New-York tribune., 1900-07-08
OIL FIRES DECREASING.
MANY PRECAUTIONS TO PREVENT THEM
SAND TO QCENCH FLAMES


The terrific fire which was started by lightning
among the tanks of the Standard Oil Company at
Constable Hook early THURSDAY morning and
which for several days filed the sky with black
smoke clouds by day and reddish glow by night
was not the first to furnish such display to New
Workers Ten years ago oil fires were of frequent
occurrence, both in the oil fields and at the refn-
cries The losses however were seldom large for
the refneries were smaller AMI did not store any
great quantities Of oil. There have been many
$Z'oVO oil fires, and some in which the loss was
more than $4,000. There have been oil fires too
which have destroyed great deal of valuable ad-
joining property, and others in which the oil found
its way TO nearby watercourses doing great dam
age to wharves and vessels. But never before ac-
cording to oil men who have been in the business
slice the start has there been so large a fire as
the one which is still smoking the Hook.
The falling off in the number Of serious fires OF
this kind has been chiefly due to greater care in
handling the product. Many lessons were learned
from fires, and have been applied to the best ad-
vantage
The Constable Hook plant which has lust been
destroyed, was considered as we'll equipped to with
stand fire as any in the country The fact that it
was almost entirely wiped out, in spite of the
efforts of hundreds of men fire engines and tugs
only goes 10 show the impossibility of doing much
with OIL fire after Il gets fairly started The
officers of the Standard Oil Company are firm in
their belief that the fire was started by lightning
They no longer fear the explosion of gas in over
One or the most destructive fires the Standard OIL
almost the Site of the recently DESTROYED works
rms hre started on the night of February 10 1899
and burned for many hours. II was due to the
carelessness OF a watchman, who dropped a lamp
on the floor of a big warehouse. The fire was kept
GOWN by pumping out many of the endangered
tanks. Many vessels at the Wharves were rescued
%d5G sd55o6 G''o"y The loss amounted to more than
This fire was followed month later by the de-
entire plant would have been lost had not NAM nam 'nS n
with oil
took IRE and spread its blazing cargo over the
on January 2S ISs9 another fire visited this plant
ana r Gestr9yed dS $40Vog worth OF property
company's plants Louisville, KY. in July of
rived from Cleveland ohio had % become n3 'qSs heated
and exploded as its cargo was about to be trans
greater part Of the works and did s damage GHT5 ee
Island sound e be6w eFgS G fIa P5pt on a
strOyed by fire on January 26, 1893, caused by the
explosion of barrel of oil on the pier. The loss
a. In NJ June S92 the st2mdard on Co@ponys works
5aI [S 6t ito to spread % to The city There
since but the loss in every case was small Inns Guy
erae Few III, II any lives have been lost In oil works
Cleveland and Pittsburg have suffered severe
fires, but none which did much damage as this
one one, at Bayon4e Cleyeland's most serious oil fire
Company's yard exploded Nearly 100000 damage
An oil expert of the Standard company said yes
terday to Tribune reporter:
80 Ell your people that they missed II II they did
not Watch inns constable Hook fire They may
never see another for going to have
many more Compare the oil fire records Of the
ninetes with those of the eighties, and you will
see what l mean. Fires becoming more in
them in check are rapidly being perfected Of
course, lightning is hard thing TO fight. One Of
the principal for the falling of in oil fires
is the big combination. The number of reffneries
about the country has been greatly reduced. Why,
the Standard has torn down several plants almost
big as the one at the Hook. Then we know
more about fighting oil fires than used 10.
Every one knows that water only makes matters
worse. Earth Is what Is needed and you'll soon
hear of an invention which will throw sand instead
CT water. If this invention be perfected II
will still further reduce the chance of oil fires.
I'm rebuilding the Bayonne plant several I'M
provements will he introduced in the pipe system,
and then, if lightning should again strike a tank
the fire will not be able TO spread the entire