Show REFINERY FIRE IMPERilS BIG CITY Spectacular Blaze at Plant of Utah Oil Company Threatens Great D Destruction tion and Loss of Life I DAMAGE DAl PLACED AT r NEAR MARK l Repeated Explosions Add to Dangers Faced by Firemen and Police Called to Keep at Safe Distance STARTS IN r WAREHOUSE TilE THE E safety safeLy of oc practically every resident resi ent in the northwestern part of tile the Cit ciL city depended for several sc hours last upon the outcome of ofa a battle by cit city firemen n at the Utah Oil Refinery s plant at N Ninth nth North and Fourth West Y cst A Ablaze Ablaze blaze originating in the tho warehouse about 7 0 o'clock clock reduced the structure to ashes with a n. loss oss roughly estimated at While fin fifty firemen a at the nozzles of a dozen oen lines of ot hose and faced th the blistering heat hea more more- titan than a mIllion millIon mill- mill Ion Jon gallons ganon of gasoline und and oil was wt drained and pumped to to emergency t tanks outside out lda the fire lines j. j r. r hUe 1 a cordon ordon of or r elo er spectators from I Ithan than L l tho fir rt theIr flat U I when the tho flames threatened ned to I explode e every ery tank at the plant Dozens Dozens Doz Doz- ens of small steel gasoline tanks In tho Warehouse exploded b by tho the heat I were Sent ent flying WO 00 OO f feet et in the air sibling ma masses of oC white hot and crumple crumpled crumpled crum crum- pled steel Fragment of or the tanks fell feU in a n shower about the tho firemen f forcing them to l battle with th the tho names flames under the shelter of ot l larger tanks The most frequent t explosions were wore those of oC the small tanks each cach containing con con- taming four fifty four gallons g which were f st stored in lit t tJI tho warehouse use Thousands of or small C can cana UI of or gr greases and oils also leo exploded cd and ran as afan an endless stream of ot fuel upon tl the flames Valuable packing machinery and practically the entire stock tock of ot Ihie company compan were ruined wi while le tho the firemen n stood h helplessly helplessly help help- lp- lp lessly essly watching the great tongues of flame shoot skyward It meant com com- 1 Jeto leto r xo to ilia ila play their str streams aln on the tho flames as t the le water would woul only spread the fire to other parts The only hope of or the firemen was to to prevent the flames James from rom spreading in into to other buildings The c was In tho the center of tho the oil works necessitating necessitating tating a i L all sides Several streams oC of water were Played continuously continuously on tho refining plant and ammonia ammonia am am- monia tanks The huge hug steel cylinder tanks containing thousands of gallons of various arlous kinds hinds of oil which s the war warehouse v vero ero cro protected ir irm m tho the intense heat by water and steam Firemen Arc Drenched A Auxiliary boilers In the engine no room 1001 fired to capacity to r produce reduce steam which completely enveloped eloped the tanks Continued on Page Page- 7 7 1 I I I I I I I REFINERY BLAZE i IMPERILS LIVES i Loss of in Spectacular lar Fire at U Utah talt Oil Com Company pany pany's s Plant Continued From Pa Page c 1 The vapor from front the steam absorbed the heat from the fire and consumed the tho atmospheric gases gacs generated generate in the tanks Firemen holding file ho he nozzles of at athose hose lines were drenched In a n downpour downpour downpour down down- pour of water from their heir comrades on the tho opposite side For more than two hours the heat was sas so 50 Intense that the tho drenched clothes of or the tho firemen resembled a steam exhaust as the they moved mo about Inthe Inthe In Inthe the scorching scorching- glare I When the tho warehouse o and Its contents contents contents con con- tents had burned to the ground It was s-as helle believed ed tho the fire tire would lIe he under control control control con con- arid and In a condition to receive water wa wa- iva- iva ter tor without serious results A belated explosion however hOWO sent a flaming piece of or metal Into tho the air all arid and It fell into a t small mall hole In the top one of of the large tanks Almost tho the same in instant In- In tant stant Ito Iho steel lid hid of ot the tho Ito cylinder clInder shot ahot skyward rind and twenty thousand gallons of or fuel Cuel oil all became a n leaping mass of smoke antI and nd fire nh er ilver r of or Fire Threatened It was the catching fire Ire of that tank that lint turned an almost conquered foe Into a more moro serious obstacle There Thoro Therewa wa was nothing to do but allow the tank I to burn and as aH the flames shot forth the tho sides sideR of ot tho the steel e cylinder lInder became white with heat If it sprang a leak heal or the sides ides I es gave Ia w wa a veritable flood of ot fire ClIo would have o spread In iii an instant to over every part of or lie plant Int cooking I everything e human In Its path duet Chief W. W II H. Dwater Bywater directed three streams of water played on the sides shIes of the burning tank This rIds prevented the tunIc tank from breaking by 11 the intense heat Until midnight hl the firemen hold held their hose on the tho tank while huIe Chief Chlof D prepared three other lines hines of h hose hoso so from a steamer for the thc final at at- at I Ih tack Simultaneously Iron from opposite sides Ide three great streams shot eliot through h the flames names about three feet teet above c the rim rim- Po SO o dense was the water where v the thu ho streams IO concentrated Just over O tho Ito tank tunk thin that t tho flames cro wro smothered crud ered anti and died out in a a. tew fe minutes A cheer went up tip among amonI the lire fire laddies laddies laddies lad lad- dies and aul employees of the company when hen the tank gave ae forth only a l cloud of steam in place of or the threatening lon tongues uc of ot flame Officials of the com corn company pany passed sed sandwiches and anil coffee correa among amons- the exhausted ll d men utter titter their battle battlo of or more than five o hours hour Sev- Sev remained on the scene all I C I nl night ht l playing l n water Into the smoking ruins ruin of the warehouse a None one o of the officials of ot the time company would sa say how much In Insurance Is carried carried car car- ried vied on tho the building and aud stock toek It was wasI rumored 1 however howe that about 60 CO per percent percent cent of tho the loss Is covered AV Y R. R I Wallace allace a director said he approximated mated the loss los at nt at t least I |