Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-10-22
is THE MAN A HOODO0?
SOME TERRIBLE DISASTERS
WITNESSED BY HIM.
A Travelling Agent witha Strange Record
Who seems to lie Constantly
Pursued by Great OIL Con-
flagratlons.

in the spring of 1861. said a
well-known western railroad travel
ing agent to New York Sun man.
Il went to the oil regions to seek my
fortune remember that / got to a
little oil town called Housewife about
supper time one evening early in
April. A flowing oll-well had just
been struck there. and it was spout
ing at the rate OF 100 barrels an hour.
Flowing oil wells were a great curl
osity in those days, for | think this
was only the second or third one that
had been struck. The oil was thrown
into the air fifty feet or more By this
Well as there was no way to store pc.
troleum it was simply flowing about
In streams on tho & ound. All the
engine fires about the we'll were put
out ms soon as the oil began 10 gush
and score or more OF men ana boys
went to work digging trenches ana
throwing up dams 10 prevent the oil
from spreading, | was ono OF many
curious spectators who hurried to
gaze upon the strange sight aud were
grouped about the well.
"A danger than unknown &C
companied that great outpouring OF
oil An immense volume OF gas was
generated. and that. increasing with
the How OF oil spread slowly ia every
direction. The well had been spout.
ing incessantly for two hours when
suddenly there came a great fash. a
tremendous roar. and the whole air
seemed a sheet OF flame in a seconds
time. The great jet OF spouting oil
became pillar OF liyid fire while the
volume of gas above IL TO tho height
OF moro than q hundred feet was
flashing exploding and leapIng up.
ward in ferocious tongues OF flame.
Every derrick. building aad engine
house within an area OF seventy rods
seemed to be simultaneously wrapped
in fire. The gas In spreading about
had come in contact with the fire OF
an engine-hOuse nearly half a milo
away. which was the cause OF the
great and instantaneous confagation.
During this fearful com bustion the
sounds of the explosions and the war
OF the surging flames were like the
rushing OF some oyerpowering hurri-
cane through a forest
AS soon as the column OF oil be-.
came pillar OF fro tho burning oil
fell like water from q fountain over a
space hundred feet in diameter
each drop coming down Us a blazing
globe OF boiling petroleum. The
ground around the we'll was one wall
of flame which the falling oil con-
stantly increased. Fortunately for
me | vas far enough away to be out
OF danger but the sickening incidents
OF the conaagration were plainly
spread before me and / can see them
yet Scores OF the by-standers were
thrown fiat on the ground for thirty
feet around. Many OF them regained
their feet and came rushing, MI
ablaze. from the seething fire Just
within the awful circle OF the flames
| counted nine men boiling in tho
blazing OIL for an instant and then
they were gone could stand 10 SEQ
it no more and fled from the scene
/ remained in the place three daya
and that well and six others tina. had
caught fire from it were burning vet.
/ had gone to the oil regions TO seek
my fortune but my introduction 10
tine possible horrors OF the region
frightened me away and | quit the
country as soon as could get away.
] never heard how many lives were
lost in that the FIRST terrible oil con
fagration in the history OF petroleum
production, but know that score
or more OF persons were reported
missing during the three days | was
there and they were all believed to
have persisted in the fire.
Ono evening in February. 1864.
being on my way to Washington |
stopped in Philadelphia to see friend
OF mine who lived on South Fitch
street near Washington avenue.
found him and during the evening |
went with him to call on mutual nc.
quaintance who lived on South Tenth
street near the avenue. We did not
leave there until quite late. On our
way home, rs We were walking down
avenue the sound OF a
terrific explosion filed the air and
50 ClOSc W US rs utmost TO throw ug
70 the ground. The next instant
lanes shot up nearly opposite TO US
lnd in less than two seconds a river
,f fire was running down that side Of
he street We narrowly ESCAPED IL |
BY running. An oil refinery or stor-
lge tank located in that vicinity Ind
exploded. and in less time than il
axes me to tell it that whole block
vas scething mass OF flames The |
burning oil ran down the side streets.
IN the south side OF the avenue. I'LL
ng them with flames twenty feet high.
md sweeping everything before il.
read in the papers next day that
ixteen persons were known TO have 4
,erished In the conilagration. which
aged all night with awful dostruc.
ion to property. which was the Sec
nd frightful fire in the history OF
petroleum and the first to occur away
rom the oil regions.
I'm 1880. having been for many
ears on the Pacific coast l returned