Omaha daily bee., 1883-05-11
A TANKLESS JOB.
The Lightning Fires the Stand
ard Oil Works at Jersey
City,
A Furious Fluid Fire, Destroy
ing 100000 Worth
of Property.
A 81. 900 OIL Blase.


JERSEY CITY, May l0.-The works
Of the Standard Oh company, at Com.
munipsw, the most extensive In this
country, are on ti:e, aud about one.
half of the property is now destroy,d d.
Tho fire started during the severe
storm this morning. One Of the large
tanks near the shore wac etruck and
exploded by lightning Burning oil
poured out like aud augry river, ard
flowed down bstweea rows of
enormous, tanks toward the river. IL
a short limo the II .mcs communicated
with three huge tanks, ard they ex.
ploded simultane ously with terrific
force. Fragments of iron we're hurled
q distance Of half q mile, and
burning oil was scattered In
all directions. The entire fire de-.
partment were summoned bat their
services were almost useless, as burn
ing streams OF oil poured through tho
yard, firing tank after tank on the east
side and N"b'aE up buildings and store
houses. rs e'''i structure where
bsrreled Gil WAS Avpt was att ,cked anu
succumb1d. Theenginehoufe went next
and the oil and water pump houses,
sunken tank aud machine shops quick.
ly followed and the whole easterly
side Is a seething mass of flames. D..
spite the tremendous heat and bind
Ing smoke, tiremen are working val.
ilntly, hoping to check the progress,
of the flames, bat 1t appears at this
hour that the VAST works will hs de.
stroye6, and II IL feared the hames
will reach cut and property
In tho neighborhood. People are de.
sorting their homes and moving out
what is valuable of their effects. L.
is estimated that there were 500 OC0
gal ons of oil in the tanks, and the
lors of property already laid in ashes
will reach 81, GOO, 900.
11:30 NJ The oil fire Is still rag.
Ing. The Eagle refinery Is in danger.
Ii the winds continue southeast the
remaining building may be saved.
Six lives are lost.
Chief Ferfier and a number of men
were within ten yards of a tank when
II exploded and were saved almost by
a miracle. Dropping a hose, which
ues soon burned to ashes, they fl ID for
their lives. When they mustered
together at a safe distance six of their
number We're found missing. Smoke
was 80 dense that 1t was Impossible 10
tell which way one was going, and 1t
ia thought that the unfortunate
men ran down to the river and were
ioGt. Their names are, John Herbert,
Superintendent; Joseph Jenkins, fire.
m 'u; George Davis engineer; Henry
Wegier, laborer; Dick Conklin, labor.
81; rom Curry, bo.lermsksr. Waves
Of flaming oil had rolled In upon the
engine house, carpenter shop, machine
shop, boilder and pump room, two
warehouses;, cooper shop, and black
0roith shop, and they were in a heap
of ruins In an hour. Tank after tank
was caught by flames until seven cut
Of twenty. six on the ground were
b'azlrg. Tanks of tho Pennsylvania
Ri way also caught ite and several
rolling tanks on rails were only saved
by having earth piled on top of them.
The bay was G aheet of flaming oil
and 4 long trast!e bridge on the rAil.
way, about a quarter of q milo long,
running from the worka to Block
Toms island, was also burned down
to the waters edge. 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.
quarters of a mile along the bay and a
quarter of a mile inland. The build.
ings that have been destroyed were
situated in the midst of the tanks. A
VIVID Is blowing off the sea and there.
fore there is no danger of othe,
tanks exploding. Had the wind been
northerly, a boarding house and the
Eagle Works would certainly have
persisted also.
JERSEY CRY, May 1O.-The fire Ia
now under control. 1t is thought the
loss will exceed q million and a half.
Twelve large tanks, eighteen cars, six
barges, a dredger, three tanks and
five derrick buildings are de
stroyed. The quantity of oil
consumed ID net known. American
losers besides the Standard OIL com.
pany are several other oil firms, who
each lose from 400 to 700 barrels OF
cylinder oil.
AT BALTIMORE.
BALTIMORE, May 10.-A fire oc.
CURED this morning In a building
back of the residence of the Messrs.
Adams, on Madison street. Mr..
Adams, an old gentleman, was sufo.
Gated, ana a colored cook was burned
to death. A colored house girl
Jumped from a third story window
and broke her arm, but was other wise
not seriously injured.