New-York tribune., 1909-02-15
BLAZING BUILDING
BURIES 5 FIREMEN
HUGE OIL TANKS THREAT-
ENED BY FLAMES.
Fire in Packing Department Of
Standard Subsidiary IN Williams
burg Causes $500, 900 Loss.

Five fremen were injured. two seriously
that their recovery is not expected. in a spec
tacuar and periIous fire which destroyed the
packing sheds OF the Pratt Oil works. sub
sidiary of the Standard Oii-at North 18th
street and the East River, Williamsburg. early
this morning
The men were injured by the falling OF one of
the high walls Of the blazing building. which
buried two Of them in the debris. The fire.
caused the gravest fear for the entire neighbor-
hood owing to the highly infiammable materials
not only in the building but in several adjoin-
ing structures. In the packing shed ttsek
thousands OF five gallon tanks OF naphthas gasc-@
lene and refined petroleum had been stored ana
the explosions OF these tanks the flames
reached them threw the residents OF the neigh
borhood into condition OF apprehension vers-
ing on panic. The injured are:
GRAHAM Michael battalion chief back broken and
fracture OF both legs; expected TO live
HILDEBRAND Charles. fireman. Hook and Ladder
Company 5S contusons Of body and possible fract-
Of left ankle
MOORE Frank fireman Hook and Ladder Company
IS. and eontusons OF body and wrenchsd back
MALoNY Michael. fireman. Hook and Ladder Com
pany IS. fractured spine; viii not recover
WALSH George. fractured ribs
All the injured hremen were taken TO the
Eastern District Hospital in an ambulance and
in Deputy Chief Lally's automobile Chief Gra-
ham and the members of Hook and Ladder Com
pany SO were at work beneath the thirty foot
wall OF the building, the North 18th street
side
Because Of the rain. the dense smoke remained
close to the ground. and the hremen were pre-
vented from seeing the tottering wall until Il
crashed upon them. Chief Graham gave a warn
ing cry TO his men, and the fremen who were
on the fame lighted side OF the building cried TO
their comrades when they saw the mass or brick
and masonry and give way
AS as the full extent Of the blaze was
realized, the tanks Of the Standard OIL Com
pany for radius Of a quarter of mile, in
which were stored thousands Of gallons Of oil
Of all grades. were drained by means Of sub
terranean pipes leading TO the company's tanks
in Blissvilie and Long Island City
The tanks of the Brooklyn Union Gas Com
pauy. also in dangerous proximity 10 the blaze.
were also emptied Of their contents
EIiIdebrand and several other msmbers OF hiz
company were almost outside OF the range
Of the tumbllng wall but he was struck BY
heavy section OF the wall as he ran Cher
Graham and the injured fremen were buried
beneath the mass Of debris and il was with
difficulty and great personal risk that their
comrades dug them out and bore them to the
waiting ambulances-
The night foreman of Stable D. Of the Street
Cleaning Department, which is nearby cOrralled
all OF the iI0 horses OF the departments III inc
big stable yard when the flames we're blown
toward the stable and he waited on guard at
the street gate ready TO start the whole herd
on a stampede to safety. The fremen, how
ever, prevented the spread Of the flames and
the animals were replaced in their stalls in
safety.
Deputy Chief Lally arrived with the engines on
the third alarm. and the freboats Seth Low and
David A Boody. assisted by a number OF the
O{Y will D.
paratus fought the fire from the waterfront
Crates of naphtha exploded in the building from
time to time
The flames lighted up the river and attracted
hundreds from Manhattan and all sections OF
Brooklyn The section Of the waterfront men
aced by the fire is known as the Brooklyn dan
ger zone
The fremen estimated the total loss at about
$4,000.