Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-09-02
special % The Reg.s.er.


Special 20 the Register.
S.stersv.Ile, September This
morning about : o'clock q very d.sas-
trous and perhaps faraI fire occurred
about six miles from this city in which
is called The Dog Skin district Of the
Sistersville field. The Associated Pro
ducers No. 2 well On the Deist farm vas
drilled n Saturday and was doing about
$50 barrels q day. This morning the
workmen about the well put he fire ou-
in the boiler and prepared 70 put The
FOOLS in the we'll 70 drill il lttle deep
e.. About this time The water in their
cank run out and they concluded 70 bail
she well out instead Of putting The tools
down. TIE bailer had been pulled out
OF the well twice AMI vas almost 70 the
-op the third time when The well COM
melced 20 flow an some OF the OF es-
capped before he cap could be put on
and ran down the run near which the
well is located.
AL OF the men working about the
well. three n number. were nearby a.
the time the well commenced 10 now
and one Of them was busy sc-eTlng the
cap on. Just as the fellow na1 The cap
almost on 9 man VINO was passing along
the road above saw q stream OF lre
coming up The run and. guessing tha-
The oil that had escaped had caught fire
in some way or had been SCI on IRE. ne
called 70 The men % run for their lives.
His warning was 100 lac. however, 1or
like q fash the flames reached the der
rick and as the men ran away they had
20 jump over a big ditch % ge- away
from the well.
The first one, man named Bert
Hall. managed 20 get across the ditch
just as the flames reached the derrick,
but the other Two men were not so for
tuna-e One OF the men named Make,
made an effort 10 jump across the ditch,
but his foot slipped on the greasy
ground and he fell in The burning oil.
The other man, whose name could not
be learned. and who had only gone 70
work on the lease that morning. did
not reach The ditch. and was caught IN
the flames His clothes were literally
burned of him. and in some places the
flesh dropped on and the bones were
exposed. He ran on in an effort 70 get
away from the flames and went about
100 feet before he fell exhausted When
Make managed 70 get 70 his feet after
his clothes caught fire and he ran @
short distance 10 where Hall was
standing, and Hall pulled the burning
clothes from his back. and in doing
this burned his right hand very Sc
yerely.
There are quite a number Of wells in
the vicinity OF -he accident. and in
few minutes there were half a dozen
men there who did all they could 10
allay the suffering OF the burned men
and in q short time they were conveyed
70 a nearby house Make would not
stay al the farm house and was brought
70 this city 70 have his wounds dressed.
DR.. Sellars attended him. and when his
shirt was taken OF all the flesh on his
back with the exception OF a place
about Two inches square. where the sus-
peuders had rested. was pulled on. His
right arm also was badly burned.
Makes injuries are nothing COM
pared with those Of the other poor fel-
low who was caught. His body was
horribly burned and in many places
the flesh dropped of the bones. About
his head he is terribly disfgured. His
eye-lids are burned of. as We're his ears
and a part OF his nose 4 physician
was summoned from Antioch O.. 70
dress his wounds. and this evening he
was reported still alive. but the physi-
clan attending him has very little hope
Of his recovery. as il is thought he in
hailed the flames. The only thing
known about the man is that he came
here from Bradford. Pa. and today was
the first day he had worked on the Deist
lease, and consequently no one knew
who he was.
When the fire was discovered the
tools and the bailer were standing up
in the rig. The rig. boiler and belt
house and two tanks containing about
500 barrels of oil. were burned. as well
as the cable and sand line. Everything
about the we'll is a total loss. and il is
estimated that the owners of the we'll
Will be out in the neighbOrhoOd OF So
GOO. After the well had ceased flowing
and when the fire had burned down a
little. the cap was screwed down on the
well, thus shutting IL in. and in a short
time the fire was stamped out.