New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-05-11
d OIL WORKS IN A BLAZE.
HUGE TANKS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.
SIX LIVES lost AND PROPERTY WORTH $500,006
DESTROYED AT COMMUNIPAW

dollars worth Of property occurred yesterday morn
ing at the works and warehouses of the NatiOnaI
Docks Storage Company situated on the New-YOrk
Bay shore, between COmmunipaw and Cayan Point
The works, tanks and storage houses covered sever
al acres of ground on the mainland, and
nected by a bridge with the artificial island known
as Black Tom, which was made some years ago with
garbage and street sweepngs from New York. Tho
most conspicuous part the works were the larga
storage tanks twenty-Seven in number, each having
a capacity of from 20.000 TO 10000 barrels OF oil.
The tanks are built of brick in circular form and
have an outside casing of heavy boiler iron, with an
iron lid fitting closely. When the heavy thunder
storm was at its height, about a. m the
lightning seemed to concentrate in the vicinity
of the works if attracted by the IRON tanks. The
watchmen vino remain the premises all night
filled with alarm they saw the electric cur
rent playing about the tanks and had pre-
sentiment of impending disaster.
At $3.50 the storm increased in force and tho
flashes of lightning frequent that the entire
premises seemed to be illuminated as if by one
continuous and dazzling glare. moment later
a bolt of lightning struck tank No II and shattered
the huge iron cOyeras if it an eggShell. sharp
explosion followed and the next instant an immense
volume of flame shot up in the air. followed by
dense clouds of black smoke. The burning oil
poured out IN torrents and spread over the grouAd
surrounding the ncghbolinG tanks. The tongues OF
ire licked the sides OF the huge vessels and climbed
up and around them until they were all abaze. Ono
after another the tanks succumbed to the rresstde
attacks of the flames until eleven of them were IN
fire. As each tank caught fire 1t exploded with =
noise which coull be heard for miles. The most
terrific explosion was that Of tank No. = II shook
the houses on the hill three-quarterS of mile dis
tanj, and the noise was heard four or five m'ies
away. The heavy iron casing was torn completely
off, and hurled distance of fifty feet 1t was
twisted out of shape and stretched
along the ground for distance
of about 100 feet. 1t wa, here that the six mca oss
their lives and 1t is believed by some that their
bodies will be flnnd under the huge mass OF IRON.
HOW THE BLAZING OIL SPREAD.
The blazing oil from the tanks communicated
with the two huge buck stOrehouses, and spread
quickly thence to the machine shop, cooper shop,
pump house and blacksmith shop. These offered
llt,le resistance to the intense heat and wero
quickly in ruins, with nothing left 10 mark Their
location but small portions of the brick walls. Cars
standing on the railroad tracks, the wbarves, sew
cral barges, and everything standing in the track
of the fire we're swept away by its re'isess force.
The blazing oil flowed into the waters OF the bay
and spread in every direction. For long time it
looked as if all the buildings the shore front and
the large warehouses on the island would be de-
stroyed but the heavy rain beating on the blazing
oil spread it out thin and caused the flames to do
| away.
When the first tank caught fire an alarm Was
ruug from box No 81, and the Fire Department
| responded. Il was with difficulty that the hremen
aud horses made their way to the place IN the lace
| of the high wind and beating rain, and when they
! did arrive their efforts for long time were worse
| than useless as the more water the ensin poured
! Al d, .I- tbat~
| Engineer Farrler was one of the
first on the ground and he sent out
a general alarm, which summoned the entire
Department. The frenen fought the fire energet-
| ically. but were able to accomplish little. When
the tanks began to explode, the tramen and every
! body Use on the ground rctreated to place ot
safety until the explosions ceased. Inc ham9s
lighted up the surrounding country and thousaHds
of spectators gathered on thc Hill. hen tdlA No.
| : exploded ana bricks and pieces of iron were sent
lyrg through the AIR the crowd scampgred IN @ every
direction. One piece OF iron was touhd IN OceaH-
| ave, more than Il mile distant from the hFc
THE PROPERTY DESTROYED.
The property destroyed consisted OF eleven tanks,
filled or partly filed with OIL two brick sorehouses,
six barges loaded with oil, a steam dredging ma
chine. several cars, 4 machine shop, cooperIse,
blacksmith shop pump house, several steam pumps
and the entire equipment of the establishment eI-
| cent sixteen tanks The office, which was
m a corner of oDa of the storehOu3eS. was burned
20 the ground aud all the books and records IN IL
were destroyed, including the records relating 10
the construction of the new railroad from the Point
of Rocks which is TO connect the works with the
PENNSYLVANIA Railroad Company. One of the store
| houses contained about 10000 empty barrels
! The other was filled with barrels OF oil
| ready for shipment. The eleven tanks
| o,,nt,ir.d 11o00O barrels of oil. Tho
| md
were the property of the Storage Company, and
tbs ~, belonged 10 various firms including the
Standard OIL Company Lombard, Ayres ~ Co.,
Weston 4 Fskc. Clark Il Warren. {. A. Howell "
Co. and Others The Storage Company merely
handles and stores the oil for the owners aud has
no pecuuiary interest in it, except rs charge Tor
handling AMI storing. No definite ln-
formation could be obtained as to tho
losses and insurance but the loss is estimated at
! $500. 600. winch is partly covered by insurance.
The company employed l25 men. nearly all OF whom
will he thrown out of employment until tue "orks
are rebuilt The work OF rebuilding Will be pesuh
| at once.
PATRICK CURRYs MARROW ESCAPE.
Among the first persons to arrive at the tire wero
potric. Currv and his son William, John Herbert.
csorg, Davies. Henry Kager, Richard Conk-
lin and Joseph jenkins. All of these men
aro cmployed by the Eagle Refining
| ro,,ro,V whose works are situated
sbort distance from the scene of the contagra-
tinp In their haste to render assistance TO tho
watcnmen who were stretching the hose they
nas,ed directly in front of one of the burn
ing tanks which stood nearest to tho
water. Patrick Curry, when passing, heard
sharp cracking sound, and knowing it to
he a prelude to an explosion, warned his companions
and lied. Immediately tank No. burst making
terrific noise The roof was hurled into the water,
while the blazing oil poured in stream OF hTe all
over the wharves and barges mooGed at their Sides
Since Patrick Curry lett his companions nothing
has been seen of them. Speaking Of his escape
Curry said:
| 81 - --....... 81 o,-nilnr Grna tnmnht me ths