The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-11-18
DEATH IN RUINS
OF Is GAS TANKS
Flames Spread Destruction and
Add to Menace from E;x-
plosion.
FOUR SQUARE MILES
OF CITY IN DANGER
Heroism Of Officials, Police and
Firemen Prevents Wide
spread Disaster.

Chicago, Nov. l8.-Twenty-two gas
tanks IN the big railroad gas-charging
station at Seventy third street and
This afternoon eight dead bodies 81
employees had been removed from the
ruins and it was said that about ten
more employees were missing.
One of the workmen, after the disas4
ter, expressed a belief that at LEAST
forty OF his companions lost their lives.
? The tanks were of the style attached
to railroad cars for lighting purposes.
Eleven of the tanks exploded in rapid
succession and were followed at short
intervals by the other tanks.
= The lire spread among property OF
the Peoples Gaslight & Coke company
and threatened to reach the large stor-
age tanks of that company. Policemen
were sent about for a mile radius,
warning persons to move from their
Risked Death in Gas.
To prevent the explosion Of the gas
Ralph Wells ordered the wastepipes
opened. These pipes run outside Of
the plant, and in a short time the big
tanks were discharging the gas into
the air. This was a dangerous under
taking, but it was CHANGED, and, prov
ing successful, prevented larger de-
PROPERTY. .4.4
Across South Chicago avenue, direct
ly opposite the gas storage building,
was large shed stored with coal used
in the manufacture Of the gas. The
huge coal pile was ignited and in q
few moments was beyond control.
When the danger of the larger tanks
mum, Chief Engineer Eustaee, with sew
eral assistants, entered the grounds and
shut off the supply. pipes from the ru-
ined buildings to the large tanks. He
said it was almost miraculous that the
fire had mot entered the larger tanks
Firemen in Peril.
As soon as possible the police COM
pied by the gas company, but kept at
a distance, which insured safety. The
tfremen for a. time were forced to throw
water on the fire from block distant.
momentaTily expecting to be hurled to
the earth by the explosion of the big
tanks. The flames were shooting hum
dreds Of feet into the air, Accomplished
by clouds of black smoke from the
burning gas. Great masses Of bricks
and iron from the bursting tanks were
thrown into the air by the explosions.
Buildings along Greenwood avenue.
within block Of the place, were so Sc
yerely shaken, that many will no longer
building, at Seventy-third street and
! Greenwood avenue was totally wrecked.
The property at South Chicago ave-
nue. and Seventy-fourth street, occupied
for gas manufacturing and storage, is
several blocks in length. About 100
men are employed in the district. There
are n numb S; of brick buildings on the
Chicago avenue on the north y ana aot The
Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago and
the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern
railroads on. the. south. Beside the
tanks and gas houses, are railroad
tracks upon which scores Of sleeping
gas tank apparatus are run, to be
charged with gas.
What One Man Felt. !;
One Of the victims was blown thru a
wall, and 100 feet away from the build
ing in which he was at work. He was
fearfully crushed, but may live. He
1T was working about one Of the gas
tanks when the first explosion occurred.
believe one Of the tanks in the row
east Of us blew up. The ground trem-
bled and seemed to heave upward, when
suddenly there was rip and q roar, and
I don It remember what occurred after
that until came to, in the street, about
forty men in the place, and I don It be-
lieve many Of them escaped.
The explosion may have been caused
by a search for leaks in supply tanks.
by one Of the employees. 81
"All I can see,'' said Superintend.
emit Ralph Wells, "is that one Of the
men went into the storerooms where
the gas tanks which are charged have
been stored, and that the man carried 8
lighted torch. OF course a. leak Ii one
: tank would cause an explosion, and the
employee would be killed. -
The cause Of the rapid explosions
numbering up to twenty. was the pres
ence Of twenty-tw small tanks in the
each stored with $3.50 80 pounds s to I'll" ths
cubic inch Of space, Of powerful gas
The tanks were used to place beneath
sleeping cars and other railway cars
and will supply one car with light fol
i six months. The twenty-five tanks
j had been charged and were in readi
ness for attaching to cars.