Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-11-09
UTAH OIL REFINING
PLANT IN FLAMES
Still at Fourth West Street Col
lapses, Permitting Liquid
To Run Into Fire.
BLAZE SPREADS OVER FIELDS
Main Plant Saved by Work OF Fire.
men, but Loss Is Hcavy--Tanks
sim Burning at Late Hour.

SIN Burning at Late Hour.
\ great hre started among the big
oil tanks at the Utah oil Refining COM
| pauys plant ON Fourth West street
between Eighth and Ninth North
streets when one OF the stills collapsed
| under excessive heat. allowing the oil
20 run into the flames and spreading
the blaze all over the field. shortly
after midnight this morning, and was
| still burning fiercely at a late hour this
afternoon, with prospects OF continuing
far into the night. In extent Of time.
/ 1t Is the longest fire ever seen In this
| city. The FIRE was quite dangerous. az
/ the hremen were compelled to stand
close TO the oil tanks in order to play
| the water over them TO keep them cool.
There were % tanks in all containing
coal OIL lubrlcating oil. engine oil, cyiin-
der OIL parafnn wakes aud crude oil.
Several of the large tanks also con-
tanned gasoline. This afternoon. seven
tanks we're still on fire. and four tanks
mad been completely burned out. two OF
| which had held engine oils. the other
/ two having contained parafin wakes
Tho fire department had great diff
| Guilty IN lighting the flames as IL was
! impossible To eXtinquish the burning
on. The high wind added TO the dan
ger as u blew straight north. directly
| over the main buildings. which contain
about $4,000 worth OF fine machinery.
| Inc main plant was saved by the
| steady courageous work OF the Are
hNh. VINO took their lives in their
hanos ana uniinchingly faced the blaze
az close quarters to keep the fire from
| spreading. Il was miraculous that none
or the tanks exploded under the terrific
neat. such an explosion would have
| thrown the burning oil in all directions
over tho nremen.
WORK ~ SHIFTS.
As it was. the 6repen baa In h,,,,,
ma heavy shifts. for rs hours 10 to
O'Clock this afternoon. To keep the
names from leaping the gap OF IS wards
between the oil tanks and the main
The first tank to catch ahre was the
plg stiil that collapsed. containing z. 500
gallons OF crude OIL. from which the
sasoline and coal oil had already been
extracted
The big gasoline tank stands Ts feet
distant from the raging FIRE. and the
fact that 1t D. protected BY a half-lnch
steer covering is the only thing that
| prevented a serious disaster. The dan
ger is NOT over as one Of the blazing
tanks may burst at any moment. ana
the tanks viii burn until ali OF their
contents are exhausted. as the streams
Of water do not affect the danes in the
| slightest.
FIREMEN RESPOND.
The fire department immediately re-
| snDnlgU TO tha "a "a
company in command Of Assistant
Fire Chief Fitzgerald being the first 10
go out II was found necessary 10 cali
out a relief crew from No. / at head
| quoters and from No. T. under Chief
Glore. The firemen who first went out
| fought the fire until / o'clock this
| morning. The relief crew Joined them
at o'clock this morning and continued
| through the day. The rest OF the de.
partment was held In readiness Tor
! emergency.
IL was perhaps the most spectacular
Gre ever seen in this city. The smokr
| clouds from the blazing OH rolled al
| enormous masses. The oil tanks W. IT,
seething caldrons, and the burnrg 80
roared like thunder
EIGHT TANKS OK FIRE
The Officers OF the Utah on Reanins
company are loud In their praises OF
the hremen for their heroic work The
| blaze fighters fearlessly surrounded the
flaming still and played heavy streams
Of water on Il at close quarters thus
saving 800 feet OF coiled pipe on the in
| terror which was alone valued at 81 200
| Al ore time there were eight separate
! crude oil tanks on FIRE. but the fremen
never retreated Tor moment. They
tapped one large tank. dug a ditch ana
| surrounded 10 with protecting barrels
/ and InIIhnTNfTiN faf "a luF 10
save ID, and kept 4 from burning The
| oil was run out OF the tank BY means
| Of syphons. When the heater tank ex-
| pl0ded, the big wooden lids were thrown
more than so feet through the ain, but
nobody was injured. Three OF tho
| cylindrical tanks were about 60 feet
| long and 5 feet I'M diameter. The fire.
| men kept streams Of water playing on
these tanks an OF the time to keep them
/ cool
The Hremen saved numerous sur
! rounding buildings. Employees OF the
| Oregon short Line joined IN the battle
| and helped 20 keen the flames from the
roundhouso and shops.
The greater portion OF the loss was in
the 500 barrels Of OH which burned QUE
In The tanks. The total loss IN oil. stills
and tanks rs conseryatively estimated
al $1,000
FIRE A GREAT MISFORTUNE
The fire Is great misfortune 10 the
| Utah on Refining company as an OF
| the 500 barrels which burned were 90
| have been shipped % mn orders that
| have been ia Tor some time. The plant
was started only last April aud was
just being completed. The officers ana
! directors are. Joseph a. Murdoch n
| Heber city president Jesse William
| knight Of Provo vice president: J. 4
| Howard, secretary and treasurer, VII
| liam Morrison. director and auperin-
| tendent 81 the plant W. %. ana A D.
| Spaer ~ PittsburE, Pa. and b. a.
| Mitchell and Fred j. Fabian OF Salt
| Lake city. directors
This D. the first on refining plant
ever built and operated successfully
| in this state.
|