The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-15

On the Queens Borough side the COM
pany's oil tanks extend for a mile and
number 400. II was at $40 o'clock
yesterday morning that the first of these
tanks exploded. Two others caught fire
and are burning get. Fire fighting there
was confined to eight adjacent tanks.
Large lumber yards In the vicinity made
the situation exceedingly dangerous
throughout the day. for a veering of the
wind from north to northwest possibly
would have given the confiagration fresh
impetus.
Loss OF Three Lives Averted.
Loss Of three lives yesterday morning
was narrowly averted when F1remen
Thomas Whitcome of the New Yorker
fell into the creek, which was ablaze.
Whitcome was fighting the fire In a
tank At 6 80 O'Clock the tank exploded
and tipped over The man tried to jump
10 the hold of the fireboat but was
blinded by the smoke and fell overheard.
HIS screams were heard by Benjamin
Moore. another fireman, who jumped
into the creek to the rescue.
While Capt Geiger and others Of the
crew threw ropes to the struggling
men. Frank Lannon jumped In with
rubber coat He struck both of them IN
But the splash temporarily extinguished
the flames and all three were hoisted
aboard alive. Whitcome was scorched
on the right foot and on the head.
Moore's hair was burned almost en-
tireiy on. A surgeon from the Green
point Hospital treated the men and they
remained on duty.
Other physicians from the hospital
and from the Williamsburg and Bush
wick hospitals gave aid to the fighters,
most of whom refused to leave the
scene. Red Cross workers provided new
socks for men with blistered feet
Chief Kenlon. arriving late from out
| ofetown. told later of how the two fire.
boats, New Yorker and Abram s.
Hewitt. barely escaped destruction.
Both ships were stationed at the south
side of the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge
at one time in the night when It was
burning. Both caught fire in the for
ward superstructures Blazing tanks
were behind them and oil on the creek
all about was burning. Efforts to turn
| the swing bridge so that the ships could
escape were unhvailing.
The fireboats william L Strong, Cor
| nelius Lawrence and George B. McClel-
Ian were on the north side of the bridge
and could not reach them. But these
| steamers managed to extinguish the fire
on the bridge so that II could be turned.
Then steaming through, the boats put
out the fire on the water and made
it possible for the New Yorker and her
| companion ship to take care of them
selves and continue the work on the
| tanks.
Firemen Taken to Hospitals.
The injured fremen who were taken
| to hospitals are: Frederick Hartman,
Engine 25, inhaled flames and smoke,
| serious, Greenpoint Hospital; Lieut..
Daney Burns. Engine s. Manhattan. pos
| sible fracture of left leg, Greenpoint
Hospital; Charles Gardner. Engine 16,
burns on right leg and possible fracture.
| st. GATHERINGS Hospital.
Mrs. Regina Yosoko and her twenty
| four-hour-old baby boy of 341 Kingsland
| avenue, suffering from gas fumes. were
sent to Greenpoint Hospital.
John +. Dahl of Company 216 was at
\ tended by an ambulance surgeon after he
, had been burned on the right foot by oil
thrown from an exploded tank The fol-
/ lowing firemen also were treated for
burns and decorations:
Engine 216--Joe Froelick, Commissions
of ankle and left heel Patrick Dolan.
Commissions right ankle; X. w. Fugerer,
| burns right shoulder: f. d. Rourke,
abra sions right heel: William Fl. Bedell.
Commissions ankles; William Casey. con-
| tusions right ankle. u I
| Engine 237-S. Bash. abrasions left
ankle; Godfrey Geldard. abrasions left
heel; Capt. Richard Seegart. Commissions
right hand.
Engine 212-A H. Frohne, abrasions
feet John Carmetta, burns on heels.
Hook and Ladder 104--Henry Lupin.
burns right foot.
Hook and Ladder 1o6-william Lar
kin, Commissions right foot; Francis
O'Neil. abrasions feet
Engine 211-A. D. Padarono, con-
tusions left leg; Arnold Eppers, con-
tusions left ankle and toes.
| Engine 36-Battalion Chief Henry
Steckel, abrasions of left hand.
Engine S7-Edward Hartten, con-
tusions of feet: William j. Hammer. con-
tuslons of feet.
Engine 26-F. A. Embrack. contu-
| sions or heel
Engine 226-Henry J. Hofiin, con.
tuslons of feet.
Engine 229-Joe Grimm. abrasions OF
body and heels.
Engine 5-Peter Plat. burns on right
foot; Charles Fendt, decorations of RICH,
hand.
Hoo kand Ladder flames Talbredy
1 on lett Hdnu ana Hedu.
Corporal Arthur Howorth. Police Re.
serves. 105th Precinct, burns on righ
cheek and hand.
T. D. Maher. chauffeur for Fire Com
missioner brennan. burns on finger. \
Employees OF oil yards: Thoma,
ORourke, contusions left leg: Barr,
weisman, gas poisoning Harry johnson
burns on head and hand; Eugene 81
monson, burns on neck and face DAME
McKeshan, decorations of left wrist
Dennis Sullivan, burns on left foot MAJ
Zackin, burns on left foot; william
Brown, burns on both hands: Jack Sab
lin, decorations of nose Charles Froth
Iingham, sprained ankle; Sam Dugan
bruises on right side; Charles Brown
decorations of right hand Charles Eek
man, Commissions on left leg; william
Renninger, burns on neck; Otto Dolut
Commissions on right forearm.
Chemical Offer Is Rejected.
A scheme to extinguish the fire in tn
tanks by dropping barrels of chemica
into them from an airplane was propose,
to Smoky Joe" Martin last night b.
Lieut.. Merrill X. Riddick. air mail pilot
The assistant chief rejected the plan a
not being feasible. on the grounds tina
sufficient chemical could not be handles
in the fifty-five gallon chemical tanks t
have effect on the oil tanks, which con
| tain 10000 barrels. Martin said ais
that men working about the fire woul
be endangered by the questionable air
| of the aviator making the attempt, o