Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-05-17
GRANT COUNTY, WISCONSIN.
STATISTICS.
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FIERY FOOD.
Bolt OF Lightning Fires the OIL Tanks or the
Storage Company at Communipaw,
New York.

NEW YORK, May 10.-During the
tremendous thunderstorm of this MORN
ing the lightning set fire to an oil tank
OF the National Storage Company, at
Communipaw, and created a series of
terrific explosions, one of which re-
suited in the loss of six lives. The
company's premises are on low ground,
directly on the shore of New York Bay.
They comprise about twenty acres, and
upon these were twenty-six iron oil
tanks. two single story brick houses for
the storage of barrels. and three smaller
brick buildings, used respectively as the
engine house, machine shop and bust
ness Office. The tanks were of various
sizes, the largest ones having capa-
city of $4,000 barrels, and the smallest
a capacity of $500 barrels. The larg-
est were eighty feet i'm diameter Their
foundations were of brick, and they
were constructed of that material To a
height of about fifteen feet from the
ground. Above that they were made of
heavy boiler iron.
AT $3.50 o'clock, while the storm was
at its height, bolt of lightning, that
illuminated the surrounding country
for miles, struck tank H. The tank
was full of oil and instantly exploded
with a report so loud that it broke Win
dows in Jersey City, and was distinctly
heard and felt throughout this city,
Brooklyn and Elizabeth. The roof of
the huge tank was blown off in thou
sand fragments, and sheet of flame
shot up more than 500 feet in the air.
Then immense volumes of smoke poured
out of the blazing tank. The explosion
had so shattered the easterly side of the
tank that it broke down and the fam
ing oil, thus released, surrounded the
neighboring tanks. The nearest of these
No. z, was the next to explode. 1t
went up with a fearful defamation, and
left to mark where it had stood, only
few bricks of It's foundation. Its con-
tents also spread in every direction.
The intense heat of the fire and the
surging waves of burning oil rendered
it almost impossible to make any vigor-
GUS efforts to extinguish the flames.
A general alarm was sounded for the
Jersey City fire department, and when
they arrived the burning oil had fired
the three piers of the company and six
barges moored at them After the des-
truction of tank Z, the flames spread to
tanks J., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, s and 10, and
each deafening explosion was followed
by tall tongue of flame and a dense
column of smoke The situation of the
remaining tanks, most of which stood
on higher ground across the railroad
tracks, saved them.
After tank IL had exploded, watch
man Edward johnson and number of
of men, among whom were several en-
ployes of the Eagle Oil Refinery, began
to play with such hose as they could
procure upon the neighboring tanks.
While they were so engaged the burning
oil swept down upon tank z, immedi-
ately in front of them. Chief Farrier
directed his firemen to withdraw from
the yard. The others, however, contin-
ued their efforts to master the blaze.
Scarcely had the firemen reached a
place of safety outside the yard when
the tank exploded. The oil that it con-
tanned burst through the great gaping
holes in its sides and swept down an in
cline into the bay. Most of the men
who had remained had time to escape,
but group of workmen at the west
side of the tank found their retreat cut
off, they seemed at loss to know what
to do to avoid destruction. The bay
was on one side, the threatened tank on
the other, and before him was the tor
rent of flame. A boy among them
pointed to the northeast, where the
ground was clear, and then they started
at run in that direction. They had
not got more than half dozen yards
when the tank exploded with an awful
crash, and hurled its shattered iron
sheets upon them. Six were killed.
General Manager Charles A. Sterling,
of the National Storage Company, or
dered squad of men to search for
traces of the victims. They found
among the ashes and debris several
white particles, only one of which was
larger than a 10-cent piece. These
were declared to be bits of human
bones. The largest piece was what APP
peared to be the ball and socket of a
knee joint. A huge sheet of iron, lying
partly in the water and partly on the
bank, stopped further investigation.
At the Standard Oil Company's office
it was said that the property destroyed
belonged 10 the National Storage Com
pany, in which the Standard people are
large stockholders. To-nigh. Snperin-
tendent Sterling of the National Storage
Company. said at rough guess he would
say that the Storage Company's loss
was about 100000, and the insurance
probably in the neighborhood of $780,
600.