Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1902-05-16
ENVEL0PED in FLAME
Naphtha Cars Explode in Yards att
Sheraden, Pa.
AIR FILLED WITH BLAZING OIL.
Clothing of Hundreds Of sightseeks
Catches Fire-At Least Twenty.
Five Are Killed, and 200 OF
300 Are Injured.

Five Are Killed, and 0 OF.
300 Are Injured.
Pittsburg, Pa, May 13.-The Shera-
den yards of the Panhandle railroad
was the scene Monday evening of ole Z
Of the most disastrous explosions ana
fire known in this section for many
years. At least IS lives were lost and
between 200 and 300 persons were
so badly burned that, according to the =
judgment Of physicians in attendance,
Is per cent. of them will die from the
effects Of their injuries.
The Victims.
The following is a partial list of the
dead:
Albert Mexican, brakeman, sheraden.
John Swan, brakeman. Sheraden.
Unknown boy, about IA years old, died on
way + to Allegheny, general al1 hosp mh3o a.
at Mercy hospital.
- Finerty, aged 20 years, Ststersville,
W. Va, died at Mercy hospital. ~
Charles Hertig, Chestnut Mines, died at !
Mercy hospital.
j. w. w. Taylor. q years old, Of Millers sta
ton, died at Mercy hospital.
q. =. Hunter, q years old. leaves widow
and five children, Of Sheraden, died at
Mercy hospital.
W: E. Wright, Is years old. q carpenter
Of Sheraden, died at Mercy hospital.
Dallas Bort, q old, Of Sheraden,
died at Mercy hospital
Unknown white man, about 40 years old.
five feet 9 inches tall and Weighing about
1H pounds, taken to McDermot's under
taking rooms.
- Douda died at Mercy hospital.
r..E #."" Tho Conao
The aus of the catastrophe was th&
explosion of a train of naphtha cars
which were being switched at the
yard, and in the switching the rear car
telescoped a a forward. The lead.
ing naphtha a ignited from a switchA
light, causing an explosion which !
threw the flames 50 feet high. Much
of the escaping naphtha ran through
Cork's Run to Esplen Borough, a dis
tance Of TX miles, and caused another
explosion, blowing to atoms the sey-
mour hotel and the Collins house, on
River road, and badly wrecking a frame :
building nearby, in which were congre-
gated 200 or more sports from Pitts
burg and vicinity, betting on the
races, baseball, etc. Few of the occuf
pants of this building escaped injury,
many being badly hurt. Mrs. Seymour
and her daughter, of the sheraden ho-
tel. were seriously and it is feared IA
tally injured. ~,
Flames Envelop Spectators. :
The first a of naphtha exploded
about 4:4o o'clock and the spectacle
soon attracted a large crowd on streets
lining the hills on both sides of andni
parallel to the railroad. The second
car exploded about five o'clock, but it
was 6:15 o'clock when three more cars
Of the deadly stuff went up with a roar
that could be heard for miles, that the
work Of destruction really began. A
torrent of flame belched forth on eachS
side of the track, sweeping back the =
terrified spectators like a charge of
artillery and sending a shower Of
flame over their head resembling
Mont Pelee on a small scale. The scene
that followed beggars descriptions
The successive explosions had heatedf
the air to such an extent that before
the third explosion many were rem
dered unconscious by the extreme heat
and the gaseous fumes and were be-
ing carried away when the torrents Of
flame swept over the excited crowd. =
A Terrible Scene.
There was an awful hush for a mo-
ment, then followed a scene of
frenzy. Men and women, their cloth
ing ablaze, their faces soorched and
blistered and their hair burned off
their heads, ran wildly shrieking, y
hither and thither, only intent on es-
cape from that awful furnace of fire.
Some gave vent to frenzied appeals
to kill them and put them out of
their misery, and little children with,
their curly locks and light summer
clothing small pillars of fire, cried
piteously as they were swept along
by the tide of burning humanity.
The townspeople did all in their
power for the stricken victims. and
all the Pittsburg ambulances were
Immediately despatched to the scene,
with q corps of physicians. Many of
those not seriously burned were re-
moved to their homes in Sheraden.
while others were sent to the various
Pittsburg hospitals, and the deadk
removed to undertaking establish '
ments IN Sheraden and vicinity and
to the Pittsburg morgue.
Because of the burning of all tele-
graph and telephone wires near the
scene of the accident, news must be
carried by messenger, making def
mite news concerning the catastrophe
hard to get. Street ears are blocked,
a long distance from Sheraden, and
the Panhandle railroad tracks are
completely blocked. Y
Palma and Wood Confer.
Havana, May 13.-The family Of =
President-elect Palma arrived here
Monday from New York. Senior Palma
had a long conference with Gen. Wood
Monday, at which they discussed the
details of handing over the govern-k
ment of the island to the Cuhan adr;.