The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1920-05-18
.R|G NIL BLAZE WIPES AWAY
STANDARD AND FREEDOM PLAN TS

ranvs office building and the offices of
tho Standard Oil company, adjoining
were literally wiped out.
4 IL Refer of the Freedom Oil COM
pany stated that all OF their accounts
arc kept on duplicate sheets and a copy
sent TO tho cofnpanyS office al Freeuon
Pa each eight. so there Will be no loss
of valuable documents.
The Standard Oil Company's big safe
went into the ruins of the office build
ing, but at S o'clock last night while the
tiremcn were wetting down the ruins,
delegation OF men arrived sent oy !.
f. Miller with rigging apparatus 10
take the safe from the ruins.
The fire was so intense lhat t"Ic-
phone poles 100 feet away from inc
blaze lighted up. without coming INTO
couta2t with tho flames.
North Of the Freedom Oil company
was situated Il two story lranG n1I var var
house owned by the Standard OIL Com
pany filled with gasoline and oil IN
drums and tanks. This was a total
loss. NcNt To this was ono Stor!
sheet iron aud wood structure used as
Il boiler house. This was also destroy
cd.
Saved Tho Building.
Next WAS a two story building used
As ware house and stable owned ny
thc Standard Oil company. This build
inr lighted up several times but the
tircmcn fought the blazc and II escaped
with big hole burned in the roof.
MIR. c. n. Ricfer, when he became
of the burned out properly OF the Free
dom oil company would be saved,
declared that the loss in stock would
be- covered by $4,000. The oulidlhs
used as an office and warerooms was
also owned by the company and he
could not place Il value upon il. The
garage stood the fire well and drums
Of gasoline was rolled out Of the base
.ncnI during the firc for the use oi the
departments ,,,
will have to replace ten rails and reset
the road bed in front OF the hrc INC
! rails are twisted and bumped and Will
have to BE- replaced.
ON Saturday a new bumper. AT inc
end of a track spur, leading tn the Free
, dom Oil company, costing Sloo' was SET
, IN place. 1t was burned away ycstcr-
Estimate of Stock.
G. H. Refer estimates the stock car
ricd by his company 1T the burned plant
as 80. 400 gallons of gasoline. 22.O00 gal
Ions OF kerosene and 10000 gallons or
lubricating oil. y great part OF this
was saved.
W. f. ElknS. local representative of
the Standard Oil company. stated that
the company had in storage III the area
that burned about $l50.00g worth Of oils.
The buildings ar" also Il total loss, but
they were of fram" and somewhat the
worse for wear. He could not place Il
value on the buildings at the time and
all records were in the safe that was in
the ruins.
Braved Intense Heat.
During the height Of the ron!iH Gra-
ton when II was Thought that on" OF
the railroad tank cars would burst from
the intense heat. George BE, Kcr. an em-
ployr of thu Freedom OH company.
hi t,II ted
and hastily lifted a cap IL relieve the
pressure on the insid" Of the huge con-
taInCr.
men had tho blnz- hcmm"d III and COM
mcnCed pouring thousands nj gallons Of
water into the mass of debris. Bursts
ut flame and CUISINES of smoke told lh"re
werr oil pools still under the network
Of ruins and a couple Of FIR" companies
were ordered to stay on the scene and
wet down the fire all night.
An hour later IN the evening. alter
fighting for som" hours. the dcpartmCnI
had the blaze we'll in hand and had
nnally Fought out all of the fr" sur
rounding the tank cars and tho tanks.
Forces Of men were on the scene ana
dug trenches under the railway tracks
and these bitches drained off thousands
uf gallons of oil into Wheeling crceb
where y formed dense scum and
lluuicd away
About nine o'clock tho first fire com
pary pulled out from the scene, but
water was poured upon the ruins all
night. -,
Nhout Two years ago the Standard OIL
company had a diSaStrnuS fire at tins
same place afId fourteen years ago fire
wirrd out tho company's plant ON me
sit, ur Yesterdays fire.
Praise For Ttremen
I'nStlntcd praise was showcred from
all quarters upon III" members of the
Wheeling fire department for their
splendid work ri the fire. Every mem
Der nf tho department from Chici
THOMPSON down absolutely disregarded
danger and his own comfort. With en-
rlodlns containers flying about them,
ami with huge quantities Of gasoline
likely to explode at any minute. they
puShcd close to the fire and stuck brave
iy tn their posts even when tho heat
was soaring their faces and hands and
singcInr their hair.