The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-09-28
Tank Car Blows Up, Covering
Ardmore, Oklahoma, with
Burning Oil
FIFTY-TWO BODIES
TAKEN FROM RUINS

Inv SOS4S4l Id EoJAlA 1O41S Ol duO IoSF-
eral of the $50 Injured Persons viii
Die-Property Loss Is Fully $1,000
o00-Dynamite Caused Main Wreck
ARDMORE, Okla, Sept. 28.-Sixty
persons are believed to be dead and /
go injured, most of them dangerously, |
when $50 barrel tank car of gaso- !
line standing near the Santa Fe freight |
office in the business district exploded |
this afternoon.
The tremendous force OF the blast |
wrecked many buildings and threw
burning gasoline in every direction. A
few minutes later the whole town was
at the mercy of a score of fires. At
| $50 the fires were under control and
| the city was placed under martial law.
| a spark from hammer ignited gas
| fumes which came through small leak
| in the tank and caused the explosion
Two workmen were busy on the tank
at the time. Both were killed.
| Private houses were thrown open to
the injured Immediately after the ex-
| plosion, and a score of men began
working in the ruins in the main part
OF the town Tor victims.
The buildings destroyed besides the
railroad station, included those of
Swift & Co, Pennington Wholesale
Grocery company, Wilmington Hotel,
Madden & Co, dry goods, and Dewitt
& Co, tobacconists. Not building on
| Main street escaped damage. The
publishing plants of the Daily Ard
moreite and the Statesmen were badly
Idamaged.
All school buildings, business houses
and residences within twelve blocks of
the business district bear evidences Of
the explosion. Practically every win
dow in town was shattered by its force
The flames spread rapidly until all
of Main street appeared a roaring fur
mace. Thirty freight ears in the San
ia Fe yards were destroyed The pail
of smoke hanging over the whole city
prevented the rescuers from doing eff
fective work.
The roof of the Wilmington hotel
was blown off by the force Of the first
explosion, but all patrons were believed
to have saved their lives.
The entire block in which the Pen
: nington Wholesale Grocery company
| was located was razed by fire.
, Acts of heroism were many. WON,
an waiting at the railroad station with
baby in her arms and four-vear-old
child at her side dashed three blocks
= with her double burden, her OWL
+ clothes blazing as she ran. Passersby
: smothered the flames with bare hands
The mother was taken to hospita
: dangerously burned. The children were
not seriously injured.
Ardmore was cut off completely from
the outside world. Telephone and tel
egraph communication was severed by
the wrecking of poles.
Fiftv-two bodies have been recover
e ed so far. Some of the dead are 81
badly mangled that it may be consid
cradle time before they can be identi
fed Three bodies were burned to ;
crisp. and it is certain that some O
= the other victims trapped in the burn
5 ing buildings will be charred beyon'
s all hope of recognition. Several o
= those reported as injured will die from
!; the effects of inhaling burning gaso
= line. The property loss is fully 81
= O00.O00
7 Railroad men in the yard at the tim
= of the explosion say the tank car wa
= put on siding because it was leakin
- so that pool of gasoline had forme
~ nuder it. The car inspector, the rallroa
- men say, mounted the car, unscrewe
: the cap and peered in. Just then tn
gasoline became ignited, the inspecto
= the car, and every loose piece of ms
!, terial within 100 yards was hurled IL
+ to the air.
= Dynamite in the freight storehous
. was set off by the coneussion of tn
~ gasoline explosion. The damage cause
90 by this was greater than that cause
by fire following. The dynamite expl
sion demolished nearly a score of bull'
ings.
Ardmore is town of $500 popul
tion in Carter county, 60 miles sout
at of Muslxogee. 1t is in a rich farmln
and grazing district and has lars
! cotton market. Asphalt and coal min'
20 are located near the city limits. A
- abundance of oil prevails in the Wei
- itv It is on the Rock Island, Fris'
81 and Gulf, Colorado and Sante Fe ral
a. roads.
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