The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-02
SPECTACULAR OIL PLANT FIRE
THOUSANDS SEE BIG BLAZE AT
THE FOOT or THE PALISADES.
Firemen From New York and a F1reboat
Help In a Long. Dangerous Fight
Against the Flames nj a Refinery at
Fdgewater- Los Placed at $3.50, OOO.

ftFeI1eU FROM new u0Tk AUu n tlTeOO1t
Help In a Long. Dangerous Fight
Against the Flames nj a Refinery at
F~dgewater- Lo Placed at $3.50, OOO.
Joseph Huber. engineer at the Valvoline
Oil Company's refining plant at Edgewater,
n. j., was leaving for home soon after
5 o'clock last night when he noticed "A
streak Of light in the boiler room at the east
end of the main building on the ground
floor. A puff of black smoke waited past
him as he ran TO tell three employees. the
only persons known to be in the building.
who were at work in the refining room. The
men were barely outside when a slight ex-
plosion followed In the room where they
had been. which contained 1853 barrels OF
press oils.
Miss Nellie Scott. 10 years old. who lives
at 80 Underclif avenue. near by. heard the
noise and seeing flames burst from the
second story window sounded an alarm
from the fire box on the corner. Chief
Charles Gift arrived with the three engine
companies from Edgewater borough, The
fire was then roaring through the three
stories and basement Of the brick building.
Along with twin structure 70 the south it
occupied a space 100 feet long by $50 feet
wide. Chief Gift tried his best to save the
latter building. but saw the fire getting
away from him.
With a weather eye upon the park of ten
300 gallon tanks POO feet to the west the
firemen te%lephoned to Chief Croker and
asked for a lift from New York. A few
minutes later the tireboat Mcclellan was
steaming up the North River from the foot
of Gansevoort street. Ii arrived at Edge
water, which ia on the Hudson directly
aproua tha rixyar from Waaf lOAth ~ raat IN
time to make a black hole in the burning
building with powerful eight inch streams.
For "A time the blaze seemed to be under
control, but soon after ] O'Clock il fiared,
up and the tanks and the other buildings
were again in danger.
A fine view Of the fire was gained from
Riverside Drive in the vicinity of Grants
Tomb, and such a crowd gathered that il
was necessary for the reserves from the
West tooth street police station to go there
10 s%traighten out the congested traffic and
keep folks from getting hurt in the jam.
Likewise q couple OF police launches from
the Harbor squad station. which scooted
up from the Battery. had their hands full
keeping too many boats from ~clogging the
channel. Thousands of persons, many Of
them from Manhattan. watched the fire
from the Palisades.
The fire was most spectacular as dark
ness approached. 1t lighted up the country
for several miles. Fortunately there was
little or no wind and the flames rolled
straight up.
Fletcher Cramer. head bookkeeper, who
arrived in time TO close the safe and rescue
valuable papers. was singed about the
head by getting too near the flames. A
number OF firemen keeled over from the
heat.
At II o'clock the firemen were convinced
that the flames would not spread beyond the
two big brick refining plants. although they
expected that these structures would burn
all night, The efforts of the fire fighters
OF and and OF the Mcclellan consisted Of
keeping the big experimental building, only
ten feet from the refining plants, drenChed
with water. They also worked hard in
saving the ten big tanks of crude oil and
naphtha.
Asst. S,Ipt. Frank Templeton of the oil
works estimated that the damage would
reach sI5O,OOO. T~wenty-eight tanks. zach
containing 5000 gallons of crude oil, were
destroyed. The loss on the crude oil alone
was estimated az s2s, 600.