Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-03-17
OIL FIRE KILLS SCORE
THE BURNING FLUID is THROWN
UPON CROWD.
Over Fifty Are Frightfully Injured
by Explosion of Tank Cars at Fire
in the Freight Yards at 'OIean,
New York.

A deluge of burning oil poured upon
dozens of spectators of a fire in the
Erie freight yards at Olean, n. Y,
caused the death of a score or more of
persons and frightful injury to over fifty
others. Many bodies have been taken
from the wreckage. Some of them are
burned beyond recognition, only the
trunks and skulls remaining. The death
list may reach thirty. The agony of the
injured is pitiable.
A freight train, made up principally
of tank cars filed with oil, broke in two
near Olean. The two sections of the
train came together with a crash aud one
of the oil tanks was demolished. Fire
broke out almost instantly and the sky
was lighted up for miles.
A large crowd at once left the city
for the scene of the fire. While they were
lined up along the tracks a terrific ex-
plosion occurred. The flames eommuni-
Gated quickly to the other tank cars end
a second and third explosion followed
each other in rapid succession.
Flames Cover Crowd.
Sheets of flame shot out in all direc-
tions. Scores of persons were caught
WllulN Tue zone Oh ne IRE anu eHNciOpSu
in flames. Men and boys ran screaming
down the tracks with their clothing a
mass of flames. Others fell where they
stood, overcome by the awful heat. Just
how many were killed is not known, as
many of the bodies were Moderated.
Sydney Fish, a prominent business
man, said: Il was attracted to the scene
of the fire between $50 and 10 o'clock.
When was within quarter of mile OF
the wrecked train there was terrific
explosion. Flames shot outward and
upward for great distance.
Like Human Torches.
II saw several persons who started to
run away drop ON the railroad tracks,
and they never moved again. Others who
had been standing close to the wreckage
were hurled through the air for hun
dreds of feet The scene was awful.
Half dozen young boys ran down the
tracks with their clothing on fire. They
resembled human torches.a | could hear
their agonized screams distinctly from
where / stood They ran some distance
down the track, and then threw them
selves to the ground, groveling in the
bitches in their frantic efforts to extin-
some of them unconscious, others dead.
| do not know how many were billed, but
| counted twenty bodies before / came
| away"
Word was at once sent to Olean po-
lice headquarters by telephone. Every
doctor and ambulance in the city was
summoned. Grocery wagons and car
riages of al kinds were pressed into
service, and everything possible was done
to transport the injured without delay
20 the hospitals for treatment.
Burned Beyond Recognition.
1t was impossible 10 ascertain the
names of the dead at once, as their bod
les were burned TO ashes in the intense
| heat. A canvass is being made CT the
city as rapidly as possible to hnd out
the names Of those missing.
Large crowds gathered at the hospital
and the faces Of the injured were anx-
iously scanned as they were borne into
the building on stretchers. Touching
| scenes were witnessed when one of the
poor blistered bodies was recognized by
a father or a mother or brother. and i
was with difficulty that persons were
restrained from invading the operating
| room.