Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-07-02
FIVE ACRES OF FLAMES.
A Mammoth Oil Refinery at Louisville
Wiped Out by Fire.

LOUISVILLE, KY, June 3O.-Five acres
Of fire was the awful sight wit
messed at the Standard Oil Rein
cry at Fifth and G Streets this
morning. The immense structure
was blazing at every point, and the
heat was SO intense that even 200 yards
away persons were overcome. The fol-
lowing is the list of casualties:
ANDREW MCDONALD, aged IL, bad Y
burned about the breast and face, but will
recover
JOHN MCDONALD, aged IA, literally
roasted alive; cannot live but a short time.
DAN O'NEIL, aged II, burned almost to
afcrisp, and will die.
JOHN KLINE, aged %, frightfully burned
all over the body. and cannot recover.
SEvEREN SKENE, aged Al, terribly
burned but will recover.
Us. PETTIGo, aged As, badly though not
fatally burned about the head and breast.
ARTHUR YoNKERs, aged IS, slightly
burned.
The fire broke out at S:45 o'clock, an0
was in many respects a remarkable
one. The refinery is on tbs
east side of the Louisville q Mask
vile track, but the tanks
are scattered along it on both sides. On
last Saturday a tank of crude oil
came in on a fiat car from Cleve-
land, and it was to be turned
into the refinery watts. Some of
the workmen thought the iron tank was
too hot for such a thing to be done with
safety.
After consultation it was postponed in
the hope that the weather to-day would
be cooler. 1t did not prove to be, how
ever, and it became necessary to run
the oil out of 1.-THE car tank into an
other one in the yard. Inspect
or Severen Skene took John
Pettigo and another workman, whose
name could not be learned, with him,
and they climbed on the car. They
mounted the manhead, and were about
to unscrew the cap when they felt
that there was a tremendous pressure
from the inside against it. At
first they decided not to open
it, but finally they changed their minds
and did SO. In an instant there was a
dull puff as the vapor escaped, filling
the air all around. The gas, as is
known, is heavier than the air,
and it sank to the ground, spread
ing out all over the locality
and moving with the wind. Almost
in a twinkling it reached one of the
sheds under which there was a fire.
There was a flash as the infammable
vapor ignited, and Immediately after
there was a tremendous explosion.
The tank was blown to pieces and the
hundreds of gallons of burning oil we're
scattered all over the great works. A
wall of fire 300 feet high and nearly 800
feet long moved with lightning rapidity
to the buildings.
In less time than it takes to relate it,
the canning house filled with thousands
of gallons of canned oil; the cooper
shop, carpenter shop, pump and
engine houses, the filling and lubricating
houses, the storage houses, the paint
and glue houses and 900 feet of plat
form were all ablaze and burned furious
ly.
At the first intimation of the explo-
sion all of the workmen who could do
so started to run. Johnny Cline, how
ever, stumbled and fell, and his clothes
caught fire. The men bravely returned
to his assistance, but the fire that en-
veloped him could not be e~xtinguished
until he had been frightfully burned.
Three little boys, Danny O'Neil and
Andrew. and John Mcdonald, were
walking along the railroad track when
the explosion occurred. They were
slightly to the east of the tank and the
wind blew the blaze directly down
upon them. Shrieking with pain they
impulsiyely jumped backward and
into the clear space on the western
side of the track. Their clothes
were on fire, and they ran down
the track with the bright blazes stream
ing after them. AS soon as the bystand-
ers recovered from the Mortified shock
occasioned by their awful condition
they pursued the three boys. Covering
them with coats they soon extinguished
the flames and laid them under a tree
near by. In a. attempt made to remove
O'Neil's clothes a great part of his flesh
peeled off his face and body at the
slightest touch.
The buildings and stock so far as
burned will be a total loss. There was
no insurance, according to the state
ment of Edward L. Good win, vice-pres-
dent of the Standard Oil Company.
Mr.. Goodwin said: cit is almost i'm
possible yet to estimate the loss. We
will first have to find our bearings, and
while we do not think the fire will
spread any more at this hour III
o'clock there is no telling. I should
judge now, from present appearance,
that the loss on stock and all would be
between $50 900 and $40, 000."