The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1885-11-19
ROASTED VICTIMS
OF AN OIL EXPLOSION AT PHlLA
OElPHIA.


PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 10 At S:45 O'Clock
Wednesday morning an oil tank exploded
in the Philadelphia Lubrcating works,
Swanson AMI Moore street. The explosion
was terrific the reptr TT being heard for
half a mile around ami six man working
on a scaffoli near the still were blown
through the air. Aieck Bank. one of the
work men, was instantly killed. a boy is
missing The other five men ara terribly
injured, and wero removed t. the Penn yl
vsnia hospital. Thirteen men are missing.
Several injured men wer. taken to the Uni
versity hospital on an engine Of the Penn
sylvania railroad.
An alarm of fire was struck Immediately
after the explosion and engines soon re-
spandei and began to pour heavy streams
of water on the flames. A thick cloul Of
black smoke from the burning oil.tanks
hung north as far as kensington, and an
immense crowd Of people gathered in the
vicinity of the fire. 1t is said that the fire
caught from a man-hole in one of the stills
being left opsn while the fires were lighted.
Several stills full of oil, heatsd to nearly
red heat kept the crowd away, but many
of the fremen, carrying long lines of
hose, penetrated through the line of
fifteen tanks and threw water
upon the fiames The smoke
SO dense among the stills that the tirernen
there at work had to be relieved every few
minutes in order to get breath Of fresh
air. Every ambulance in the city wa at
the scene Of the explosion, and though tho
flames rose higher every minute and the
danger of other explosions increased, brave
firemen kept up search in the red-hot
debris for wounded men.
At l2.,1D n m the fire WAS pottau unIar
control. A boy named Henry Marshall, aged
II years, is missing and is supposed to have
boen burned t. denth. The names of the
four mon sent to the University hospital
are: Patrick Boyle, Arthur Grueber Charles
Mclean and 10 eph Robinson. They are
all horribly burned.
The dead so far are, Alexander Banks,
aged 40. residing at No. 1l9 Mtilln street.
burned to crisp He was superintendent
of the gang of workm,n. AMI had recently
come from Ptt,burg.
The boy, Henry Marshall, was at work
with the mon under the tank and is suppo ,eI
to have been burned to death. The
fatally Injured are: Joseph Robin on.
of Delaware married. aged 81 years. boiler
maker. entire boly terribly burned, can not
possibly recover; Patrick Boyle. single,
aged 2j, laborer, head, trunk and extremi-
tie, frightfully burned; Charles Mclean, Of
UhlS Guy, dsSu 81, Single, UuIusu ueal
and eXtremities. Arthur Grueber, of Eng
Land, aged 2S, entire body horribly burned.
An elderly unknown man was found lying
against the fence which surrounds tho
works. about seventy five yari from the
exploded tank. lie was unconscious and
was terribly burned about the head AMI
face. Joseph Ro nson was discovered
lying Oh tho ground clos, to pool of burn
ing oil. His clothing wa saturated with
the oil and portion of it In bean burned
off He was terribly burned, and when
picked up AMI carried to the company's
works portion Of the flesh of the right leg
came or while II surgeon was engaged in
cutting fl his pantaloonS.
The loss on the property is estimated be-
tween $4,000 .. md So 0O1; i'll urance,
$40 so
LATER The body of the boy, Henry
Marshall has just been recovered from
among the ruins, and removed to his hons,
SO NJ I'll n street.
LATEST james Robinson, asel s. re-
siding at 721 Mcllvain stre,t, ami Arthur
Grusber aged %, reiling at ll9 Miiiln
street, who wers burned at the fire died in
the afternoon at the Pennsylvania hospital
Three Persons Drowned.
BATAVIA. Ohio, Nov. 10. AT o'clock
Wednesday morning frightful accident
occurred at Stone Lick bridge, on the Mil
ford and Chillicothe turnpike, resulting in
the drowning OF three persons and serious
injuries to two Others Last Thursday
David Bigam. Il farmer living near Newton
vile. while going to Cincinnati with a loui
of produce. was dangerously injured
by collision with runa-
way team, and is now in n
critical condition. Tuesday his daughter,
Miley Bgan, aged Is, and his son Milton,
ID, accompanied by Mis- Geager II. and
Charles Paige, 10. with Joseph Burke, of
Boston, went down to Terrace park to SOC
MIR. Bigam At 9 o'clock Wednesday morn
ing they started home in their two horse
wagon When they reached Sto Lick
creek at 4 O'clock it was pitch dark, The
bridge at this point was burned some years
ago and has never been rebuilt
Owing to the darkness the team passed by
the cutoff to the ford and came right up to
the bridge abutments Young Paige, who
was driving. just then realized their posi-
ton and attempted to turn. AMI in so doing
the team wagon and FIVE persons were pre-
cipitated over the ombankment into fifteen
feet of water. Burke, Miss Bigam and her
brother were drowned, but Paige and Miss
Yeager managed to get out
Snapped an "Unloaded Pistol.
OTTUMwA, Iowa, Nov. 49, AT II a. m.,
Tuesday, Miss Molis Meeker, aged II, in
company with another young woman at |
Eddyville, Iowa, was playing with a re-
volver, and banteringly leveled it at her |
companion. demanding her money or her |
life, and snapped the pistol without effect |
and then, pointing the pistol in playful |
manner at her own head, snapped it. when
it was discharged, the ball entering near |
the center Of her forehead and coming out |
just back Of the ear, upon the left side of |
the head. Miss Meeker lied at o'clock.
Train Drops Through q bridge.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Nov. 10 The local |
freight, east bound, on the Cincinnati,
Hamilton a. indianapolis road. was wrecked
near Julietta Wednesday morning The
bridge over Big Buck creek gave way,
dropping the engine and twelve cars into
the creek. Charles A. Holland. engineer;
James Mcknight, fireman, and an I'M
known brakeman were hurled into the
wreck AMI all suffered probably fatal in
juries
Crushed to Death in the Mine.
ASHLAND, Wis Nov. 19-At l o'clock
Tuesday morning, while the night shift was
at work in the north vein of the Colby
mine, at Bessemsr, on the Gogebic iron
range, large section Of ore fell upon them
without warning. Four men were in family
killed: Herman Huppsrt, ST., Herman
Huppert, Jr, Charles Wang, tead, Charles
Rough. One other man was slightly in
jnrsd.
The or, fell distance 1f thirty .fiya fat