Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-03-12
SCENE OF AGONY
FIFTEEN LIVES LOST IN AN E%.
PloSloN OF OIL TANKS
NEAR CLEAN, N. Y.
SCORES SERIOUSLY INJURED

Train Of OIL and Gasoline cars Breaks
in Two and the Sections Collide on
crade-Larae crawd Assemblies to
View the Wreck and When the Oil
Caught Fire Many Were Unable to
Escape and Were Burned to Death.
Olean, N. Y, March 11.-Fffteea
lives were lost and fully twice that
number of people were burned CT
bruised by an explosion Of oil follow
ing a wreck on the Erie railroad
| north of this city. Owing to the fact
that some of the bodies were inciner.
ated in the fierce flames or blown into
the creek by the terrific explosion the
exact number Of dead will probably
not be known for several days. The
number of injured. too. is uncertain,
as a large number of them were able
to reach their homes and received
treatment there.
The Genes following the explosion
will never be forgotten by those who
saw tucm. ~ was duOul y OCIOCh Au
the evening when the train was
wrecked. An Erie freight train, west
bound. broke in two on the hill W
miles north Of the city. At first the
forward part of the train. released Of
all the weight of the cars behind. shot
forward with increased speed. Brakes
were applied mi the front portion CT
the train was brought to a standstili
OF tho irnn hriAUa QnrOCC OlQQn crnnk
The rear cars, gathering momentum
as they came down the hill. crashed
into the forward part Of the train.
Most of the cars in the train were tank
cars filed with refined oil or gasoline.
They weighed thousands Of o and
the impact was terrific. One OF the
tank cars caught fire soon after the
collision. The exact cause of the fire
Is not known, but it Is supposed to
have started from a spark struck from
the grinding pieces of iron in the
wreckage. In a few minutes another
car of gasoline caught fire and burst
in flames with a terrific report. Por'
tons of the iron domes Of the carD
were hurled a distance of several hun.
bred feet. The flames shot high up in
the air. presenting a brilliant specta-
Gle. In this early accident, SO far as
can be learned, nc n was injured. A
large crowd gathered quickly. Hun.
dreds of people from Olean, North
Olean and the surrounding countryside
gathered to watch the brilliant play
of the flames.
Crowd Slowly Moves Forward.
For two hours the people stood
massed together and as the heat be
49,. 14,n Nt~,cr ~. .r~n,l aDo m
edge a little closer to the wreckase
until. about IL o'clock. some venture
some boys approached to within a few
hundred feet Of the burning debris.
Suddenly there was a terrific eXplo
sion. Great masses of white flames
shot hundreds of feet into the air and
literally rolled down the banked sides
of the track into the gully where tho
spectators were standing. Men ant
boys fell before the wave Of white
light to rise no more. Huge pieces OF
iron we're hurled through the air, NOV
ing down the human beings by tn
score. Some managed to scramble t.
their feet and get away. but Others
l8y still in death. The scene OF agony
/ and horror at hat moment was indie
scribable. A veritable rain of fire cam
down upon the crowd. Men and boys
with their clothing a mass OF flames
ran s%hrieking down the track, som'
Of them falling to the ground uncon
. scious, while others %grovelled in tn,
2 ditch or jumped into the creek in al
: endeavor to put out the fire that wa!
j, consuming them. Many of those we,
whelmed by the flames dropped wher'
q they stood and never again moved.
AS soon as the telephone could b,
: reached all the doctors in the cit!
were summoned and the ambulance,
. were called out. Express wagons an,
8 other vehicles were pressed into serv
e ice. In the meantime those in the vi
, entity Of the wreck who escaped injur.
made valiant efforts to rescue tn
wounded who were still lying within
g reach of the flames. Boys were burned
to death before their fathers eyes
while he latter stood helpless to saw
9 them. Men SO badly wounded by tn
a not move, laid in the gully with tn
flames rolling down upon them unit
: they persisted.
Work Of Rescue Begins.
1t was about l o'clock in the morn
ing when Deputy Sheriff Osterhou
called for volunteers to remove tn,
dead n wounded. Three times q
many as were called for stepped fol
ward and the gruesome work was be
gun. In q short time fifteen bodie
had been recovered and laid beside tn
track. Some Of them were SO badl
. burned and distorted as to be scarcel
e recognizable. Several bodies wer
D found in the ditch. The body of on
= boy was seen too close to the flame
to be approached and In a short tim
d 1t was burned to ashes. It is believe
others were also incinerated. Whe,
the last body had been rescued tn
stretcher bearers formed a procession
and started down the track toward tn
ambulances. The crowds fell back a
they approached and opened a pas
sageway for them. The only SCUM
I" that broke the stiffness while the hea
Of the procession filed past was an O.
n casiOnal sob or a s%huddering "Oh."
The dead arrived in the city abou
3 o'clock and were taken to undertal
ing establishments to be prepared 10
" burial.
n A anvas OF the city and adjoinin
viilQQQa will no made IN aacortoiu <h