Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1903-03-12
TANK CARS EXPLODE
SCORE OF PERSONS KILLED AND
MANY ARE MANNED.

Spectators Are Covered With Burning
Fiuid-Many Fai! in Their Tracks
and Are !ncinerated, While Others
Flee With Clothes Abiaze.
Olean, N. Y, March 10.-A score or
more persons were killed and large
number were injured by an explosion
OF oil near here. 4 freight train on
the Erie made UP principally of oil
tank cars filled with oil, broke in
two near this city at about 9 p. M.
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 left this city for the scene
of the fire. While they were lined
up along the tracks a terrific explo-
sion occurred. The flames communl-
and a second and third explosion
followed each other in rapid success
sion. Sheets of flame shot out in all
directions. Scores of persons We're
cauth within the zone of the
fire and enveloped in flames.
Men and boys ran screaming down the
tracks with their clothing ablaze.
Others fell where they stood, over
come by the awful heat. Just how
many were killed is not known, as
many of the bodies were incinerated.
The number of dead is known to be
at least eighteen and some estimates
place it as high as twenty-five. More
ously burned. Some of them will die.
1t is out of the question to identify
any, of the bodies recovered.
Some of the Injured.
The following were treated at the
city hospital: James Mcdonald, con-
dition serious; Richard Mcdonald, con
dition serious; James McCready, legs
and face badly burned; Walter Jack
son, head, back and arms burned, in
hailed flames, will die.
Sydney Fish, prominent business
man, said when l was within a
quarter of a mile of the wrecked train
there was terrific explosion. Flames
shot outwards and upwards for great
distance. | saw several persons who
started to run away drop on the rail
way tracks. They never moved again.
Others who had been standing close
to the wreckage were hurled through
the air for hundreds of feet. The
scene was awful. Half dozen young
boys ran down the tracks with their
clothing on fire. They resembled hui
man torches. could hear their agon-
lied screams distinctly from where
stood. They ran some distance down
| the track and then threw themselves
to the ground, grovelling in the
bitches in their frantic efforts to eX-
| tinguish the flames. Then they lay
still, some of them unconscious, 9th
ers dead. l do not know how many
were killed. but l counted twenty
bodies before I came away
| Word was sent at once to O1ean
police headquarters by telephone
| Every doctor and ambulance in the
city was summoned. Grocery wagons
anu carriages OF All XMAS We're
| pressed into service and everything
| possible was done to bring the in
jured without delay to the hospitals
| for treatment.
The first of the injured to arrive
at the hospital were four boys. Their
injuries are frightful. Great patches
of flesh were burned off and hung in
| shreds from their bodies.
| 1t will be difficult to ascertain the
names of a great many of the dead
as their bodies were burned to ashes
| in the intense heat. A canvass is be,
ing made of the city as rapidly as
| possible to find out the names OF
those missing. There is great excite
| ment in the city and the streets are
| thronged with people.
Large crowds gathered at the hos
| pital and the faces of the injured were
anxiously scanned as they were borne
| into the building on stretchers. Heart
rending scenes We're witnessed when
one of the poor, blistered bodies was
| recognized by father or a mother
or brother, and it was with difficulty
that persons were restrained from in
vading the operation room.