Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-05-25
A PETROLEUM v1RR

Occurs, Entelopins six -Unfortupate
= workingmeh IN the Faery IIqrstd-rhe
y Loss to Property RACED mt -ef,S0o, zee.
Partially Covered by Insurance.
JERSEY CITY, May IL.
The works of the Standard Oil Company
at Communipaw, the most extensive in this
country, were burned yesterday. The fire
started during asevere storm in themorning.
One of the large tanks near the store was
struck and exploded by lighting. The
burning oil poured out like an angry river,
and flowed down the avenues between rows
OF enormous tanks toward the river In a
short fine the flames communicated with
! three huge tanks, and they exploded stimuli
taneously with terrific force. Fragments of
| iron were hurled distance of half mile,
and the burning oil was scattered in all d.
rectiOns.
The entire fire department was summon
ed, but its services were almost useless,
rs the Burning streams of oil poured through
the yard, firing tank after tank on the east
side and licking up the buildings. The store
| house, a solid structure where barreled oil
was kept, was attacked by the flames and
succumbed. The engine-house went next,
and the oil and water pump-houses, suriixen'
tanks, and the machine-shop quickly fol-
lowed, and the whole easterly side of the
works is seething mass Of flame. Despite
the tremendous beat and binding smoke,
the firemen worked valiantly in the hope
of checking the progress Of the flames. -
Ii is estimated there were 500, 900 gallons
of oil in the tanks, and the loss of prop
erty will reach 81, 500, 900.
The shaft of lightning, of unequaled
brilliaBcy, that struck the first tank, was
seen by afireInan of engine No. 10, in HalIi-
day Street, Jersey City, mile away, and an
engine at once started for the scene. 1t was
soon discovered to be useless work to play
upon the flames, and all efforts were di-
Tected to prevent them from spreading
This vas partially successful until nearly
five o'clock, when tank No. Z exploded with
q terrific report, and the blazing Oil spread
/ with lightning rapidity. So -
| Chief Terrier and number of men were
within ten yards of this tank whenit ex-
plOded, and were saved almost by amir
! acle
Dropping the hose which was soon
burned to ashes, they fled for their lives.
When they mustered together at safe dis
lance six of their number were found miss
ing. The smoke was so dense that it was
impossible to tell which way one was
going, and it is thought that the unfortu-
nate men ran down to the river and
were lost. Their names are: John Her
| bert, superintendent; Joseph Jenkins
| foreman cooper; Joseph Davis, engineer;
| Henry Kegler, laborer; Dick Conklin,
laborer; and William Curry, boiler-lnaker
The waves of flaming oil had rolled in
upon the engine-house, carpenter shop, ma
chine shop, boiler and pump room, two
warehouses, the cooper shop and blacksmith
shop, and they were heap of ruins in an
hour. Tank after tank was caught by the
flames, until seven out of the twenty-six on
the ground were blazing. The tracks
of the Pennsylvania Railroad also
caught fire, and several rolling tanks OH the
rails were only saved by having earth piled
OH top of them. The bay was sheet of
| flaming oil. and the long trestle bridge OF
railway, about quarter of a mile long, ran
| ming from the works to Black Toms
Island, was also burned down to the waters
| edge.
At the bOarding-house of tho Eagle Re-
! finery, close by. the scene was painful in
the extreme. The newly-made widows con.
! gregated in ono Of the rooms, hope and dc.
| spair alternating in their distracted minds
and lamenting the terrible fate of loved
ones, from whom they had parted but few
hours before No bodies have been found
for the heat renders close approach to the
ruins impossible.
The burning works extended, with those
OF the Eagle Refinery, about three-qnarters
of mile inland. The buildings that have
been destroyed were situated in the midst OF
tanks. The wind is southeast, blowing of
the sea, and therefore, there is no danger oil
other tanks exploding. Had the wind beer
northerly, the clearinghouse and Eagle
Works would certainly have been destroyed
| also.
The property destroyed consisted OF
eleven tanks filled, or partly filed with oil;
two brick storehouses, six barges, loaded
with oil; steam dredging machine, several
ears, machine-shop, cooperage, a black
smith-sllOp, a pump-hOuse, several steam
pumps and the entire equipment OF the es-
Establishment, except sixteen tanks. Tie
burned works extended about three fourths
of mile along the bay, and one-fourth of a
mile inland, We're erected about fifteen years
ago, and cost in the neighborhood of $780,.
600. The entire loss, including the de
structiOn of oil and the contents of the
buildings, Is believed to be about 81 SOC, 600