The San Francisco call and post., 1913-12-17
OIL
|MPE s
THRONCS
Scores Flee in Fright While
Firemen Battle With Burn
ing Benzine

A 5000, 900 fire destroyed the East
Oakland plant of the Pacific States
Oil Refining company today. Twenty
giant tanks containing $4,000 barrels
of crude and refined oil. distillate and
gasoline explided or burned. shaking
the entire district After five hours
the fire was burning without cessa-
tion this afternoon. a crowd of 1000
people looking In.
The fire started when spark from
an auto truck set a poll of oil ablaze.
Scores were driven in fright from the
vicinity. Trenches were dug around
the two acre plant to confine the es-
Gaping fuel
The blaze spread frim the plant
itself Several horses were rescued
A. Ennis of Alameda, near by, was
destroyed. with 100 tons OF hay.
A $4,000 barrel storage tank of the
Southern Pacific company was threat
ened. btu big force of men was put
to work trying to save 1t.
BENZINE TANK BURNS
One of the chief centers of the
fight was to save a tank containing
10000 gallons of benzine. Although
a bad explosion was feared. the ben
zine burned
Then attention turned to 10000
gallon tank of gasoline.
Besides the tanks. three buildings
were destroyed. and fourth was
declared beyond hope early this aft
ernoon.
William Lange. president of the
company. said the loss would be at
least s15o.ooo. partly covered by in
surance.
Employees at the plant put the loss
at fully 100000.
President Lange said 1t was ques-
ton whether the company would re-
build.
The Alaska Packers associations
firetug Phoenix threw water on the
flames from the estuary. but this did
little to check them. The fire fighters
on the land side were similarly ham
dicapped.
rIREMEN ARE POwERLEss
The firemen were powerless except
to confine the running oil. ablaze.
Every available man was set to work
digging trenches after general
alarm had been turned in
The clouds of heavy smoke at
tracted widespread attention, and
caused alarm In the east shore COM
munities
The plant is at Fruitvale avenue
and Stuart street, East Oakland.
The so employees were about to get
to work when j. May, an auto truck
driver, started to flll his tank from q
loading tank. A spark from his muf-
fer set fire to small sump The
flames spread from the pool to TO-
600 barrel tank near by.
EMPLOYEES FLEE IN TERROR
AS the employees fled in terror the
tank blew up, scattering oil over a
wide area and spreading the flames to
the other 10 tanks.
The employees started to dig dikes
to hold the burning fluid before the
arrival OF the firemen. No water could
be used, the flaming oil merely being
scattered by it.
John Mott, warehouseman, tried to
stop the flames with a fire extin-
gufsher and narrowly escaped injury.
He was aided by Carl Corrigan, pump
man.
FIRE SPREADS FAST
Besides the tanks there We're four
buildings on the two acres, three Of
which were quickly destroyed. These
were the warehouse. a two story
structure 50x100 feet; the shipping
house, the office building and the as
phalt plant This was the last to
catch fire.
Day Fireman S. Dougherty, 1916
East Tenth street. East Oakland. re-
mained at his post all day long. In the
face of great danger. to make steam
with which to fight the flames Steam
was being pumped into the tanks.
Dougherty only took few minutes
Off to hunt for his dog, a Scotch ter
rier named Nellie. who was born in
the plant and to whom he was greatly
attached. He rescued her. then re-
turned to his post