The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-07-31
WRAPPED In FLAMES
A Broken Electric lamp
Causes the Awful Ac-
cident at the Oil
Yards.
CONDITION OF THE SUFFERERS
Heroic Conduct of the Stricken
Foreman-company's Pc
culiar Action.
CONDITION OF THE SUFFERERS

Tit fearful explosion at the Eagle Oil
Company's dsstilieries at Claremont,
yesterday, as told in saFhe Jersey
City News" last night. treated the great
est sorrow and sympathy in Greenville
for the injured, the majority of whom
resided there. The recollection of the
last fatal accident at the same place,
which occurred only recently, had not
died away when this more terrible one
comes to shock the community. Three
men were mortaIly hurt and the remain-
ing two seriously injured. They are:-
Cunningham. Richard. boilermaker, SO
| years old. Of G~reenville, burned about
head, face. chest and arms; win re-
! cover.
Goldsmith, John w. head boilermaker,
As years old, Of No. q Armstrong place.
badly burned about the face and body
and injured internally from inhalation
OF gas; recovery almost hopeless.
McHugh, Thomas, pipe filter. 3s years
| old, Of Greenv.lle. badly burned about
face and body and injured internally
from inhalation of gas; virtually no hope
of recovery.
Moran Martin. boilermaker, q years old.
G~reenville: seriously burned, but prob
ably will recover.
Ryan, John. still cleaner, "a years old.
G~reenville; horribly burned from waist up
and injured internally; recover impos-
sible.
The "distilleries'' of the oil works con-
sist Of twenty4one small buildings. each
| containing apparatus for removing some
| of the impurities of the oil in its crude
| state, and rendering it in a lighter form.
TafGtit1arxy M "a uat rt,t af nr1ar and
| yesterday morning a corps Of workmen
were ordered to clean it and they work.
ed all morning Until twelve O'Clock,
when they the completion Of
| their task to Boiler Inspector Goldsmith.
Shortly before one o'clock Goldsmith
entered the still to inspect the work.
The examination wa completed and
Goldsmith prepared to ascend the ladder.
As he turned TO make the ascent. the
ineandescent lamp swung against one Of
the walls of the still with such force as
to shatter the globe. The next moment
there was a report of an explosion that
could be heard a mile away. Great vol
umes of fame burst from the still through
both the top INK end openings. Nc
Hugh. standing directly over the top
| opening. caught the sheet full in the
CiSSt dha IdCt. MS CfOtlttfS flAAlAtQA
ately caught fire. and he rolled off the
top of the still to the ground. Cunning
ham. Moran and Ryan. who were stand
ing in front Of the end entrance. were
knocked down, their clothing catching
fire as they fell.
In a moment the still was surrounded
by -workingmen from other parts Of the
works. and water was dashed over the
49, " a-x1A~
were entinguished. but not before all
the hair on the heads and faces of the
men had been burned off and much of
the flesh on their bodies from the waist
been ~extinguished a search was made
for Goldsmith. Superintendent Graft, who
was one OF the first to reach the scene
of the accident, shouted
Man the hose, some of you, n turn
a stream into the stillr'
Just as the men were about to execute
the order a ~blackened head and face ap-.
peared above the opening in tn top Of
the still. A body, also blaekened, fol-
lowed the head. Willing hands assisted
Goldsmith to the ground. There seemed
to be little hops that the man could live
more than a few minutes. but he said
Boys, be careful how you tell my wife
about IT,. just say I'm burned a little
and VIII be all right soon. You see, there
was gas In the still and when the lamp
exploded the gas must have caught fire
from the spark"
Il RI All v IlC WClC ART 1 = I L 1atA-4C
Hospital and Christ Hospital in ambu-
lances.
Goldsmith's chances for recovery are
| doubtful; he is injured internally. He
was 50 terribly burned that the sur
geons had to bind their hands with lint
before touching him.. Ryan and Nc
Hugh are also in great danger. Their
burns are very serious and the profuse
! gases generated by the explosion has a
serious effect on them. They are also
hurt internally.
1t has been a common custom In pre-
vious fires for the authorities of the Oil
after arriving at the scene to take any
part IN extinguishing the flames. It is
! but for the sake of Formally that they
turn In an alarm at all. The works are
fitted up with all modern fire appliances
and they claim that they can fight the
blaze better than the flremen.
But their latest prank Is to keep the
police from the grounds during the fire.
An attempt was made to keep the Fifth
precinct patrol wagon from entering the
grounds yesterday and no definite reason
was assigned other than Orders" The
threat Of arrest. however, cast aside all
interferences and the wagon passed on
to fulfil Its mission.
The men who were injured at the ex-
niosion are lying at St. Francis Hospital.
Solomon Goldsmith and James Cunning
ham. the two who were most seriously
injured, remain in about the same con1i-
ton. towering between life and death. 1t
IS thought they cannot recover.
The remainder of the injured. Martin
| Moran, Thomas McCue and John Ryan,
improved Slightly through the night.
-S