The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-05-18
IIGHTNlNG'S DEADLY WORK.
Six Lives and II large Amount of Propert,
Lost.

Six Lives and II large Amount of Property
Lost.
WHILE a tremendous thunderstorm was
raging the lightning set fire to an oil tank o.
the National Storage company at Communi-
paw, N. j., and ere aied a series of terrific ex-
blossoms, one of which resulted 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 wero 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 business of
flee. The tanks were of various
sizes, the largest ones having a capacity Of
25,0o0 barrels and the smallest a capacity of
$500 barrels. The largest were eighty feet
in 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 in the morning, while the
storm was at its height, a bolt of lightning
that illumined the surrounding country for
miles struck tank II. The tan was full of
oil, and instantly exploded with a report so
loud that it broke windows in Jersey City,
and was distinctly heard and felt through
out New York, Brooklyn and Elizabeth. The
roof of the huge tank was blown off in a
thousand fragments. and n sheet of flame
shot up more than ;0)feet in the air. Then
immense volumes of moke poured out of
the blazing tank.
The explosion had so shattered the east
erly sid of the tank that 1t broke down, ana
the flaming oil. taus releas I'd, surrounded
the neighboring tanks. The nearest of
these, No. Z, was the next to explode. 1t
went up with fearful detonation and left
to mark where it had stood only
a few bricks of its foundation. lis
contents also spread i'll every
direction. The intense heat of the fire and
the surging waves of burning oil rendered it
almost impossible to make any vigorous
efforts to %extinguish the flames. When the
fire department of Jersey City, for which a
general alarm had been sounded, arrived
the burning oil had fired the three pier; of
the company and six barges moored at them.
The boats and two of the piers were COM
pletely destroyed, and a long section of a
pier running out to Black Tom Island was
burned to cinders. After the destruction of
tank Z the flames spread to tanks /, 2, 3, 4,
., &, 8 and 10. and each %deafeniug explosion
was followed by a tall tongue of fame 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 Waterman Ed
ward Johnson and a number of men, among
whom were several employees 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, i'm
mediately in front of them. Chief FarrieT
directed his tiremen to withdraw from the
yard. The Others, however, continued theiI
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 contained burst through the great gaping
holes in its side and swept down a decline
into the bay. Most of the men who had re-
maine had time to escape, but a group OF
workmen at the east side of the tank
found their retreat cut OF. They seemed
ut a loss what to do to avoid destruction
The bay was on II side, the threatened
tank on the other, and before them was the
torrent of flame, A boy among then
pointed toward the noi theast, where tn,
ground was clear, and then thsy started at
run in that direction. They had not gone
more than half a { dozen yards when the tanl
exploded with an awful crash and hurled it,
shattered iron sheets and its blazing OIL
upon them.
Six were killed. Their names were JOIN
Herbert, George Davies, Henry Kagler, Jos
eph jenkins, Richard Conklin and William
Currie, a boy. All had been employed b,
the Eagle Refining company, whose work.
were close by, and had volunteered to assis
the storage company's people in extinguish
ing the fire.