The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-21
POINT BREEZE FIRE
FIVE PERSONS NOW KNOWN To
HAVE BEEN KILLED.
EIGHTEEN TANKS DESTROYED.
AND CONFEDERATION NOT YET UN-
DER CONTROL.

Prompt Work of Ffremen Saved at
Least a Score of Lives-EGorts Now
Being Directed to Salvation of Re-
Same Property Has Been Devastat-
ed by Fire ON Several Occasions
PreviOusIy-Many Injured by An
other Explosion.
Philadelphia. Aug. 2O.--The fire which
began yesterday afternon at the works
of the Atlantic Refining Company at
: Point Breeze. in the southwestern sec
ton of the city, is still burning fierce
ly tonight and Chief Baxter of the
city fire department has given up hope
of saving any of the company's prop
erty. The one hope of the company's
officials and the firemen was in their
ability to pump the oil from the tanks
not yet reached by the flames into
reserve tanks in an isolated section
of the yard. An explosion late this aft
ernoon carried away the pumping ma
chinery and nothing remains now ap-
parently but to permit the confagra-
ton to burn until all the oil is consum-
ed.
In the explosion which occurred this
afternon fifteen persons were injured
seriously enough to be taken to the
hospital and about forty others were
treated on the scene by the ambulance
surgeons.
The fire is still raging and is eating
UP oil at the rate of $1OO, 900 day, ac-
cording to the estimate of President
Lloyd of the Atlantic Refining Com
pany. Firemen and officials are power
less. The fire must literally burn it
self out. The cooperage shop has been
swept away and in it's destruction for
ty men narrowly escaped death.s
The tanks of benzine are going.
Earthworks have been thrown up to
keep the Schuykill river from becom-
ing flooded with blazing oil.
Five persons are known to have been
killed. The dead are:
John McCullom, engine company 40;
James Falls, engine company 40; John
Dougherty truck company No. 8, and
a fireman and an employe of the refin-
ing company, too badly burned to be
recognized.
When the explosion occurred the
firemen of engine company 40 and em-
ployes of the Atlantic Refining Com
pany, in all about fifty men, were at
work in the pumping house drawing
off oil from the burning tanks The
flames shot high in the air and the
pumping house was almost completely
demolished. The fremen who had
been playing streams on the other
tanks then directed their attention to
the rescue of the men who had been
imprisoned in the pumping house. 1t
was nearly an hour before the men
could be reached. Meanwhile a score
of streams of water were pouring up
on the ruins of the pumping house.
The promptness with which the fire.
men turned their attention to the res
cue of the men undoubtedly saved
score of lives.
StiII Burning.
Since early morning the flames have
spread to five additional tanks, making
eighteen that have been destroyed. The
fire is by no means under control, and
although most of the tanks not yet on
fire are more or less isolated from those
that are burning, there is constant fear
of the flames reaching some of those
that have thus far escaped. The al
most eAUduSlcu sllTeHltI are paying flO
to the burning tanks, devot-
ing their endeavors to an effort to save
the tanks and other property not on
fire. The heat is so fierce that they
have been driven away from the hose.
A device is used that will hold the noz-
zle stationary and in a position to
throw water on the sides of the tanks
and the firefighters retired to a safe
distance to observe their machines at
work.
Meanwhile the oil in the tanks near
est those on fire is being pumped to
the most distant tanks. The big cop
per shop was on fire at one time but
the flames were eXtenguished before
the stock was much damaged.
AS usual, the officials of the company
refuse to give any estimate of the loss.
Those in position to know estimate it
at from $500, 900 to $1,000, 900.
The Point Breeze Oil Works have
been devastated by fire on several oc-
casions. Eleven years ago a fire start
ed which burned fiercely for three days,
destroying much property and causing
heavy loss.
Seventeen years ago there was on
other fire, which defled the efforts of
the firemen for six days.