The herald., 1897-03-13
FIRE IN THE OIL FIELDS
Which Threatens Great
Destruction
MUCH PROPERTY GOES UP IN SMOKE
Ex-Governor MerriII's House Is
Consumed
SOME OTHER HEAVY LOSSES
Roush Estimates Place the Damage Near
Ten thousand Dollars
Good Work Of Flremea and Favorable Ind
Prevent More Damage
BroolIns & Akins' Derrick and Pumping
Plant Destroyed snd Three Tanks
Of OIL Burned - Effect
Rough Estimates Place the Damage Near
Ten thousand Dollars
Good Work Of FIremen and Favorable ind
Prevent More Damage
BrookIns & Akins' Derrick end Pumping
Plant Destroyed snd Three Tanks
Of OIL Burned - Effect
on the narket

The fire originated in a small shed
in the rear of the two-story house at No
leg Union avenue, owned by ex- Gov.
Merrill of Iowa. This shed was owned
by Brookins & Atkins and was used as q
sort of dressing room by the men en-
ployed at their well near by.
1t was about $3.50 o'clock when Capt.
Fuselehr of Chemical company No. g.
located on Belmont avenue. saw a blaze
which he at once knew was caused by
oil. Quickly he sprang to the telephone
and turned in an alarm, and then his
company started for the fire. Meantime
Watchman Brown had run to the corner
of Court and Patton streets and turned
in an alarm from box 59
When Chemical company No. 2 ar
rived the fire was burning fiercely and
second alarm was deemed necessary.
This brought several more pieces Of ap-
paratus and the fremen set to work with
a will to combat the flames.
SEAT OF THE FIRE
The seat of the fire was In the block
bounded on the south by Second street,
on the west by Burlington avenue, on
the north by First street and on the east
by Union avenue. In this space were
the eight-room, two-story house of ex-
Gov. Merrill, Brookins & Atkins derricks
and tanks. two tanks of the Rex OIL COM
pany and machinery. the plant of the
American Crude Oil company, the res
idence of Park Commissioner D. F. Men
denhall and the derrick and plant of
Sloane & Leslie.
Ed Mosher, the night man in charge
of the pumping plant of the American
Crude Oil company, was standing In the
doorway of the engine room when he
saw flames In the shed of Brookins g.
Atkins, just across the way. Mosher
ran towards the shed. and as he drew
near discovered that fierce fire was
burning In the southwest corner of the
shed. Before he got to 1t the flames
leaped from the windows and crept to
the tanks of Brookins & Atkins. One of
these tanks was new and of 400-barrel
capacity and contained $50 barrels of
oil. The other was 15-barrel full tank.
Then was it again demonstrated that
the oil will burn. Soon the flames kind
led the wooden covering and In no time
the tank was transformed into a boiling
cauldron. Mosher had dragged a gar
den hose to the shed and was making
diligent efforts to quench the blaze but
to no avail.
On the north side Of the burning shed
WCiC Tic tWo ldnhS VI tuc INcA Oli Cotil-
pany. with a capacity of $50 barrels each
Directly in front of the shed stood the
Merrill house, occupied by John Craig.
So rapid was the spreaS Of the fire that
when the department arrived the house
was ablaze and one of the Rex Oil COM
pany's tanks had caught.
The house had been richly furnished
by Ex-Governor Merrill and contained
about $4,000 worth of furniture and bric-
a-brac. The inmates of the house work.
ed hard to save the furniture, but only
succeeded In saving the piano and
small amout of the furniture before the
intense heat drove them back.
FIGHTING THE FLAMES.
Chief Moore and Assistant Chief
Smith directed the work of the firemen.
Owing to the scarcity Of water only two
lines of hose were laid, each 600 feet
long. On the north side of the confia-
grafton stands the Union avenue school
house and number of houses. while on
the other side, except for the home of
d. F. Mendenhall on the southwest cor
ner there are no buildings. only the
Sloane & Leslie derrick and pumping
plant near by. The firemen fought the
flames from the north side and by eff
cient work succeeded in checking the
northward approach of the fire.
In this they were favored by a north
tion Of the wind that the conf1agration
was not far more serious.
The flames were driven southwark and
stopped in Brookins' big sump hole,
containing many barrels of oil which
had drained OF the wells ON higher
ground.
1t was beautiful though expensive
sight The flames leaped high into the
air and Illuminated the scene for q ra-
dius Of twenty miles or more. Great
balls Of inky black smoke belched up and
filled the air. The fire ragged fercely
and the sound was like that Of a cata-
ract. Mr.. Mendenhall stood in the back
yard Of his home with a garden hcss
in his hand and wet the fences and sheds
while he gazed apprehensively at the
flames. which had caught the top of thu
derrlcks and were sending q myriad OF
sparks In every direction.
Fortunately the wind was blowing
SO that the flames we're diverted In their
forward course, but they threatened to
destroy the pumping plants and der
ricks of Sloane and Leslie. Just as the
derrick caught fire and its destruction
seemed Inevitable. the fury Of the flames
abated. vand the property escaped de-
struction. although the machinery was
damaged to the extent of several thou
sand dollars.
VIEWED BY THOUSANDS.
The clarion notes Of the big bell In the
City hall Informed the pedestrians that
fire was raging. and those who stop
ped to count the strokes and glance at
their box location cards, learned that II
was In. the oil region. A few minutes
later the second alarm was sounded
and that was the signal for everyone
to start for the scene. BY this time the
flames were shooting up high into the
air and presented brilliant sight even
In the heart Of the city
Hacks. street cars and bicyclers
Hwarmed westward. and those who were
not 70 fortunate as to have convey
ance STARRED on foot
congested with vehicles OF every a.
eoriptioh and BY ths time the llre m