Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-05-14
IN SHEETS OF LIQUID FIRE
A rrnRnIc EXPLOSION AT pRAD-
T0nD, PENN.
barrel Houac Consumcd--Tsni< Car
of Bcnsine E~paodcs--An Inde-
scribnbic Panic En-ues--NInny :
People BADLY nurncd

by Associated Press.
Bradford, Pa. May is.-The barrel
house at Enery's refinery IN this city
took FIRE this afternoon, presumably
by spontaneous combustion. and waa
destroyed Tho leading tracks and
Ave oil tank cars standing on side
track of the Buffalo. Rochester AMI
Pittsburg We're also burned. The fire
was a flcrce one, and attracted i'm
mensc crowds OF people from all over
this locality While the flremen were
making final stand and Thousands
of people were watching them there
was u tremendous expioslon,a tank car
holdig 100 gallons OF benzinc let.
ting 80 with mighty roar. Fortu-
nately, the burning benzine that war
tlnng into tho air IN sheets OF liquid
FIRE had consumed itself before set.
Ting down over the crowd. The explo.
sion waa followed by II panic thai
cannot be described In words. Blind.
unreasoning, pitiless instinct OF self
preservation allowed itsclf and the
weak went down before the strong in
mulutudcs OF cases IN the frantic rush
20 escape want seemed TO be q horrible
death. In the stampede men AS wei
as women and children were thrown
down and trOdddn over by the iying
masses TINT surged up from Dchind.
Thirty-nye OF the fremen were burnsa
80 that the skin peeled on their facea
and hands. and the hair was singed Oh
their hands aud Ga SOS, OF the men whd
arc nlishtly burned there Is no record,
aud the total number o. those burned
aud injured win probably rench n hun.
drea persona with NIL the suffering
this fro VIII cuuse. the loss OF property
will not exceed $1,000,
\ crowd II siRhtseers were within q
hundred feet Of the tank whom II ok.
plodod but most Of the iiremeu were
maascd within half that distance. The
latter were covered by the frst faah
OF the explosion. hut the greater din
lance separating the front ranks Of
spectators from the exploding tank
saved them There were many dis
plays Of nerve and unselnsh courage az
wen as tho Gonsoiass display OF selfish
eownrdlco.
Matt Bohan, refinery employo, with
OH poaked clothing was standing clos,
beside the car when big tank lot so
Tho concuasion folled him as II he had
been struck with a Hlndgc hammer and
IN "A dash hlu clothing wan ablnzc from
head 20 foot. lie coolly rolled In ths
grass until the lire wns put out. nj,
though he was badly burned. Then hs
npranR TO the assistance Of a companion
who was also pillnr of IRE, but had
less presence of mind Another man
a.. Hl... aaa.H - lfaaa
sprang into the creek and HubmorBcd
himself. In the whole crowd only three
men were burned tn this wny, Thu
tiremon wore waterproof canvass coata
and hats and all OF these were burned
black and curled crisp with the burst
OF flames and the intense heat, they
did not ignite. Mrs. Emma Wheaton
ana Mrs. =. Smith wore carried down
In the rush, trumpied under foot ana
have SUSTAINED dangerous injuries.
John ]. Croaby'H ear was burned 10
n charred crisp and his handn are
ronatod. He IL foreman Of the whitney
Hose company. G. A, Coleman is badly
hufnod about the face, neck and lands
and his liluRa ure affected from hrenth-
Ing the fire. He IN In serious condi-
ton. The following named nremcr
were badly burned and are under thu
care OF physicians John MocScr. Eds
ward Aleiirnw, James Dougherty, VIII.
Ham Stewart, l1dShrd Gardiner, Ro-
bert French, John Carraogart and
Coleman, William Griffith. John Irwin
Nj. Murphy ind Bert Flszle All Of the
Liberty Hose company, j. Crosby, Jos
eph Gofnel. Rush Redwood, Eugene
McCano. John HasltinH all OF the Whlt-
ney Hose company Daniel Rogan,
william Carey and william Dixon Of
the citizens hose company. Harry
StillinRs, William Hays and Charles
Helwlg Of the johnson Hose company
Il -
not obtAlnnble. II, H. Mcdarvcy and
Matt Bchan, employees nj the refinery
are In critical condition resulting
from their burns.