Oakes weekly Republican. (Oakes, Dickey County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1898, 1891-04-24
BLOWN UP.
Two Oil Tanks Belonging to the st.
Paul Street Railway Company
Accidentally Blown Up.
John Johnson, an Employ, Probably
Blown to Atoms and Entirely
CreMated.
The Total Loss BY the Two Explosions
Estimated to be in the Neigh.
bOrh0od Of Sl5. 900.

Shortly before 8 o'clock on the
morning OF the Goth inst, the people
in the vicinity of the electric power
house of the street railway company,
on Second street, just under the hill,
in st. Paul, MIMI, were startled by
a terrible explosion, followed by q
shower OF bricks and timbers and a
burst OF flame.
One OF the oil tanks OF the street
railway company had exploded, tear
ing the building to atoms and burying
John Johnson, a swede helper to the
steam filters, beneath the ruins.
johnson had been sent into the
building to repair the suction pipe,
which had been leaking He was seen
to enter the building with lighted
candle in his hand, and a few moments
later the explosion occurred. He was
alone in the tank, and no
one can tell to q certainty
Just how the accident happened
or how he met his death. The end OF
the suction pipe on which he was to
do the repairing was near the top of
the tank, and he must have been
standing on q ladder at the time.
When the explosion occurred it ssup.
posed that he was thrown backward
and buried beneath the mass ofdebris
and flames. The only explanation
that can be offered as to the immedi-
ate cause OF the accident is that he
was trying to replace the cap on the
pipe, and, finding something wrong
with the thread, thoughtlessly placed
the lighted candle near the end OF the
tin pipe, when the flames caught
the gas from the petroleum.
johnson had been in the employ OF
the company since last August. He
was an intelligent young man, 25
years OF age, and had been generally
considered very careful in his work
about the tanks. He had been re.
peatedly warned, as had all the men,
about using lighted candles about the
oil pipes, and the move must have
been made i'll q moment Of thought
lessness. He was q single man and
boarded at a Swedish boarding house
on Sixth street, next to Olive.
The loss to the company on the
building and contents is about ST.
600. The crude petroleum was used
by the company as fuel, and near
this tank was another containing 49,
600 gallons OF the oil. The fremen
saw the uselessness OF attempting to
extinguish the flames in the burning
tank and devoted their attention to
saving the remaining one, With good
success.
At the time OF the explosion two
carpenters were standing on one cor
ner OF the tank, and both were thrown
a distance OF several feet, but landed
on top OF q pile oflumber, and escaped
uniniured. They were covered with
oil, however, and when they recovered
from the shock their hair fairly stood
on end as they realized the exceeding
narrowness OF their escape.
Fortunately the tank stood at the
foot of q nigh rock cut which prevented
the flames from being scattered to the
buildings in the vicinity. The main
building presented solid brick wall
and was not damaged
The firemen worked like beavers, and
kept up a brave fight all the fornoon
to save the second tank and the main
building. They saved the building,
but the tank was dc comed. At times
the flame would burn low and the fire
men, improving every opportunity,
would make heroic effort to smoth-
er it altogether, but it would break
out anew and burn with increased
fury. The water was useless in quench-
ing the flames and could only be used
in keeping the tank cool. Finally an
attempt was made to smother the
flames with damp clay, and q gang OF
shovelers were brought to work, but
this failed like everything else.
At IL 80 the chemicals were called
out, and for timeit looked as though
they would conquer the fire.
A SECOND EXPLOSION.
The heat, however, became more
and more intense until at 1 O'Clock
the second tank went out with an ex.
plosion that sent the fire flying over
the tops of the surrounding buildings.
= VI ~ AS" Al1OLlCuUS lllt ItdU anu
smoke were unbearable, but the end
was near, and from that time on the
tiremen had the upperhand In the
fight.
The saving of the power house was
an excellent piece OF work, the build
ing not beeing damaged at all. There
was some damage by water, but it
was light compared with what was ex-
pected when the fire first broke out.
johnson, the man lost, appears to
have been crenlated. When the smoke
and flames cleared away from the
tanks no a sign of the remains could
be found, nor had any trace been
found up to 8 o'clock. At that time
the searchers had about given up all
hopes, though they continued the
search.
1t is estimated that the loss of the
company will reach about $4,000,
covered by insurance. Arrangements
were made for new supply of oil,
and there will be no delay in the run
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