The Penn's Grove record., 1904-11-25
BIG GAS TANKS EXPLODE
Charging Station Of Pyle National
Headlight Company Destroyed.
CHICAGO BLOCK IN FLAMES

Four Dead Bodies Were Removed While
Fire Still Burned-Many Were injured
Twenty-Five Tanks in All Were Ex-
ploded - Fire Caused by Torch In
Hand of Laborer.
Chicago, 1lL-Twenty-two acety-
lene gas tanks exploded the other
morning in the charging station of the
Pyle National Headlight Company, in
South Chicago, where forty odd men
were at work. Four bodies have been
taken from the ruins of the station;
two were mortally hurt and twenty
others suffered injuries.
The force of the explosion wrecked
the entire building, covering a city
block, carried debris q mile and a half,
reduced to particles most of the VIM
dows in houses within half a mile and
threw the walls of hundreds of houses
out of plumb. The trembling of the
ground from the explosions and the
deafening oar resulting SO frightened
people that within a few moments
GNGII llOuSC WllllA Il 1duluS VI HAIL al
mile was deserted.
The streets were crowded by per.
sons fleeing, their arms heaped with
their yaluables. Storekeepers left
their shops wide open, and the scene
was n as though a volcano was in
eruption. That the frightened ones
had good cas- 10 fear is shown by
the fact that all of the buildings with
In q block of the charging station were
so badly damaged as to be unhabit-
able.
The Pyle Company was a tenant of
the Peoples Gas Light Company, the
many huge gas tanks of which were
nearby. The police completely sur
rounded the property occupied by the
gas company, but kept at a distance
that assured safety. The firemen for
a time were forced to throw water on
the fire from a blocks distance, mo-
mentarily expecting to be hurled to the
earth by the explosion of the big tanks.
The flames were shooting hundreds Of
feet into the air, accompanied by
clouds of black smoke from the burn
ing gas. Great masses of bricks and
iron from the burning tanks were
thrown into the air by explosions.
To prevent the explosion of the gas
in the mammoth tanks the gas COM
pany officials ordered the waste pipes
opened. These pipes run outside of
the plant, and in a short time the big
tanks were discharging gas into the
air. This was q dangerous undertake
ing, but it was CHANGED, and proving
successful. prevented a larger destruc-
ton of property.
Across South Chicago avenue, direct
ly opposite the gas storage buildings,
was a large coal shed filled with coal.
The huge coal pile was ignited, and in
a few moments the blaze there was be-
yond control.
The twenty-five tanks were each
charged with $3.50 pounds to the cubic
inch of acetylene gas. They are the
tanks that are connected to railroad
coaches for lighting, and each gives
light TO a a for six months without
r~echarging. Eleven tanks exploded in
quick succession, and were soon fol-
lowed by the blasts of the remaining
eleven. At the first explosion all of
the men employed in the charging sta
ton started to escape. Some of them
got outside with slight injuries; 9TH
ers were caught on the verge of safe
ty and were seriously hurt, while
nos IN the rgtT musr-HrfF met uratn-
instantly.
The dead were buried under tons of
burning timber and hot brick and iron,
making it impossible to remove their
bodies for hours. Firemen poured wa
ter on that part of the building in
which the dead were thought to be
buried until the flames were subdued
sufficiently to permit of the four bod
les being removed.
1t is officially reported that the ac-
cident was due to an employee enter
ing the charging room with a torch
and meeting gas coming from a leak
in n of the tanks
Those whose bodies have been re-
covered were Ralph Wells, superin-
tendent; George Muehl, engineer:
Amos Watkins, assistant superintend-
ent, and John Jennings, laborer.
Those who will die of their hurts are
w. NJ. Maloney and Alfred Cox.