The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-03-10
CYCLONE OF FIRE.
Near a Score Of Lives Licked Up
by Flames.
Many Persons Bruised and
Burned at Same Time.
OIL TRAIN IGNITED.
Great Crowd Assembled to See
1t Burn.
Gasoline Car Exploded With a
Tremendous Report.
Billows Of Fire Rolled Over th'
Mass of Humanity.
rOnrvr OWN AVWAV
SOME BLOWN AWAY.
Others We're Killed or Injured
by Fragments of Iron.
Still Others Fell Where They
Stood and We're Consumed.

cen to twenty lives were lost and fully
twice that number were burned OF
bruised by an explosion Of oil late las5
night following a wreck on the Erie
railway north Of this city Owing to the
fact that some Of the bodies were incln-
Grated or blown into the creek by the
explosion the exact number of dead viii
probably not be known for several days. I
The number OF injured is uncertain. as T
many of them were able to reach Their
homes. The known casualties are;
The dead;
NORMAN BROWN, Olean
JOHN TOBIN. Olean.
JOHN 1d'CREADX, Olean.
JOHN M'dAHON, Olean.
All four are boys about l6 years OF
age.
NJ v. DRIsCOLL. North Olean.
WALTER SWIFT, Olean.
JOHN STEMLINGER, 0lean.
HARRY GODDEN, Boardnanvllls-
RICHARD CONNElLs North Olean-
SIX unidentified bodies at W WoodNara
undertaking rooms.
BOY blown into creek ana ctoWHe1
body not recovered.
Two OF more unknown persons, bodies
incinerated in burned Wreckage-
The injured at the general hospital
James Mcdonald, 1s years old, limbs
Richafd Mcdonald. badly burned. leg
s. james McCready IS years old, burned
about face and legs
Walter Jackson. II years old. burned
about body and hands. inhaled hamess
m8y die.
Son of Yardmaster Sullivan
Glen Cole, East Olean. struck by n.y.
ing splinter; burned.
Two Blackwell boys of Bordenville.
Bert Miller of Bordenville. seriously
burned.
Three men badly burned. did not leave
an1as a Z hOgUital. sent home
Dozens of others were burned, but
none seriously.
said a young boy was blown into th
creek near him. He tried to save him
but was unable to do so
The scenes following the explosion VII
never be forgotten by those who saw
them. 1t was about 9 o'clock in the ev
ening when the train was wrecked Al
Erie freight westbound broke in two o.
the hin two miles north of the city
first the forward part of the train. re
leased of all the weight behind spran
forward with increased speed Brake
were applied and the first portion wa
brought almost to a standstiu at tn
bridge across Olean creek
The rear cars gathering momentum
they came down the hill crashed int
the front cars. Most Of the cars Wer
tank cars filed with refined oil or gast
line They weighed thousands of tor
and the impact was terrific. One of Il
tank cars caught fire soon after the co
lision. The exact cause of the fire
not known but II IS supposed 10 HdA
started from spark struck frofn q
grinding pieces Of iron in the wreck
few minutes another car of gasohl
caught fire and burst into flames wi
terrific report. Portions of the ire
domes of the car were hurled distan
of several hundred feet The flames sh
high in the air In this early accide
so Tar can be learned no one W
injured Hundred of people from t
surrounding country gathered to wat
the brilliant flames.
For two hours the people stood mas
ed together and as the heat became lie
intense the crowd began to edge lit
closer to the Wreckage until about
O'Clock some VenturesOme boys
preached TO within a few hundred fe
Suddenly there was terrific exp
sion Great masses of flames shot II
the air and literally rolled down
banked sides of the track into the g
ley where the spectators were standl
Men and boys fell before the wave
white liVht to rise no more Huge pie
Of iron hurled through the air NOV
down the human beings by the sec
Some managed to scramble to th
feet and get away but other lay stlll
The scene was one of agony and h
ror and beyond description
avalanche of FIRE came down on
crowd Men and boys with their clio
ing a mass of flames ran shrek
down the track some of them falling
the ground unconscious while otl
groveued i'm the ditch or jumped
the creek i'm an endeavOr to put out
FIRE that was consuming them. NJ
of those Overwhelmed by the fal
dropped where they stood and ne
again moved
AS soon ais the telephone could
reached all the doctors in the city y
summoned and the ambulances y
called out Express wagons and @
vehicles were pressed into service.
the meantime those in the vicinity
the wreck who escaped injury. n
valiant efforts to rescue the wouI
who were stiu lying within reach Of
flames. Boys were burned to death
fore their fathers eyes, while the L
stood helnless to save them. Mei
badlv injured by the flying iron
fhev could not move lay in the q
with flames rolling down upon
until they perished.
Nothing could be done to check
danes which began to die out q
nidnieht A short distance west Of
IRON bridge q line was established
vond which no ere was permttte