the oil was stored for A. Keyhart No. 81 william
street, and Cast Hye, No. 80 william street. The
refined Oil was stored for the STANDARD OH Com
pany in this city.
The history OF the terrible connagratton can be
told in a few words. The first tank which was
struck by she thunderbolt was on fire an hour. The
names finally extinguished, but not until they
had set fire to the next tank. Meanwhile strong
efforts had been made to save some of the oil in
the first tank; pumps were put to work and 5000
barrels per hour were pumped into another tank.
About third OF the oil In the first tank had been
saved when 1t was discovered that
THE SECOND TANK WAS ON FIRE.
This was at eight O'Clock on Friday evening
The excitement at that time was intense. The oil
yard employs about 500 men. who have their dwell
ings in the Immediate vicinity. Several rows Of
wooden cottages are within stones throw OF the
tanks The poor laborers' families who live there
were seated at their tables partaking Of their
frugal suppers when the first shock OF the explo-
sion struck upon their ear. At first nobody knew
what 1t was Some women were 90 paralyzed by
the awful shock that they were unable to rise
from their seats and could only gasp -God have
mercy upon sr' "what Is itP" one woman cried
.is 1t an earthquake9 For Gods sake, what is itsn
AT last the answer came. weird light ilumi-
mated the heavens. and vast sheet OF name shot
up high into the air before them. They could see
loo vhoti Tho lar oil torr hoA hoo0
struck by the lightning and was abaze. Every
body rushed out. Amidst the incessant confusion
the alarm was given, and the engines came. But
wnen the second tank was set on fire the people
were afraid that their dwellings would soon
BE REACHED BY THE FLAMES.
So they proceeded to move their furniture out
into the fields while the rain came down In tor
rents and the thunder pealed their heads
and the flashes of lightning made the women and
children scream with terror. IL was an awful
scene, and It's horrors were augmented By the silly
and grOundless reports tnat the other tanks con-
tanned napntna and henzine. BY midnight Ave Of
the southerly tanks were on fire, and hundreds OF
people came from Hoboken and Jersey City to look
at the spec tacle, which was grand in the extreme
Many OF the spectators declared that they would
not forget the sight as long as they lived. The
sheets OF dame were OF immense size, and the
fierce glare OF the light could be seen for miles and
miles. At Central Park 1t plainly visible, and one
laborer, who was formerly engaged in the oil yard
| declared that he could read newspaper plainly
anywhere on Union Hill. The smoke was OF such
density that 1t seemed to wrap the whole sky in
an impenetrable black pail, and when this was
every now and then rent by the vivid flashes OF
lightning 1t all looked more like one OF the sublime
thousands remained awake all night and stood for
hours in the pouring rain 70 gaze at the awful,
Was bowea and humbed by this mantle sta ton of
the supernatural
The five tanks kept burning TIL Saturday morn
| ing, when the fire communicated itself to the iOur
other large tanks next to the bonded warehouse.
running out like sheet of fiame.n There were
! three terrific explosions ana every time the awful
| crash was heard the broad volume OF dame
leaped up as though 1t would reach the very
| heavens. reporter OF the HKRALp who was on
the scene, was repeatedly assured by ignorant
! boys OF the neighborhOod, who had evidently been
! Impressed with the grandeur Of the confagratiOn
thai 1.-The name went right up to heaven" The
house and one OF the tanks was pile of lumber
and this was also ablaze Some OF the people who
were still working in the vicinity OF the yard
escaped only by miracle. Several telegraph
| operators who were near one of the tanks dis
| flowed toward them, and fed almost speechless
with fear. A party OF labOrers on the Pennsylvania
coal dock (Which adOins the oil yard) were trying
to bring hose to bear from tngboat, when the
oil ran out under the bridge and threatened them
SPEEDY AND TERRIBLE DEATH.
! They jumped into the water. and TINS eluded the
flame. The SIX men who were blown up from one
OF the tanks on Friday evening. reported IN the
HERALD, all escaped unhurt, with the exception OF
one, who was slightly injured in the side, so that
thus Tar not human lie has been sacrinced
The tiremen OF HOboken and Weehawken did
their best to limit the flames to the tanks and
succeeded partially; but one OF the warehouses, a
brick structure, the telegraph Office the cooper
shop, engine house and pumproom were, never
theiess completely destroyed. The valuable
bridge on the adjacent coal dock OF the Pennsyl-
| vania Railroad WAS burned in the middle and had
to be cut down, and the greater part OF the dock
10 "A vaJ
at two O'Clock yesterday afternoon, but 1t had
been found quite impossible to extnguish the fire
| they were sent back with many thanks OF the Wee
hawken authorities. The ships and boats which
were moored at the dock escaped with great dlnl-
Guilty, OWING to the low tide.
THE KISSING AND ROARING
of the flames all day yesterday was not the only
ally shooting to and iro, bringing to the scene
the disaster the employees OF the Erie Railway
from neighborng points. They were TO help in
| checking the fire and saving all that could be
! saved. About 500 men, VINO were employed IN the
oil yard, are temporarily thrown out Of employ
ment, but at least one-hai were engaged yes
terday III clearing the wreck. Mr. Watson, Pres-
dent of the Erie Railway, came to witness the
connagraton, and Messrs. keyhart and Gust and
| Hye, the owners OF the oil, were also among the
spectators. Their loss will amount to nearly
the Quantity OF Oil In the tanks--and scarcely any
of 1t will be saved-at 100000 gallons,
Wona e a5ove au Sss ST
! Keyhart TOOK his loss very cooiy. lie looked
calmly at the wn W,ld ma flames and remarked @ to
! the trade.n The oil was not insured, as the in
surance companies consider It altogether too
dangerous RISK TO accept. There were two tanSs,
containing 1900 barrels (of forty gallons
eachl, two Of $4,000 barrels, three Of 10000,
one Of 5000, and the other tanks contained
| smaller quantities. The tanks were circular
structures buit OF sheets OF iron from to 10 lees
! long, az ieet wide, and from q to Lilo inch thick
| The 1--WE which burned first rested on foundations
OF spies the four others on stone. Mr.. Hill esti-
mates the loss on the tanks, the buildings aud the
! damage to the dock
AT HALF MILLION OF DOLLARS
| They were only insured for about 800 OOO but he
| unable 10 state IN what companies. The tanks
and all the other burned structures will be rebuilt
| at once the requisite timber having been already
ordered. Thus many OF the iaporers win be en-
ployed next week.
Terrible and nefaby grand as the con1agratton
was 1t had, ike every great calamity, asv, It's
humorous side. We shah only mention one out OF
GnmlHal nj vi uar II a