Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-03-12
I'm OIL TRAIN EXROD[S.
twenty-five Blackened Bodies
Taken From the Ruins at
Clean, New York.
ONLY TRUNKS AND SKULLS REMAIN.
and Envelop SpectatOrs-Men
Close to the Scene Hurled Through
the Air for Hundreds of Feet-Ex-
act Loss of Life Unknown.

Olean, n. Y, March 10.-Scores of
lives were lost and a large number
of persons injured by an explosion
of oil near here Monday night. Early
this morning % bodies had been ia
ken from the wreckage. Some of
them were burned beyond recogni-
ton, only the trunks and skulls re-
naming.
A freight train on the Erie, made up
principally of oil tank cars filed with
oil, broke in two near this city at
about nine o'clock. The two sections
of the train came together with a
crash, and one of the oil tanks was
demolished. Fire broke out almost
instantly, and the sky was lighted up
for miles.
\ large crowd of people rushed to
the scene of the fire. While they
were lined up along the tracks a ter
rife explosion occurred. The flames
communicated quickly with the other
tanks and a second and a third eXplo-
sion followed' each other in rapid sue
c~ession.
Caught by Sheets of Flame.
Sheets of flame shot out in all di-
rections. Scores of persons were
caught within the zone of the fire
and enveloped in flames. Men and
boys ran screaming down the tracks
with their clothing ablaze. Others
fell were they stood, overcome by the
awful heat. just how many were
killed is not known, as many of the
bodies were incinerated.
Sydney Fish, a prominent business
man, returned from the scene of the
fire at midnight. He said:
Il was attracted to the scene of
the fire between $50 and 10 o'clock.
When | was within a quarter of a
mile of the wrecked train there was
a terrific explosion. Flames shot out.
wards and upwards for a great dis,
lance. l saw several persons who
started to run away drop IN the rail-
way tracks. They never moved again.
Resembled Human Torches.
"Others who had been standing
close to the wreckage were hurled
through the air for hundreds of feet
The scene was awful. Half a dozen
young boys ran down the tracks with I.
their clothing on fire. They resem-
bled human torches. | could hear
their agonized screams distinctly
from where l stood. They ran some
distance down the track and then
threw themselves to the ground, grow
cling in the bitches in their frantic
to extinguish the flames. Then
they lay still, some of them uncon-
scious, others dead. / do not know
how many were killed, but l counted
bodies before l came away"
Word was sent at once to Olean
police headquarters by telephone. Ev-
cry doctor and ambulance in the city
was summoned. Grocery wagons and
carriages of all kinds were pressed
into service and everything possible
was done to bring the injured with
out delay to the hospitals for treat
ment. The first of the injured to ar.
rive at the hospital were four boys. !
Their injuries are frightful. Great
patches of flesh were burned off and
hung in shreds from their bodies.
Search for the Missing.
1t will be difficult to ascertain the
names of a great many of the dead,
their bodies were burned to ashes
in the intense heat. A canvass is be-
ing made in the city as rapidly as pos
sible to find out the names of those
Large crowds gathered at the hos
pital, and the faces of injured were
a%nxiously scanned as they were borne
into the building on stretchers.
Heartrending scenes were witnessed
when n of the poor, blistered bodies
recognized by a father or a
mother, OF brother and it was with
difficulty that persons were restrained
invading the operating room.