Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1903-01-04
Warehouse beating against the side Of
tho holders at the upper gas, works on

=
tho holders at the upper gas works on
the afternoon of
when the warehouse and several nelgh-
boring buildings were destroyer by fire.
Some people may have thought that the
holders stood alone and UNDECIDED during
that fire. Few knew that a little knot
Of men stood by their post OF duty dur
ing the whole course Of the contiagrat1o
ready at any moment to do some peril
Gus deed, to save the. lives Of the thou
sands of spectators who stood within the
zone of danger.
Foreman Joseph e. Batkins was in the
little office over the valve room, writing
on a report, when John W. Johnson, on
duty in the room below, learned that the
warehouse was afre.
johnson rushed to the foot Of the steps
and called to Mr.. Batkins:
eff you don't come down you'll be burn
ed up
what makes you think so?" answered
Mr.. Batkins.
The warehouse is adre!" yelled john
son.
Mr.. Batkins stopped his writing.
Looking from the window he saw that
the flames were leaping across the mar
row space that separated the valve
house from the burning building. And the
two big holders, each Of which was heay-
lily charged with gas.
The two men shut off the valve that
controls the flow Of gas through the "a
inch main from the lower works Then
they went out to find some firemen 20
fight the flames back from the holders.
They returned almost Immediately, the
6renlen with them.
The holders. caked with many coats Of
~. u, 49,
ward the fire. The gas inside them was
expanding rapidly, and the tanks were
rising higher and higher in their flames.
Outside, and for blocks around, the peo-
pie, hearing Of the state OF affairs. were
moving away as rapidly as they could
move. But inside the yard were Super
intendent Knowles and his men, and the
company of tiremen whose work that day
may have saved hundreds of lives.
While the gas was expanding in the
holders. the gas works men were figur-
ing even chances on two things. Eli
ther the tanks would blow up, or they
would rise until the depth Of water under
the holders became so slight that the
pressure would force the gas in bubbles
under the edge Of the tanks and up into
the air.
The holders kept on with their lift
ing. One rose nine feet, the other six.
Suddenly he<counterweights on the lar
ger holder quivered a little, and the tank
sank a foot or two. Then the smaller
tank did the same thing. The danger was
past The holders We're taking care OF
themselves.
Mr.. Knowles and his men were there
Z because their duty kept them there. The
big holder had in it one hundred and
sixty thousand cubic feet Of gas. The
stripping Of a rivet or the bucklingz of an
iron sheet would have precipitated some
thing horrible, catastrophe so sudden
and so terrific that every man within
its reach would have been enveloped in a
vast cloud of rushing, roaring fame.
Some men would have taken Mayo's
bridge on run, and would have waited
in the woods OF Chesterfield until some
one said the fire was out. But these
men staid there. Such is the way Of
duty.
Two fatalities have occurred at the low
er gas works within the past two years.
The first was on February q. 1901. when
A1ortime Ter Hogan was Instantly killed.
( and Joseph McCauley. c.. w. King, John
S.. Blunt. Daniel T. Robinson, r. Otway
Goodman and w. Allen were burned.
This accident took place in the purity
ing house. the atmosphere OF which is
SO laden with gas that matches are not
allowed within its walls. How It oc-
Cured no one knows. Every thing seemed
!. IN perfect condition. The men were pre-
pairing to clean out q. purifying box on
the upper floor, when sud- enly without
word or warning 1t exploded. There
was only one fash OF fire, so sudden and
so quickly vanished that some Of the men
stated at the inquest that they saw no
fire at ALL The explosion blew dowr
both end walls Of the building, and Ho-
gan was killed by the falling bricks.
The second fatal accident was that
which ended the life Of William ~.
Wakefield. g machinist December e.
1901.
Joseph AicCauley. who was the most
severely burned sof any Of the Icttms of
the Hogan accid lent In ebruary. narrow