New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-12-22
RIVERS OF BLAZING OIL.
,rsraucrlvE FIRE IN WILLIAMSBURG


p,-pSrp-pAMAGE $250,ooo
s.a.,,, .t,er noon yesterday smoke was seen
',Os s.,, tbe paeking house OF the Pratt Astfai
~, tts,,s 4. North Twelfth-st., BROOKLYN Inc
-. ras discovered by carpenter M hnnieu
Es,,1 wb6 Is employed about the WORKS
ste Engaged m .he building on sun
20 e.seat n, ,ne pfpose of Watching the fifes
a,s,liegs and maintaining setiefal care oi
~ mas Aeftt ~ 6Nee sate the alarm bu' az
,,e ,ne sa.e te,peul the faiiie nat'ea ~ ffom we
bnd,as ssa teFfine e*pi8soh stattet the ,eiffi ii
Sosaaaa aaphtha tank ~ teHeih whei'anp'n,SS" wh ,So
W. nnoaekius ushause, had espatea shst'ttihr 'he
VIZ rsrs' ,i sround il aud scattering tbs hNFAihs
'd ss,i',n ,n an di,eetans The expasen was hss'n
y" ~ r,o, Rrooklyn and New-f0Tb and eaNspa H"t"
ss,ernaton. Ii was foiiowed by the lianss 'h"'
-, forth ON all sides. The paGklng-hpNse was
srad With n large quantity of astral OIL ~ s''an
- that caught fire at once and burned WIZ" y"
tease ferceness. r.,s., ., ore
n~nos,te the oil works IN North Twelfth-st' are
A. Williamsburg Gas Works. few worh'hen
vbo were in them were panic-strlckeh pS ,'o Ca
.,osion and when the flames spread 10 'ie gao
'rorLs made no effort to check them. lno
6remen. who arrived iew "''''t.
later soon checked the fire In the gas "o
and had got the flames in the pack'hg-housc VI '"s
81 ,yorks pnder control, when it was discovered
hot
heavy brick fre-wall separates the tanks iro'i,
49, .ocL;nc.bouse. The wall incloses thirteen OIL
tonts ranging in capacity from ten TO twenty
thopsand barrels Most of them coh'aine"
ol and some we're nearly filled. Three OF theh' io
.oted nearest the naphtha tank. were the hiSo w
take fire. the smoke pouring forth In heaVy hlas''
accompanied by great volumes OF na'ho' ""'N
had no effect on the fire. and though scoio u
streams were poured upon the burning tahNs' INC
heat became every moment fercer ana oro'e 'no
fremen to q distance.
FIGHTING THE FLAMES.
dozen fire engines had been placed at avaiiaole
tie oho,t the fire and a general alarm which
wos sopnded brought all The available force OF the
denartmeut to the spot sxteen out of twenty COLI
nan;es being on hand. The oil company
has a trained fire department. whio"
was summoned TO the works by the steam whis'ie'
and il lent valuable aid to the hremen. Inc iaig
~ or Tho oil tanks is next to a fve-story BRICK
storebouse in North Iweftn-st and II was feareo
if the flames reached this building they must OK
tend to the distery beyond 1t, sweep tho
entire block aud also the gas WORKS. Cnio'
Nev;ps of the Department conducted the attack on
the fire and Assistant Chiefs Terry, Frost Cunning
hon, and Farley were assigned special positions TO
d;rec, the streams. The fire boat Havcmcyer from
Nev.York also lent its aid TO several tugs belong
streams of water in the OIL tanks
wi,b tho purpose of keeping them
cooled TO prevent bursting. Half dozen
streams were directed from the storehonse on the
largest of these tanks which lowered as hiSn as
the building itself, Notwithstanding these elorts
the fire gradually spread from tank to tank until the
lower portion of the block which the works occupy
was in flame. Some Of the smaller ta'ks
lnrs. and the stream of burning oil ran out upon
IL II.
Bushwck Creek on the North Side OF the OIL works.
where 1t was met and extinguished by the en-
ployes OF the Manhattan Beach Railway company
who occupy the north side of the creek opposite the
oil worSs
DAMNivG A RIVER OF BURNING OIL.
ByJ6 o'clock the hrenen had made 10 hoadway eX-
cep in keeping the flames from the stOrehouse on the
Twelfth-st side The oil tanks were covered with
patent roofs provided with trap doors. Wien the
ras from the burning oil had collected in great
onantitics in the tanks, II would explode with n
,epott that shook the ncghborhood and great
iuasses OF coloted flame would roll from the mouth
6f the tanks with tremendous roar When q
ttfonq breeze set IN from the northwest the iiainos
itatr M. laf.,est on tanks wcte driven ditect upon
ths sBt,h6nse Etef}thiH that vas movable lad
tber t-r-el ftBm lhe Bcbs and the Hrehen wete
eeRit HfiEeH if8H ihe 1881 Whrh #al ttait t6
tgp. .N,g NatHfs Al ihs tiiHe " Nas iisHteieH
tNa iAe etoest 8i t4Ht Nss t8NriiHe Bret 'B#dtH
ihs tYfr iAe NpRfr pAft ~ ms gtFAt fBf trk RH3
BNte hql aAl iAat pAFl9A RNefs tlis siisl'N iNlfh
g. Ieacu Il eugied ani beat ~ its 9NA ReioAI, lHf
bulnus ol pQnrng ke q siream ~ Taxa 9Ni9 iAe
yard aud street a 0Fee 0i hlfWeA Nefe AZ once
bet at work aud barIlcade three iefI illsh Naa
built of earth aud stones across ihe sileel 10 dfll
the bu!ning stream This virtually saved the store
house and the greater portion oi the works lhe
hremcn were able To conhne the ilanes and let them
burn themselves out.
ESTIMATES OF THE LOSSES.
All the afternoon and evening the rain poured
down steadily, and q heavy fog that hung
over the flames was lighted up like day
The crowds kept at distance by
the police and the fTemen were able to work
with all the adv lntages they could obtain. There
have been several hics III these on WORKS durin
the last five wears, hut none OF them approached
the prop0rtIons of this. The loss was estimated at
more than 100000 barrels of OIL, aud with
machinery and stock was NarlOusly pIdccu III ironi
u, 10000 to $500, 600.
II can make no estimate of the loss at present.
said Charles Pratt to IRln9SE rePorie,. I'm he
abe machinery will be destroyed" 49,
"Wil $250,00O be an extIcme estimate 7" asked
the reporter. ~ n..
81 would take quarter OF Il million for the dam
age but if II extends 10 the dlstlllerits, nilOh
would not repay me-"
The superintendent of the oil works furnished
the hremen and those employed at tine hre
and Superintendent Browne of the gas works
placed ms mcn and all cOnyeuiences IN his control
at the Iddlng of the Fire Department IN ightn,
the flames. Al 10 O'clock II was theugnt that th,
imminent danger was over.
3At q O'Clock" SAID Mr.. Bro VII, :" thought thai
everything was gone, and expected To see thl
flames take the gas works aud the OIL works. h'
fire was admirably managed and great credit Is du'
10 the Brooklyn Fire Department"
WHAT THE sUPERNTENDENr SAYS.
James MOfat, superintendent OF the oil works
az 4 he lna At ,
low figure He said: " | was at my house clos'
by when the noise Occasioncd by blow