The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-07-14

HURLED TO HIS DEATH
An Oil Lighter Exp1odes
Killing One Man and
lnjuring An
other.
FATAL BOX 242 AGAIN
Hundreds Of Barrels of Oil Burst
Into Flame and Are
Consumed.

Fatal alarm No. 22 was again rung
yesterday, hardly a fortnight since the
disastrous fire in the same dangerous To-
cality. Shortly before three O'Clock yes
terday afternoon Lighter No. 10 of the
Standard OIL Company was moored to
the Comnunipaw docks n was being
loaded with white astral oil. Suddenly
there was a loud report and the deck
Of the lighter was blown asunder and
timbers few in every direction. Captain
Fred Henry, aged forty-three, Of Nc. 2sl
Floyd street, Brooklyn, and First Mate
Alexander McHattan, Of rs Fremont
street. Greenpoint, Long Island, were
he only persons on the barge at the
time.
McHattan was hurled many feet into
the air n fell into the water in a hals
stunned condition. Some of his fellow
employees quickly threw the life lines
TO him, but he made no attempt to seze
them as he was in such a paralyzed state.
n he drowned before other assistance
could reach him. The captain was hurled
upon the dock and was badly injured.
He was severely burned about the face
and hands and his clothing was torn into
shreds. His face and hands were so
badly burned tina it is feared he viii
be horribly d~isfigured. Not a hair was
left on his head.
The tug Stella, belonging to the COM
pany, arrived quickly on the scene and
cutting the lighter from her moorings
drew her further out into the bay. The
company's effective fire appliances soon
e-xtinguished the blaze, but they played
the hose upon her for several hours. En-.
gines No. s, 9 and 10 responded, but were
of little use except to guard the wharves.
They returned home about an hour after
the outbreak.
About seven o'clock in the evening the
tug, thinking the danger to be over, at
tempted to drag the boat back to her
moorings. The moving caused the oil
to flow out Of the bursted n and it
being lighter than the water Immediately
rose to the top of the water. where a
few smouldering timbers were floating
and the oil caught fire. II seemed as
though the whole surface of the water
was aglow and h huge flames licked
the lighter and wrapped around It, dis
playing a magnificent scene. The huge
mountain of flame interspersed among the
immense volumes of black smoke, rose
high in midair. The lighter was quickly
burned to the water and nothing could
be seen of It but a few floating charred
timbers.
Foreman Baxter Of the Standard OIL
Company sent in the second alarm as
soon as he saw the outbreak. Engines
s, 3 and 10 again responded and kept the
oil from floating into the wharves. The
task was difficult and exceedingly danger
Gus The company's shipping yard lay
right about $50 feet from the scene and
many hundred barrels were piled high
and right among the tanks. But about
a dozen streams kept the oil affair and it
was ignited BY the floating timbers. but
at a safe distance from the wharyes.
The second fire burned for about forty
five minutes.
The lighter belonged to the company
and was fitted up with two huge tanks
stored amidships in the hold. Each had
a capacity Of two or three hundred gall
Ions. The first outbreak was caused by
the explosion of the forward tank; the
cause. is not known. The ship was
valued at about 5000. She was re-
eeiving a consignment of oil for Green
point, Long Island, but was only about
two-thirds full. The burned oil, it is esti-
mated, viii reach several thousand dol
lars.