Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-01-16
Death in Fire
at Point Breeze

| Continued from Page One
tended for the length of a city square
along the eastern river front near Pass
yunk avenue As the wind increased in
volume, the wall of fire bent over at
right angles, the entire length OF flame
| resembling n mighty torch.
Fire Starts in Tanker
Tho fire began in the hold of the
| tanker and within few minutes was
beyond control. Three alarms were
struck in rapid succession and city fire.
boats raced toward the blaze.
Tongues of flame and myriad sparks
| fired the docks and, spreading to the
pipelines, soon had jets of fire run
ming along the ground some distance.
within Nifty feet of the doomed tanker
was the American tanker ]. L. O'Neii.
loaded with oil and prepared to begin
voyage. Firemen played powerful
streams on the dock TO which the O'Neil
was moored, while auxiliary streams
were guided by the tanker's crew. The
O'Nei's hawsers were cast Off and the
vessel began moving slowly out in the
stream just as a high line of flames
swept down to the dock 1t was quitting.
1t was reported that four of the
Swedish tankers crew were badly burn
cd in the first efforts to check the rap
idly spreading flames.
About one block to the east are scores
OF big tanks. most or them filled to
capacity. As red showers of sparks rode
on the high wind toward the enormous
drums. fremen. fighting desperately to
prevent a series of explosions, divided
their forces. one group centering its at
tention on the tanks,
Flames Leap High
The burning oil sent columns of jet
black smoke for hundreds of feet into
tho air. The wind forced tho smoke
clouds over the lower part of the city
For several miles the widespread
pillar of smoke over the oil conpany's
plant could be seen, with long. quivering
tongues of red and yellow flame leaping
about in the murky clouds.
More than a score OF seamen in the
Amundserfs crew. their escape cut of
from the land side. leaped into the cold
river. Pudd3es of blazing oil were float
ing all about them. and a number of the
chilled and swimming mon were burned
about the face. neck and hands.
Hundreds of iron barrels filled with
oil. were stacked in long regular rows,
several hundred feet from the docks.
Sparks touched off, one of the barrels
and it exploded, sending a shower of
shrapnel-lke fragments in all directions.
The fire spread to other barrels, which
likewise exploded with low. booming re-
ports.
AS the Jagged iron fragments flew to-
ward all points of the compass, flremen
were compelled to retreat momentarily.
Patrol wagons, and IN some cases fire
apparatus had to be moved back hur-
riedly.
Spread to Oil Barge
4 half-hour after. the Amundsen
hlazed up the Danish tanker Copen-
hagen was aflamc and the the fire had
spread TO an oil barge. Meantime the
ONeil had been moved safely to the
middle of the river and proceeded slowly
upstream.
Some of the fremen WORKING near tho
barrels We're pcppercd with bits of iron
as the containers exploded. None is be-
lievcd to have been injured seriously by
the fragments.
The spectacular fire drew thousands
of people toward the company's ground.
Details of police had to fight back
crowds Of the curious.
The more Venturcsouc who reached
points that commanded IL view of the
inclosed ground saw firemen and COM
pany employees again and again forced
TO run as gusts &C flame swept down
on them. AS soon as a gust had passed
or died down the iiremen rushed back
to their tasks again.
once ignitcd, the cargo of the Copeu-
hagen was quickly destroyed and the
vessel itself almost completely ruined
The Copenhagen was scheduled to sail
today for Liverpool with Il 100000
cargo of oil.
Tho Amundsen, where the blaze be-
gan, was valued at $4j0,000 and was
loaded with $4,000 worth of oil Both
vessels We're chartered by the Anglo
American oil company.
Barge No l., Of the Atlantic Renn-
ing Company's barge iiort. was partly
burned. The barge was cast Off from
the dock and Il putting tug drew her
through the blazing river The heavy
smoke made the tugs wheclsman mis-
judge his course and the barge side
swiped the Schuylkiil bridge. II was
rghted on its course again and hauled
upstream, where company iiremon con-
tinued their battle with the flames on
the barge.