The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-02-19
DEADLY OIL TANKS
Ships That Are a Constant Men,
ace TO All on Board.
DEATH Turks IN THE CARGO.

Dssioee the Sonstont Danoer OF tne Oil
Heating and Exploding and instantly
Destroying the Vessel There IL Also
the Peril Of Turning"
The most dangerous sort Of ship
anoat Is that particular kind OF vessel
known as the oil tank. and there isn't
sailorman who will sign on for a
voyage in one If be can get job on
board any other class Of vessel.
The oil tank Is a 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 II 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 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 Russian oil tank.
the Omar, which sailed from Baum
bound for Bombay with 10000 gallons
Of oil on board. was sighted In the Pa.
ci6c by a German tramp steamer nam
ed the velter Fend The Omar was
flying signals Of distress and when
sighted was apparently completely dis
abled. for she was making no head
way.
The sea was quite calm. and the cap
tain of the velter 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 a boat to the silent ship.
When the boats crew reached her
decks they saw Eve men lying on the
deck. three OF whom were dead. The
other two were In a 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 TUNED on
board the oil tank. probably at night,
and that the two men In a state OF
collapse were probably the only sur
vivors of the disaster This subse-
Quently turned out to be the case.
Below the decks. which the crew OF
the German tramp penetrated with
great difficulty and danger to them
selves. for the oil was still Tuning. SIX
Of the oil tanks crew were found
dead In their hunks, where they had
been suftocated by the fumes In their
sleep. Three Of the crew had succeed
ed In reaching the deck, but had died
subsequently.
The two survivors were the only two
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 a Norwegian oil tank
named the Helios had terrible expe
/ rience few years ago in mid-Atlan
tic. During a heavy gale. In which
the Helios suffered very rough han
ding In the mountainous seas. her oil
tanks, containing 10000 gallons Of
crude OIL. burst and flowed into the
bunkers. threatening to penetrate In q
few minutes into the hreroom.
The crew 6ung themselves at the
pumps like madmen. The oil soon be
gan to fume. and no man could keeI
OF the pumps for more than a few
minutes without becoming overpower
ed. The captain OF the Helios order
ed all the crew on deck, and four II
their turn went below every Eve min
utes to work at the pumps.
The eight 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 Ore
room. There was no time 10 Quencl
the ores, for the hremen would Ger
tainly have been suffocated by thu
fumes OF the oil had they remained
below to do 50.
For eleven hours the officers AM
crew OF the Helios worked like de
mons az the pumps. making the mos
desperate efforts to keep the oil iron
reaching the Gre room. BY the end o
that time eight OF the crew lay uncou
scious on the deck, overcome partly b.
exhaustion and partly by the fumes.
II was now only possible to work tw
of the pumps, and II became certai
that. unless help arrived In anothe
hour. the ship. with every living sou
on board. would perish. II should b
mentioned that every lifeboat on th
Helios had been damaged during th
, storm.
Half an hour passed, aud by the
only the captain and the mate wer
working at the pumps. The destruC
ton OF the vessel was now only a mat
ter OF minutes. II was at this crftica
!, juncture that the oil tank was sighte'
} by the Majestic OF the white Star line
aud twenty minutes later the crew o
the doomed ship were safely on boar
the liner.
Az the last man scrambled on boar
the Majestic from the boat which ha,
been sent to the help Of the Helios