The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1893-02-04
A LIGHTED MATCH
And Curiosity to Test Oil Oozing
From the Street Causes Num-
Der of Explosions
Sunday.


noon by several explosions succeed
ing each other, the ringing of the
fire alarm and great black cloud of
smoke rolling up in the West End.
The churches had just concluded
their services and the crowds of peo-
pie on the street added to the excite
ment by an eager haste to reach the
scene of the alarm. which was located
on Clinton street, between Washing
ton and the river At the corner of
Washington and Clinton streets the
oil oozing from the street had been
observed by Policeman VIII. Gordon,
Sam South and others, who engaged
in discussion as to what it was.
some holding that it was water and
others that it was oil, and to substan-
tiate his 'opinion, South lighted
match and applied it to the oozing
substance. q
Instantaneously there was flash
of fire from the sewers in the vicinity
and an explosion followed it that
shook the houses for some distance
around the scene. The mouth Of
the Clinton and Nero street sewers
= belched forth great tongues of flames
on the river. bank and the catch.
basins on Clinton street from Wash
ington to the river were miniature
VOLCANOES, from which assembled dense
clouds of smoke and fire. At inter-
walls explosions followed each other
and wild rumors were set ahoat that |
the oil tank and gasometer were in
danger of exploding and many resi-
dents and on-lookers in the neigh
borhood precipitately fed for safety.
The fire department in the mean
while had responded to the call and
driven at great speed down Wash
ington street, where they were con-
fronted by flame twenty feet high
to block their passage.
1t was too late to turn and go
around, and into and through the fire
to the other side of Clinton street
the brave firemen drove to the fire
hydrants and turned on four heavy
streams of water into the sewers.
They soon gained control of the
flames, but kept up their work until
nearly five o'clock and then retired,
leaving the hose for the employees of
the gas company to operate for
several hours longer. Though the
flames were in dangerous proximity
to the houses, a number of which
were actually scorched, and each ex-
plosion would send the stones Of the
street flying through the air, the
damage was trifiing and there was
neither loss of life or property to re-
cord.
Mr.. Gross Haly was the only un- I
fortunate to suffer by the occurrence. ;
He had the index finger of his left !
hand cut off while assisting to raise [
the mouth of one of the sewers.
The accident did not affect the I
plant of the gas company, and that {
night the street lamps and the resi- '
dences were supplied with gas as {
usual. 1t was supposed that the late {
cold weather had burst the pipe,
along which oil was being conveyed
from an oil car on the railroad on l
Broadway, at the intersection of 6
Long Lane, down TO Clinton and to 6
the corner of Nero and Washington t
streets, to the gas works. This line of t
pipe was an old one which h ad been f
for some time by an
order of the city authorities that it i
was dangerous to the lives and prop @
'rty of citizens on Broadway, but as t
he line afterwards laid from the v
Kentucky Midland yards down Gin il
on street happened to be out Of a
rider Sunday, permission was given n