The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1905-07-26
OIL TANKS ON FIRE
LIGHTNING BOLT SETS OIL
ON FIRE IN A TEXAS
TOWN.

One Hundred Teams Are Cremated |
Much Property Is Des-
troyed and Fifty Men
Not Accounted for.
Humble, Tex, July 23.-Fire
started today in a tank belonging
to the Texas Oil company, caused
by lightning striking the oil. The
fire was held under control all the
afternoon, but began to spread to-
night. At 1890 o'clock tonight II
of the IL great tanks were ablaze
and over 100000 barrels of oil
consumed. Fifty men ara surround
ed by the flames and their fate is
unknown. One hundred teams are
known to be cremated, and num-
Der of families have been burned
out of house and home. :
At 1:2O the fire is still beyond
control, all the tanks of the Texas
company having caught. Loss of
life among the men handling the
teams is reported, but cannot be
verified before morning. There
will be considerable loss of property
besides that of the oil, which In it.
self may run up to 5000, COZ or a.
600, 900 barrels, worth $25o,ooo per
million barrels.
"a. M.-There is still no con-
firmation of any loss in the fire.
The IL tanks of the Texas company
at 2 o'clock this morning are all
ablaze, and the entire lot will be
consumed. Little rivulets of burn
ing oil are running toward the oil
field proper, but a heavy rain has
been falling, and an electric storm
raging, the water serving to keep
the derricks from burning. The
workmen have all fed from the
field. The town itself is filed with
refugees.
| Humble, Tex, July 4.-Cover-
ing an area threa-quarters of mile
square, with great canopy of
smoke covering two 60 uare miles,
the oil tanks of the Texas company
continue to boil and bubble under
the great heat of the burning oil,
. the fire having burned all night.
When 1t cap be extinguished, nc
one guesses. Certainly not until il
4 has burned all the oil in the IL big
tanks, which held $4,000 barrels,
when lightning struck them Sun
day afternoon.
| 1t is now known that five of the
negro workmen perished, and rum.
ors place the number Of dead al
high as so, although this cannot bt
confirmed. There are hundreds O
homeless people, many Of them on
ly awaiting train to 60 to Hustor
for shelter. They were living il
tents and shacks in the field, ano
fed for their lives to the town, away
from danger.
They left all their beloL gings ane
they have been destroyed by fir
which runs out toward the oil field.
though 1t has not yet been com
munlcated to any of the derrick
and wells.
During the whole of the nigh
there was heavy downpour o
rain, and this covered the grount
with sheet of water, coating which
is. a thick film of oil. If this vast
oil catches fire, then it is probabl
that the tanks of the Gufey com
.. pany, the Sun company, and tn
smaller owners may go. Thes
; tanks hold q, ,5oo, 900 barrels of oil
Shortly after the big tank bega
to blaze, Zoo workmen with Z
!. mules were hurried to the place t
throw up earthen embankments-~ t
confne the fra to the tank where
originated. Suddenly the oil CAV
an upheaval, bubbled and lifted
q great mass of the burning fui
a bodily out ofthe tank, and the fir
f was communicated to three othe
o tanks. "a
j The burning oil caught the me
and mules and hemmed them ir
: There was a wild scramble for safe
e ty, men deserting the. scrapers an
:, running and fleeing. Some of ther
e mounted mules and rode out, but 6
n least 40 of the mules baked an
q were cremated.
Five negroes were seen to G
a down, and it is not believed poss
o BILE that they could have escaped
q While all of the men have not bee
:: accounted foT, these FIVE are allths
a are certainly known to have PEI
]. ished.
k At4 O'Clock this morning fl
+. broke out in the steel tanks of tt