The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1897-10-23


entirely 10 the affair. The blazing oil
lighted the heavens far and wide. and
objects on distant hills were revealed
AZ plainly a. they could be through
the use OF a modern searchllght Olean
Tor years has been a principal storage
center Tor the product Of the Bradford
district. Scores o. huge metal tanks
dot the hills on all sides Of the city. In
each OF these great structures the Stan
dard on company stores $4,000 barrels
o. petroleum. Each Of these oil stor-
age ware houses Is nearly 80 feet high
and more than 100 feet IN diameter.
They are round. and Of sufficient size
10 enclose three-iourths Of the build
lngs round about. During one OF the
terrific thunderstorms for which 81
swlthin vas responsible last month.
lightning struck a tank on the Hollen-
beck farm, near Olean. In an instant
after the crash a column Of smoke be-
gan extending from the burning tank
10 the sky. increasing In volume and
density until a heavy black cloud. that
seemed almost 10 extend from the
burning tank 10 the sky. was formed.
Presently the crude oil. splashlng and
tossing in the doomed tank. as II Il
we're great gurgling caldron. swept
over the sides OF the structure and
hurst into flames. These died down
al times. rcappearlng soon In greater
force. and driving their way through
the dense smoke. The hrst OF the re-
cent on Ares broke out AZ 3 O'Clock IN
the afternoon Several hours elapsed
before the company's men could begin
their Efforts 70 p,,vent a spread OF the
are They have no use for ladders or
trucks. but hghi oil tank fires with
nlrks plows and cannon. working like
beavers for hours az a time, aud not
abandoning the hght until they have
succeeded In conhning the blazing pc
troleum 10 a limited district An oil
Are ordinarily lasts from a TO % hours.
A. soon as the alarm b. given. men
are employed a. the rate Of 80 cents an
hour Ia hght the are Usually they
are preceded by men with horses and
nlows. and their FIRST duty Is TO assist
IN making great trenches on all sides
Of the burning tank. These trenches
are made deep and vide. A soon a.
they are finished a cannon Is brought
into play. Il Is loaded with a heaSy
hail which IL hred into the tank. no
Ear above the ground Through IN,
hole thus made the oil In the love-
mart OF the tank. which has not beer
LIMITED. rushes out. hlling the trenchc
and plunglng away from the Gre. TIT
petroleum Is pumped into other tanks
and many barrels thus are saved
These extraordinary CONGREGATIONS rs
ually are caused hy lightning strikln
the tanks. but the last of the thrc
recent fires near Olcan was unique q
d. origin. WOrkmcn we've engaged d
repairing a tank on the Two Mile.
section OF tho oll field between 0lea
aud Allegheny. a ncighbor.ug villas,
One of the men. in uslug bits hammCl
made a sllp and the blundor rosuiie
D in generating a spark which fired On
tank Although several of thc worl
men we're ON the roof of the siructuu
they succeeded in escaping safely
b the ground IN few minutes the O
in the tank was a burning mass an
the p0pulace although Us appetite Z.
the spectacular had been but recent
r appeascd. again FASTENED TO the seer
& Of the h,es, connagration. rcmalnir
, Tor hours 10 watch the sight