Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-04-13
DEATH TOLL Is
IN BLAST ABOARD
TANKER IN TEXAS

Port Arthur, Tex, April 12.-((R)
The blackened hulk of the oil tank
er Gulf Of Venezuela today rode
quietly on the waters of Port Arthur
Bay, where early yesterday gasoline
explosion aboard her, tore out her
vitals and killed 25 men, climaxing
a week of oil disasters in the south
west.
The buckled plates, scorched sides
| and twisted superstructure of the
tankr tell a mute story of how the
metal of the ship was heated to a
laring whiteness in two furious hours,
during which the 25 men were incin-
Grated.
Rending the quiet night with ter
rife detonation while the crew slept
, in their quarters aft, the explosion,
as sudden as it was mysterious, shot
a flame of burning gasoline $50 feet
into the air. The blast took several
MEMBERS of the crew with it and
left the others imprisoned in a shell
Of hungry flames.
No one who slept in the quarters
of the crew escaped, but several of
those who were on deck were saved
with more or less serious injuries.
The total of injured today stood at
10 in the hospital, with two missing.
About so men were dismissed from
the hospital after receiving emergen-
cy treatment.
While the flames seemed to envel-
OPP the entire ship only one of her
tanks was ignited and the gasoline
in adjoining Compartments remained
undisturbed, though some of her
bulkheads were white hot.
The cause today remained unde-
termined but it was the opinion Of
the refinery men that the explosion
was due to the overf1owing of a
compartment, the gasoline coming in
contact with steam pipes. One of
the injured men in the hospital Is
quoted as saying compartment
overlooked as it was being filled.
The disaster was the seventh Sc
rious loss to the oil industry in the
last week, including burning of two
oil fields in California resulting from
lightning. A tank farm as San Luis
Obispo, Cal, burned with loss of
millions Of gallons of oil and two
deaths. A similar fire occurred at
Brea, Cal. The Dutch tanker Silvanus
collided with the steamer Thomas N.
Wheeler in the Mississippi River 40
miles below New Orleans Thursday
and on the same day an explosion
rocked the tanker Q. r. Waring in
1rydock at New Orleans. Thirty or
more lives were lost on the latter two
ships and the damage to the three
ships is estimated at more than S3.-
100000.
The Texas tank fires brought total
loss of about 100000.
The ship came to port here Friday
at midnight and was preparing to sail
Sunday for England. 1t was shortly
before dawn-while gasoline still was
being pumped into her compartment
that the explosion occurred. The blast
shook the waterfront. In a few Sec
onds the ship was an inferno and the
screams of men being burned alive
could be plainly heard great distances
from her dock. Those on deck were
either blown into the water or onto the
dock. Two were seen to go over with
their clothing afire, like blazing rock
cts.
The force Of the explosion apparent
ly drove A. G. Schultz through a port
hole. hospital attendant found him
on the docks with portfolio ring
tightly about his body. The attendant
had to file the ring loose before he
could remove. Schultz. The injured
man said he had no recollection of
what had occurred. -