New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-02-06
OIL GOES UP IN SMOKE.
10000 Barrels at Erie Docks
Trail Sooty Veil to Jamaica.
FIRE TUGS FIGHT IN VAIN

Big Crowds Watch Blaze from
Waterfront - Damages
Reach S225, 600,
Ten thousand barrels Of oil ahre at the
Erie docks in weehswken brought out four
fire companies, fifteen fire tugs and a crowd
Of moro than ten thousand people yester-
day. The fierce fire burned from noon.
and was not put out. Like most oil fires.
II burned Itself away. and at 10 o'clock last
night there were only smoking ruins 10
show where the oil storage house had been.
From the Jersey shore poured cloud
OF smoke that began in an inky black ana
then arched in a dirty gray 70 Manhattan
and beloved itself out TO the north and
east until people as far away as Jamaica
wondered what had happened Sunday al
ternoon strollers in Prospect Park found
the sun obscured-
There was a loss Of sl50.co0 in oil. and
half as much TO the railroad company
property. and the hremen had stin hShtinB
70 prevent the flames from spreading luz
Their. Water dumped on the dense ourn'hs
oil only made tho smoke the denser ana
rendered II harder to get TO the sullen neart
Of the fire. -,
The docks are at the foot Of 18th street
Weehavken had the usual quiet sunday
aspect Yesterday until at y AS O'CLOCK haiI'
porrbeiroer. q Waterman, discovered rame
ard smoke shooting from the roof or TWO
story brick building. 30 by go feet long,
ard built by the Erie people 70 contain OIL
IN transit It took Bernheimer just TWO
,,,,,utes N turn In an alarm from the cor
- 80 par,k avenue and 18th street, and 70
teIephone James O'Rourke, the asen' "a
this particular Erie station, at ms hoiii'
- uohoken. Rernheimer then signailed t'e
- .,, sbobola. and she ran in and put
,.,,ns IN work. Mr.. O'Rourke sos
= ~ west. his boat dispatcher on uie
ira and west asked all the railroaos oh
~. liver for help, and then asked the as
. 'Io 80 ,ha Fire Department on this
side
Tuas Fight the Flames
The first boats 10 arrive were Iool 'us
sror, the Lackawanna, with captain D. ~
Fmerv. superintendent OF the marine w
,ts,o, on board. By this time the IRE was
,',rri,g strongly and had spread from the
rr,ol, bouss 20 q frame addition IN the rear
80 a. a freight car standing by the oullo-
S. rrhare we're about one hundred car
, ,'''i 80 Al in the storage house, most OF
- -, crude stuff for machinery, ana
or.,ed nv the Vacuum OIL Company OF
pocbAeter. The flames had spread 10 the
hiq coal dock Of the Erie. and through
n a boiler house housing machinery t0i
hoisting cars 10 the coal dock
cantain Emery hooked UP one OF IT'S
Aoa.s ~ the dock, and he and his men ran
. boea line into the boiler house. Inc
s.rl,;ne nozzle threw them against brick
Iii hut thew put the fire in the boiler
80 ort and Captain A. z. Grymes, OF
the Fries marine division was very p'ou"
If his friend. Captain Emery
nv this time fire lighting tugs began 10
steam in. There were four rom tle otai'
ora ON Company-No. II, No "A. No. 10 ana
M &. the Rochester the bunaio' 'ne
Waverley, the Shohola and TWO others OF
the Erie: three from the New YORK Cen
trails feet. the Luzerne, OF the Lehlgh'
four from the Lackawanna, and the IRE
boat James Duane, with Captain John
r,ali,. and Battalion Chief Conion on poaru.
Resides the floating fremen. BALDWIN NO
/ volunteer company Of Weehawken.
and the Clifton Palisades and Highwood
companies all were on hand.
The Aren,en had o hard time to find water
eunnlv for the hose. There was one
| hydrant a mile away, and the Others were
so close 10 the hot fire they could not get
70 them. Finally they coupled UP with the
! t,,oe aud then everybody began 10 work In
| earnest But this was OF little use. The rre
iue, ate ND the oil and woulc not be de-
MED. So the tremen then turned pfacti-
| calv all their attention 10 saving the coal
pier and other buildings
| OH was everywhere. II stood IN great
| ruddles a foot deep and Shiny streams ran
/ down into the river. The fire fighters rub
hers were covered with the heavy, green
crease: so were their faces. c. y. stone,
/ general manager Of the Erie, warned them
J IN ne careful Of igniting their oil-soaked
clothes. end some OF them stood in the
sprav until their slickers were washed off.
Stones Twelve Mile Ride.
| Mr stone. by the way, had heard Of the
Ar. while he was at his home, in Leonia,
| and rode horse twelve miles 10 get 10 the
scene. He found everything going well
when he got there.
! Mr. Grvmes had already yanked the
/ ferrvboat Tuxedo out of the marine yards,
| and with her the Elizabeth, which vas hav-
| ing new names Of glass put in place OF the
ones she lost while crossing the river the
CAV Of the dynamite explosion at Communi-
nav The Elizabeth and the Tuxedo went
/ ont into the stream and hacked and nled.
/ There was no use 20 move The big Morgan
/ liner III siglo She and the FAN River
boat Plymouth were out ot range ot the
burning Oil hock Of small craft was
taken out into the river
/ The crowd began 10 gather early Al
! first there was no policing. and all Jersey
! from Coytesville 10 Bayonne seemed TO
/ shove close 20 the ftre and watch the rlvu-
! lets Of burning oil and the streams Of OF
I that were not burning. but that poured
/ off the decks into the water in solid, thick
rnols sseslike ropes The ferries and the
streetcars dit enormous business, and more
] people we're brought through the tubes
/ as every train rushed under the river.
/ Chief Mccain, Of the Weehawken police,
ard Captain John Flettery, Of the Hoboken
( force, had men on hand and some came
up from Jersey city ard kept the crowds
hack along the railroad tracks But they
kept coming and banked up back OF the
! ones already there.
! The oilhouse and freight car were de-
stroyed. with their contents. but only the
shore end Of the coal pier was burned
| There we're no fatalities James Quinn. OF