The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-08-27
C. Erich and Anton Sohieber
Succumb To Burns and injuries
They Received In Spectacular
Explosion At Oil Plant In IwiIei
ONE VICTIM is HURLED
IN AIR A FLAMING TORCH
Ralph B. Harrub catapuIted rs
Feet Over Fence Surrounding
Buildings and Hope For His
Recovery Has Been Abandoned

Two men are dead and one is dying
as n result of the explosion at the
Standard Oil Company's tanks, Iwi.
lei, at ten.Rfty five O'Clock yesterday
morning. 80 a... =
The three victims were all hurled into
the air by the force of the blast and
one was thrown twenty five feet away
over the fence surrounding the plant,
The latter's clothes were ignited and
his body went through the air twist.
ing torch that resembled giant sky,
rocket, according to the stories told the
police by witnesses.
List Of Casualties
The dead: .
O. ERICH, Seaside Hotel; STANDARD
Oil Construction superintendent; body
burned from head to waist; died al
eignt,thirty O'Clock last night. Leaves
widow.
ANTON sCHIEBBR, Oahu place;
Standard Oil foreman; left leg frac
tured in three places, left shoulder
broken and forehead cut; died al
thirty O'Clock last night.
The dying:
RALPH B. HARRUB, 1899 Makiki
street; employee of the Hawaiian Flee
tric Company; body burned from heat
to feet; he is the victim who was catap
ulted, a torch, twenty-five feet away
Early this morning, DIR. George F
Straub, who is attending MN a.
Queens Hospital, said he could live
only few hours.
Ele: tricttv Probably Cause
Their was much speculation as II
the cause of the explosion but nobody
was inclined to definitely assign it
The best guess, however, was that al
electric current furnished the sparl
that touched off the distillate.
The three men were working on the
ton of a tank of distillate. Presum
ably, from reports to the police, they
had electric wires there. 1t appears
however, that the explosion was no
without warning to the men, 10
Schieber was not burned, except pos
sihIy on the left hand, and he pron
ably had time to jump from the tank
His injuries were internal and bone
fractures.
A fire foam apparatus was being In
stalled under the direction of Mr.. FL
rich. 1t had been put in to the poin
where it checked the fire. Without II
seven tanks in the one enclosure hard
" could have escaped.
A. s Prescott, district sales manage
of the Standard Oil Company, wa
away when the explosion occurred. III
was caught by telephone, and he re
turned to the yard.
He admitted frankly that he did no
know what caused the explosion
"hut," said he, 1--WE have nothing t
conceal. We wish to know the caus
as much Rs anyone could When tn
in iured men are in condition to talE
we will investigate fully, -
Fire Apparatus Saves Tank
Fireman and police answered tn
FIRE alarm. Chief Thurston was l
charge of the fremen. He said yestel
day afternoon that no flame was al
pparing from the tank when he al
rived. His men climbed to the tan
and used chemicals on the surface O
the diRtilIate. The fre-foam appara
ms Of the Standard Oil Company save
the tanks, in his oplhion.
Runring from the patrol wagon, WI
terfront Policeman Carter found tn
tank smoking badly, apparently frOl
bc""ath the big lid,
"What is in this tankP" he aske
of boy standing near.
"DistiIlatel came the reply, an
Carter hurried about the tank.
lie found Schieber lying on his bac
between the tanks, unable to NOV
and crying out for helD. An old doc
living nearby, served as a streteher Il
k'm. Carter and Melville Harris, en-
Moved by the Standard Oil Company
Office carried him away.
Erich was lying only few ft'
away. Carter and Harris hurried bac
dosnite the smoking tank, and tOo
Firich on sheet of corrugated ~
FNd hurried him away.
THROWN BY Explosion
''T certainly hated to go near tn
trnk,'i said Garter, "but | had to
il to get the men out"
In the meantime, the other polio
non had spread over the ground
s"arch for, other iy.ured men. Polio
IN Sam Eerrera aud w. r. ChiltC
fund Harrub, lying twenty five fe
{ ON the tank. He had been east
tie explosion clear outside the fence
the grounds. He was laid on Il
s'r"tch"r and put in the patrol WACO
Nhen the stretchcr was in the WACO
t. king oil the floor, Schieber, on Il
door. could not be put inside.
"Put him 10 aud I'll get dow
Hrc," IIarrub said. and he crouch
down on the stretcher, gritting h
tscth during the rush to the Queen
Hospital.
THAT man was game!" said t
policeman.
"Such condition as this demo