The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1881-07-09
DAILY INTELLIGENCER,
Saturday, July 9. 1881.
TERROR OF THE OIL REGIONS.

BRADFORD. Pa June 5.-Tbe return
of the season Of thuuderstorms always
brings with it feeling Of uneasiness IN
the oil regions. Scattered abont the
great petroleum producing field there
are probably 1000 iron tanks, in each
one of which are stored from 10000 to
40. 200 barrels Of crude oil. Many Of
them are situated in the midst of pop
ulous towns and cities. 1t is not in
the fact that the tanks are made of iron
that the danger of lightning strokes
arises. Evaporation of the oil confined
in them produces 8 vspor that rises and
hovers above them. and becomes Q per-
petaal attraction to the electric fluid.
The protection of tanks against light
ing is q problem that scientific men
have been for years lsboripg to solve.
A fortune awaits the man who shall de-
wise q plan TO prevent or lessen the
damage that is annually caused by
lightning in the oil regions. The Unit
ed Pipe Line Company, which owns
nearly ell the iron tanks in the oil
country, is attaching to 9 number of
its tanks an appliance by which chemi-
cal action may be instantly brought to
bear on the cloud of smoke which forms
between the surface of the oil and the
roof of tank when it is set on fire.
This. it is claimed. will render the pres
ence of flame impossible, and will les.
sen the number of oil 6res. No demon
strstion of the value of the extinguisher
has been made. but if its action is sat-
isfactory. it will be a Go1-send to the
oil country.
Last season during the great oil fire
at Titusville when tank after tank was
belching is volumes of fame, q specta-
tor suggested that by firing a cannon
ball through the side of tank, near
the bottom, before the oil boiled over
the top. the oil might be drawn out
and the spread of the conAagration
stopped. A piece of ordnance was at
once procured and the experiment
tried. 1t was successful. Several
tanks were drawn off in this way. and
the destruction of great part of Tt
tusville was prevented. Now the Pipe
Line Company has q large cannon,
ready for use at an instant's notice,
fixed in position at all tanks where q
fire would jeopardize contiguous prop.
erty.
The experiment of placing light
ming rods above the tanks is being tried
this year. One hundred and fifty men
have been putting up rods. seventy feet
above the tanks.
Besides the danger that threatens
the oil regions every year from light
ming, there are other sources from
which destruction may be periodically
expected. There are over 10000 oil
wells in the various districts. They
are nearly all flowing wells. and are
constantly pouring out streams of the
most infiammable material. Pipe lines
conduct the oil in all diret tions through
the field. The ground, the buildings
highly combustible in themselves
trees, fences, and ell the surroundings
are entirely saturated with crude Pc
troleum. The puddles in the roads are
pools of oil. Oil towns generally are
compact collections Of frame buildings,
constructed without any regard TO sta.
bility or the proximity Of wells. Der
ricks rise from the very door yards,
stand in the streets. and tower above
the buildings on every side. Through
these surroundings run railroads along
which the locomotives scatter sparks
and Goals every hour in the day. Hum
dreds of natural gas wells send their
product through pipes to all the towns,
where it is used in every house fol
light and fuel, and also at the oil wells
Great pillars of flame are constantly
leaping from pipes that gave escape tc
gas from wells. and which project from
the ground on every side. Nitro glyc-
crime factories are erected at conve.
nient points In the region. and this de
structive agent is daily carted about
the country in wagons, to be used in
torpedoing new wells and increasing
the flow of old ones. The premature
explosion Of q torpedo, the alighting o.
spark from locomotive. or the i'm
prudent lighting of the natural gas in
one of the inhsmmable dwellings, il
sufficient to turn the whole country FOL
miles around into sea of deyourine
; flame.
Forest fires are another source o.
danger in this peculiarly situated
country, and during the spring
bodies of men are kept constantly
watching the woods to prevent fire,
from spreading. Last year hundred
OF tanks. well buildings. and over $780,,
600 barrels of oil were consumed by
fires 10 the woods. The oil towns OF
Oil Center. Otter City. Morrisburg anc
Middsghville and the whole of Tran
Hollow were destroyed by forest firel
caused by q spark from locomotive. A
woman turned the gas on in her stow,
ct Rixford while the fires above men,
toned were still raging. When sh'
lighted it an explosion followed. TIL,
city was swept by fire. only two OF
three buildings escaping. Every oil
well was burned, together with no..
600 barrels Of oil. BY the premature
explosion OF torpedo at Reed City 9
FIRE resulted which left nothing of the
town standing, and consumed 500 oil
well rigs" aud 100. 900 barrels of oil
In May and June of last year 500, 00(
barrels of oil. 500 iron tanks, and sew
eral reineries and Q large amount of
, other property were destroyed by fires
. started by lightning.
The oil regions are cut up by deer
I ravines or gullies. and the wells cove.
the sides of steep and lofty hills, as vel
IS every available rod IN the valleys
Rapid streams course through the val
leya and pour down kha maintain stfiao