The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1908-02-05
HOW 1T HAPPENED.
Explosion at Mayburg Gasoline Plant
Due to Natural Gas.

Du' wv N"''
Mayburg, Pa, Feb. 2. In the Derrick
of January 80. notice an item about the
wrecking of our gasoline plant at May
burg. Who ever wrote that put 1t pretty
strong, and it seems to me to give wrong
impression, and would certainly have a
tendency to frighten people, so that it
may be difficult to get men to engage in
this business.
| The trouble was not with the compress
ors connected with the manufnoture of
gasoline from natural gas. We have two
never had an accident connected with
them. The damage was not caused 10y
the strong pressure we use to convert
natural gas into gasoline, or toy the letting
go ofsnything connected with the making
of gasoline.
The accident was caused by another
thing altogether. In our main building,
2Sx56 feet, when We run our large com
pressors and big gas engine, we have a
small light pressure compressor. which
is used in case of repairs to the gasoline
compressors to keep upa pressure of %
pounds on our main line which supplies
gas to the boilers and towns. Sometimes
in the morning when the pressure is low, e,
we run this compressor. 1t was valve
OF This small machine that unscrewed and
which let the gas into the building The
valve blew out, that let the natural gas
out, and when il reached the 81 arker of
the big gas engine il set it off. and split
the building in two. 1t tore up the pipes
overhead and took fire, but the tire was
gotten under control, as in five minutes
there were hundl ed men on the ground
In our plant we have every appliance
that we think Is necessary for the safety
of the men; we have relief valves at every
point where there may be danger from
overpressure. The whole plants lighted
by electricity, each light has double
safety bulbs. The building is heated by
steam generated 60 feet away. We
thought every point was well guarded,
but we see now that a check valve be-
tween the main line and that small com
pressor would have probably held the
gas, so that it would not have got into the
building. We have one in now, and new
safety sparkers also.
do not think that an explosion of this
kind should discourage anyone, even if it
had been from the gasoline compressor.
We are engaged in a business that has
great difficulties and discouraging things
to meet; we expect to meet them in the
right way, and overcome them. The
spirit of the oil country is to overcome
and subdue, and bring these dangerous
elements under complete control and
make them serve us. lfany Ofus should
die in the efforts, it might pull at the
heart strings of those who remain, but
there are plenty of other men to fill up
the ranks and take our place. The sub
DUNG of these things and the turning oi
waste gas into valuable merchandise is
our business at present. The final out
come will be good thing for the oil and
gas country-In the meantime it pays.
The spirit of Sir Humphrey Dayey.
Michael Fsrradsy, Northmore, Rumford,
Csgnsird de la Tour, Raoul, Pictet, Louis
Paul Casletet, Sigmund Won Wroblews-
XII, Karl Olszewski, James Dewar and
Charles E. Trupler, who were the pio-
neers of the liquidizstion of gases, seems
to have struck the oil country with the
coming of Col. Drake, and like the soul
of John Brown is still marching on, and
as the years 60 by kindred spirits will
take their place until all the things we
find are brought into subiection to us, eX-
plosions or not. Some years ago, when
we were about to finish up the deep well
we drilled on the Cook property "A SOC
feet deep one of the drillers said: "What
in the world is the use of going so deep;
you get anything down there you could
not use it," My reply was this: "Ifthere
is oil or gas at 4 800 feet in paying quan.
titles, there are men in this oil country
who will not only drill the holes, but
they will take it out and sellit. 1 do moi
think we would have to leave the state tc
find them" Yours truly,
WILLIAM RICHARDS, Manager.