The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-08-21
Another Explosion Yesterday That
Sent Fifteen People to the Hospit-
ais and Hurt Forty More.
GAS HOLDERS THREATENED
LOCATED DIRECTLY OPPOSITE THE
BURNING OIL WORKS.
Loss So Far Probably Three-Quarters
of a Million DoIIars-Protected
by a Sinking Fund.


which began yesterday afternoon at the
works of the Atlantic Refining Company.
at Point Breeze, in the southwestern sec
ton of the city. is still burning fercely
tonight, and Chief Baxter, of the city
fire department, has given up hope of saw
ing any of the company's property. The
one hope of the companys 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 afternoon carried away the pump
ing machinery, and nothing remains now
apparently but TO permit the coniagration
to burn until all the oil is consumed. 1t
is believed tonight that the five lives lost
in the explosion of the big gasoline tank
last night completes the list of fatalities.
The dead are
JOHN MCULLON, engine company
No. 49,
JAMES EALLS. engine company No. 40.
JOHN DOUGHERTY, truck company
No. ..
FRANK DAVIS. truck company. No. 8.
ALEXANDER TIMMERS an employe of
the Atlantic Refining Company.
In the explosion which occurred this aft
ly enough to be taken to the hospitals and
about forty others were treated on the
scene by the ambulance surgeons.
Briefly the story of the fire may be sum-
married. thus: All of those reported as
missing after the explosion last night have
been accounted for The roll of injured
mounts up to more than one hundred.
Many of these are trivial cases. not taken
to hospitals. few are serious and may
prove fatal.
The fire is still raging. and is eating up
oil at the rate of 100000 day. according
TO the estimate of President Lloyd, of
the Atlantic Refining Company Firemen
and officials are powerless. The fire must
literally burn itself out. The cooperage
shop has been swept away, and in it's
destruction forty men narrowly escaped
death. The tanks of benzine are going
Earthworks have been thrown up to keep
the Schuylkill from becoming flooded with
blazing oil.
The firemen say they working in the
dark. There is danger all around them,
they say, and they do not know where the
danger spots are.
The loss only be estimated. Of
ficials of the company refuse to make any
statement as to the quantity of oil. benzine
and naphtha contained in the various tanks
already destroyed and those that cannot
escape destruction. Insurance men and
fremen early to-day said the loss could
not be less than s5OOOO0, but since then
great quantities of refined petroleum and
benZine have been consumed, and several
tanks have been rendered useless by the
flames
President Lloyd said: '"The exact GUAM
tity of oil in the various tanks l could
not give YOU We do not know ourselves.
are made good from sinking fund set
aside precisely for such an emergency as
this"
Station a, of the United Gas Improve
ment Company, which is directly oppo-
site the burning oil works is in grave
danger. Chief Engineer w. II. Gartley
of the station. said late tonight: "a
change in the wind and Station A is
doomed. No trouble is anticipated unless
the wind veers around from the southwest
However, we are taking no chances, and
have already run the three holders down
halfway. Their respective capacities are
100000. 2.75O.OOO and 100000 cubic feet"
The Point Breeze oil works have been
devastated by fire on several occasions.
Eleven years ago a fire started which
burned fiercely for three days, destroying
much property and causing heavy loss.
Seven years ago there was another fire
which defied the efforts of the firemen
for six days. The fre-fghting force of
the city was not able To cope with this
outbreak, and aid was summoned from
nearby places. On both of these occasions
the heavy smoke hung over the city. COM
pletely obscuring the light of the sun.