St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-19
Disastrous Results Ensue From the Ezplo-
sion of an Oil Tank in a Philadel-
phia Refinery.
-Four Persons Meet Most Horrible Deatl
and Several Others Are Severely
Burned.
"A Boston Cook Poisons Ten Persons
by Placing Arsenic In the
Flour Barrel
Asba Burras' Victims Released From
the HosPftal--They Relate
Their Story.
Burned to Deafh.

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 1S.-An explosion
OF tank of oil at the Philadelphia Lubric
Consumers works at the foot of Moore
street this morning resulted ini the death
OF several persons. the fatal injuring of
others. and the partial destruction of the
establishment For some time past the
works have been running to their full
capacity, and early this morning gang of
hTteen men were at work to prepare a stone
foundation under large iron still which
contained $50 barrels of crude oil. The
repairs had been partially completed and
several OF the men engaged in plastering up
the interior walls, when the manhole of the
still was blown off, setting the oil on fire.
fitting over the still and causing the burn
ing Oil to fall on the men below. The ex-
plosion was followed few seconds later by
second report and a dense volume of
smoke, and the utmost CONSERVATION ensued
among the workmen. Considerable time
elapsed before any fire apparatus reached
the scene, by which time the oil which
still remained in the tilted tank
and the portion which had flowed to the
ground was burning tiercely. Within few
minutes after the explosion the work of
rescuing the injured was commenced. An
elderly man, whose name was not learned,
was found lying against the fence which
surrounds the works, about seyenty-tive
yards from the exploded tank. He was IN
conscious and was terribly burned. Joseph
Robinson was found lying On the ground
close to
POOL OF BURNING OIL.
His clothing was saturated with oil. a
portion Of which had been burned off. He
was terribly burned, and was picked I'D and
carried TO the company's works A portion
OF the flesh of the right leg came off while a
surgeon was engaged in cutting off his pan
falcons. Alexander Banks was working
Immediately under the tank when the ex-
plosion took place. While the rescuing
party was searching for the victims his
body was observed, as the wind carried the
smoke away, lying on the ground close to
the foundation wall and surrounded with
blazing oil. One of the men. Michael Cav
anangE, volunteered to rescue him and. not
withstanding the protests of his compan-
ions, crawled along on the ground after
one of the fremen had saturated
his clothing with water. When
within reach of the unfortunate
man he grasped his right foot, and when he
made an effort to draw the body out the
mans foot parted from the body. Cav
anaugh dropped it and hastily reached
place of safety, leaving the body to the
flames. Cavanaugh's face and hands were
badly burned. A few minutes after Cav
anaugh escaped the tank fell and Banks
body was hidden from view. Charles Nc
Lean and Arthur Grueber were also found
lying close to the burning still, the former
being unconscious and both terribly burned.
Several other men who were working close
to the still at the time of the explosion were
also burned, but their injuries were COM
paratively slight. The injured ware taken
to the Pennsylvania hospital. where their
wounds were dressed. The loss will reach
about $50. Insurance $1,000. The
body Of the missing boy. Charles Marshall,
was finally recovered from the ruins.
Joseph Robinson and Arthur Grueber died
his afternoon.