The New York herald., 1877-12-18
AN OIL FIRE.
TWO COAL OIL TRAINS COLLIDE ON THE ERIE
RAILROAD, AT PATERSON AND SET THE TOWN

TWO COAL OIL TRAINS COLLIDE ON THE ERIE
RAILROAD, AT PATTERSON AND SET THE TOWN
ON FIRE-PRopERTY DESTROYED AND PEo-
PIE INJURED.
An unprecedented connagration occurred in the city
OF Paterson, j., yesterday evening The Erie Rail-
way runs through the Third ward on q high cmDank-
ment where Straight under tho track.
About ha-past seven two coal oil cars. holding 100
gallons cacn coIiied The journal Of OF the cars
was on fire. rne collision broke one OF the tanks and
the oil took fro and ran down the bank among tho
houses barns, stream Of liquid fire. 1t followed
the course OF an old brook and went with the
speed OF lightning. Edward Conness' barn, ON
Straight street, was instantly enveloped IN
flames and soon destroyed large frame house
worth 50 900, belonging TO Leonard Norman, was next
caught destroyed, with all the contents. the
inmates barely escaping widow named Mrs. sher-
lock, the upper floor lost all her furniture. Two
hundred yards down. the opposite SIDE of the street,
the frame houses Of S. Rider (two houses), Edward
Connolly Thomas Lewis and others, occupied by fam
lies named Dcnnennen, Labaux, John Ryan and
otuers, destroyed. Halt mile furtner down the
brook wnere 1t emptics into river, the nre flowed
and destroyed the barn o 5, NJ. Brants, and
alarm undea, but the aremen were almost pow
eriess Fortunately the wind was blowing IL direc-
ton toward sparsey settled section, otherwise the
whole city ight have been destroyed.
CATASTROPHE.
The second coal tank burst about eight O'CLOCK and
flowed down like prairie on fire, but was in
jured despite tho stampede Thinking that the dan
ger over, and not knowing that there another
coal oil car on the track, the crowd gathered nearer
until at quarter past eight they were scattered by
most startling accident The third oil exploded
Such = sight before IN Paterson. Inc
confined gasses, when released from their ironbound
confinement. burst upward presenting an awful spec
taclc. solid mass o flame, hundred yards In dia-
meter, new upward, twrng and squ'rming, to the
extent OF fully mile The heat was so intense that
1t blisered the paint OF the houses nearly mile oil,
and people had to turn their faces from the heat.
PANC-sTRICKEN CROWD
There we're 200 people standing around and fear
full stampede occurred with yelling, shrcking, howl
ing, cursing. Women tainted and men fell 1t is re-
ported thai several legs and arms we're broken by
being over, but owing to tho confusion no names
could obtained, except that OF Judge
Warrcn the City Recorder, who was run over and
badly bruised and narrowly escaped with his life 1t
is feared that serious results will be heard OF
after the excitement is over. Among the casualties
reported Is James Ellison, who was severely hurt
by falling through the bridge.
Westward bound Erie travel was open. but eastward
was not TIL nearly morning The hre got under
control at early hour but not before the flmIng
oil ran down the river and set lire 10 the gasworks'
dock; there the conaagraton was extingushed with
out damage Twenty or thirty trains were waiting at
time TO geL through the place of disaster.