The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1912-04-27
DEADLY OIL TANKS
Ships That Are a Constant Men
ace to All on Board.
DEATH Turks IN THE CARGO.
Besides the Constant Danger Of the Oil
Heating and Exploding and Instantly
Destroying the Vessel There Is Also
the Peril of "Fumina."

tnc rcrn OF running.
The most dangerous sort of ship
atlont Is that particular kind OF vessel |
known AS the oil tank. ana there isn't
sailorman who will sign on for Il
voyage in one il he can get job on
board any other class of vessel
The oil tank is vessel whose cargo |
consists OF oil, which is carried in |
great tanks Two dangers are ever
present TO all on board namely, that |
the oil may heat and explode which
means the instant destruction of the
ship, or that it may burst from the
tanks, In which case the ship is almost
certain to be destroyed by fire,
There is also the remote danger of
the oil "fuming." When the oil
fumes" the working of the ship be
comes almost impossible. On FUN.
ing" oil tank no one can remain below
deck for more than ten minutes with
out becoming overcome by the oil
fumes, which are Il hundred times
more deadly to human life than coal
gas,
The most terrible tragedies of the
ocean have occurred on board these
death traps.
A few years ago a Russian ell tank,
the Omar. which sailed from Batum
bound for Bombay with 10000 gallons
of oil on board, WAS sighted In the Pa
citic by n German tramp steamer nam
ed the Nelter Fend The Omar was
fying signals OF distress and when
sighted was apparently completely dis.
abled. for she was making no head
way
The sen was-guite calm. and the cap
tain OF the Nelter Fend approached
within hailing distance Of the disabled
ship, but no reply came from her In
response to his hail
Then the captain of the German
tramp sent II boat to the silent ship
When the boats crew reached her
decks they saw five men lying ON the
deck, three of whom were dead. The
/ other two were in state of collapse,
/ but alive.
The mate OF the German tramp. who
was In charge of the boat. at once
Guessed that the oil had "fumed' OF
board the oil tank. probably ut night
and that the two men In a state o
collapse We're probably the only sur
viyors of the disaster This subse
quently turned out to lie the case.
Below the decks which the crew O
the German tramp penetrated will
great difficulty aud danger to them
selves, for the oil was still fuming, 81,
Of he oil tanks crew We're fount
dead In their hunks. where they hat
been sutfocated by the fumes in theil
sleep Three of the crew had succeed
I'd Ia reIching the deck, but had died
! subsequently.
The two survivors were the only tive
on deck when the fumes burst from
the tanks and in their efforts to save
the others had very nearly persisted
themselves
The CREW of u Norwegian oil tnnk
named the ileliuS had II terrible expc
rieHce Il few years ago in mid-Atlan
tie During u heavy gale, in whici
the IIelios suffered very rough han
ding in the mountainous seas. her OF
tanks. containing 10000 gallons OF
crude oil burst and flowed into tn,
huukers. threatening to penetrate In Il
few minutes into the treroonI
The crew flung themselves al til,
pumps like madmen The oil soon be
Gan To fumc. aud no man could keel
ut the pumps for more than a few
minutes without becoming overpOwer
ed al the crew on deck. and four II
their turn went below every five min
utes TO work at the pumps.
The fight they made for their live
was one OF the most desperate tina
has ever been waged on the ocean
Directly the tank had burst the fire
men had been ordered out of the fire
room There was no tine to quencl
the Dres. for the hremen would Ger
taiuly have been sutfocaled by TIN
fumes of the oil had they Remained
below to do 40.
For eleven hours the officers an
crew of the Heios worked like d,
NOUS At Tue pumps iuhhliS Tue Nus
desperate efforts to keep the oil froi
reac hing the fire room. by the end U
tina time eight of the crew lay uuCoi
sciuus on he deck overcome partly
exhaustion aud partly by the fumes
II was now only possible 10 work Nv
OF HE pumps. and 1t became certal
that unless help arrived III anotht
hour. the ship, with every living so.
on hoard would perish II should |
mentioned that every iifeboat on Ii
Helas had been damaged during tn
storm
Half an hour passed. aud by the
only the captain and the mate WEI
working at the pumps The destru
ton of be vessel was now only Il mN
ter of minutes. II WAS al this critic,
juncture TINT the oil tank was sighte
by the Majestic OF the White Star lin
aud twenty minutes later the crew {
the doomed ship were safely on boar
the liner
As the last man scrambled on boar
the Majestic from the boat which ha
been sent to the help OF the lleliOs
mountain Of ilnme sprang from II
decks of the oil tank. and few mil
ntcS later the banne vessel sank b
low the water.
Russian oil tank named the Nlad