Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-09-30
A BIG OIL BLAZR.
DISASTROUS CONFEDERATION AT SISTERS
WILLIE LAST NIGHT.
Six or Eight Thousand Barrels Of Oil Destroyed.
One Man Killed and Another BADLY Hurt
Shipments VIII Be Inisrfsrsd With.

The most disastrous COnhdkAabiOh AZ
the history Of the Slstersville oil field,
or, indeed, along the river anywhere,
occurred at the town named about half
past seven o'clock last night.
From six to eight thousand barrels OF
oil were destroyed. together with much
other valuable property, and one life
was lost. the victim being Chief En-
glneer Theodore Davis, Of the Eureka
Pipe Line Company, resident OF Mer-
Ger, Pa.
Foreman William Poole. Of the same
Company, believed to belong at Bel
mont, West Virginia, was blown nearly
enc hundred feet, but escaped without
fatal injuries.
The fire broke out about twenty-five
minutes after seven o'clock, near the
storage tanks Of the Eureka Pipe Line
Company, which are located on the
river shore, about six or seven hundred
yards below the Ohio River railroad sta
ton, and is believed to have originated
from fire under a boiler at rig belong
ing to the Forsythe Oil Company. As
may be imagined, in that grease satura-
ted locality, the flames spread with
lightning-like rapidity, and soon two OF
the large twelve hundred barrel tanks
belonging to the pipe line corporation
were in blaze, the fire shooting up TO
great height, while dense volumes or
thick black smoke filed the air.
At the time the fire was COM
municated to the oil in the tanks
Chief Engineer Davis was on top
of one of the tanks, looking after some
matters connected with it. lie was una
BILE to make his escape, and was burned
to death before the eyes OF scores OF
men who were quickly on the scene.
The flames spread from tank to tank,
until four were on fire, and in short
time at least one of them exploded with
a terrible report, the conclusion blow
ing off the roof Of frame building
considerable distance away, IN which
five hundred pounds of dynamite was
stored. Fortunately this did not ignite,
or the loss of life would certainly have
been terrible. When the explosion oc-
Cured Foreman William Poole was
caught by the blast of air while stand
ing in front of the tool house, and was
thrown twenty-five or thirty yards into
a corn field, but did not appear to be Sc
rlously injured when picked up.
A terrible spectacle was presented
when the burning oil from the exploded
tanks reached the river. There Is
large ditch leading from the tanks to
the river, and down this the oil flowed
in a perfect torrent of fire, and leaping
over the bank into the river, it spread
almost entirely across the Ohio, turning
the channel into fiery furnace acres in
extent, the flames at times flashing
three or four hundred feet in the air,
presenting weird and at the same
time beautiful effect. During the
height of the fire the flames were COM
municated TO the tanks and rig OF the
Forsythe Oil Company, and they were
also destroyed, with a considerable guam
tity of oil. There were a number OF
shanty boats moored along the river
shore, and they had to be hustled out OF
the way at lively rate, narrowly es-
Gaping being burned.
At ten o'clock last night many of
those about the ruins OF the tanks
thought they could discern the charred
body of Engineer Davis, in the interior
of one, but the fire was too hot to make
possible an attempt at rescuing the re-
mains at that hour.
1t is thought that shipments by the
Eureka line will be delayed until new
tanks can be erected The monetary
loss could not be estimated last night.