Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-04-24
ENTIRE FORCE, INCLUDING HEAr
OFFICIALS, BELIEVED TO
HAVE PERISHED.
OUTSIDE EMPLOYEES WHO ES
CAPPED UNABLE TO OFFER
ANY EXPLANATION.

Minneapolis, April 24.-The North
western Star Oil company's plant il
the milling district blew up few min
utes before IL o'clock and the plant
was totally annhilated by the fire
which followed. 1t is believed thai
eleven lives were lost in the disaster
That number are unaccounted for, bu
the ruins are too hot to permit any
search. The entire office force, ap
parently. was killed Following is the
list OF dead or unaccOunted for:
w. H. DAVIS, president.
c. Fl. DOWNS, general manager.
STANISLAUS w. MITCHELL.
JACOB DOHM.
COLONEL HAROLD COLBORN.
DAVID DACEY.
JOHN SPOTANSKE.
JOSEPH LAFLEUR.
J. E. JACOBSON.
MISS CARRIE RECORD.
MISS ELLA NJ. ROUNDEY.
Six persons were injured all badly
burned about the hands or face AL
will recover.
No explanation Of the cause of the
explosion Is yet available and none o.
the injured are able to throw any
light on it. Its force completely de
molished the large oil tank and the
Smaller ones that surrounded it, as
well as the brick office building il
which were w. S. Davis, who was the
president and proprietor of the con
Germ; c. II. Durrin, his manager:
Stanislaus w. Mitchell, cashier; Jacot
Domm and Caroline A. Record. book
keepers; Harold c. Colborn, clerk. anc
Ella NJ. ROundy, stenographer. Dacey
and Jacobson We're foremen Laileui
and Spotanske laborers. number OF
the workmen were uninjured and es
capped from the seething mass OF
flames.
Glass was broken and damage done
In surrounding houses and buildings
within radius of several blocks.
Plant Covered an Acre.
The plant included about an acre OF
ground and there were four large oil
tanks.
The flames and smoke made it al
most impossible TO Judge of the real
extent Of the damage caused by the
explosion, but the entire plant was
utterly wrecked including the large
brick structure, the principal building
OF the plant. 1t was impossible TO put
water on the flames for fear of spread
ing the fire
The explosion occurred at an hour
when the entire force of employees
We're at work.
Without a moments warning the
large tank of oil in the east end o
the building exploded with terrific
force
The four outside walls of the build
Ing were leveled and an instant late
the ruins were swathed in angry, roar
Ing flames.
Immediately after the explosion ;
fire alarm was turned in and was an
swered by nearly all the companies il
the city.
When the firemen arrived the OF
was burning fiercely, while huge col
umns of dense black smoke MOUNTED
up unbroken to the height of severa
hundred feet.
Water was of little use in fightinl
the flames, as the oil burned freely
and the fire department devoted it
energies to the saving of adjoinin
buildings.
One of the peculiarities of the catas
trophe Is the fact that the four out
side walls of the building are CON
pletely destroyed while the travers
fiTe wall is left standing.
The huge iron vault was completel
destroyed and all the books and rec
ords Of the company were burned.
Another strange thing is that tn
walls appear to have been pushed on
and large sections remain unbrokef
the bricks adhering.