| Show OIL WELL BLAZE KILLS K I NINE Crowds Swathed in inFlames Flames Rames as Gusher r Suddenly Explodes II i I I I i Huge uge Well Traps Scores o of i Watchers Death List May Reach 15 MAY RUSH AID AlE Survivors Recount Horrors a as Panic Victims my n Dr United lIlT l PLEASANT Mich Jul July 20 20 it H. Tuble Juble No 1 I biggest cst Su gusher her in the story of the Michigan oil field wasL was wa L roaring pillar of flame toda today after akin nine lives when it went wild nd md caught fire A carelessly dropped was as lamed for the first major disaster Lace oil was discovered In Michigan t t. was feared the death list might each cach fifteen All of the victims died n 1 hospitals Sunday and today A call was sent to Oklahoma for appers and fire experts who may be rought here by plane J If today's ef- ef orts the fire ire fall fail Seething of ot fire Ire cr crept pt- pt dangerously ear a n gallon gallon storage tank and workers battled all night to prevent new conflagration LOWED FLOWED BARRELS The tragedy occurred late Saturday lust List 1st after the well was shot and came ame in with a flow low of nearly neary a day Thousands came from ear lear by towns to see it The crowd grouped closely about tie ie column of spouting oil oil oU ful jl l of the streams of oC oil which poured from rom orn the well mouth and ond were being collected in storage tanks lose around the mouth stood the themen men cn who had drilled and shot the ell cli exulting with their families in their new found success Suddenly the area surrounding the ell ell cli was enveloped In a 0 flash lash of fire tire The he air heavily laden with explosive gas as became flame Those nearest the ic e center of oC the blast fell writhing nd md screaming on the ground Others their dr clothing aflame ran screaming into ito to the outer crowd spreading fire lire to 3 new victims Streams of blazing biasing liquid ran among mong trees of the near by forest and Ignited tan tank after tank a of stored oU 11 I. I Pools of waste exploded OWNER SEARED It appeared as if it the gusher had turned med upon its creators with ven ven- en ance Among those scared seared by the Continued d on Pace Pue Eight ElehU I I 9 DEAD 6 G DYING IN OIL WELL FIRE Continued from Fare asre One first blaze were the we well 1 owner Walter Walt Wai tel ter Lee McClanahan and his wife E. E J J. J Guy general superintendent o of the Roosevelt Refining company anc anchis and his wife Guy son Robert and his year old bride Thomas Lamb 28 driller of the well and Mrs Lamb and John Melvin Melvln oil field superintendent superintendent and his year old daughter George Kelley Keiley 43 owner of or the farmon farm farmon on which the strike saw his visions of sudden wealth turn to tragedy His wife was so seriously burned she was not expected to live and he is in a serious condition The crowd plunged In a panic to escape the fiery blast Many heroes raced from points of safety into the flames to drag back the seared vIe vic tims Charles pipeline superintendent superintendent t ran into the flames repeatedly repeatedly repeat repeat- edly guiding victims to safety though his own clothing was ablaze J. J E. E Fitzgerald former professor of geology at Ohio state university directed dl di rescue work wod until he fell un unconscious unconscious un- un conscious from burns Two lives were lost when the flames trapped young Mrs Robert Guy 18 Her baby was to have been born today An operation failed to save sa the child MOUNT PLEASANT T. T Mich July 20 UP UP While While Michigan's newest oil gusher gusher belched belched thousands of ot barrels barrels barrels bar bar- of flaming naming oil and gas aloft today defying efforts to control it it survIvors sun retold the horror of the fires fire's out out- break We had sunk the well to feet explained Charles Strang of the owning company and a crowd gathered to watch the thc flow which flow which then was about 2500 barrels a da day We told them to keep back beca because e ewe we knew the fire danger dancer and we had posted signs of warning g. g FIRES CROSSED Suddenly somehow the gas burst Into nto flame and spread wildly toward the storage tanks catching men and women between cross fires It is miraculous that more persons were not killed It was a happy crowd out here watching the oil and gas gush out according to Ora Courtney a driller Everyone was interested in the success success suc sue cess of the well Suddenly there was a boom and anda a flash like that of ot a a. news cameras camera's flash and flames shot all over o the lot Bedlam broke loose Men and women ran screaming through the fire They were not pleasant sights when he carried them to safety The tanks went fast There were several persons near them when the explosion came and they were the worst sufferers I managed to help hell one woman out of the blaze She was wasn in n Intense pain and so badly disfIgured disfigured disfigured from the burns that I did not recognize her Everything E happened so fast I dont don't remember much about it Just everybody running around screamIng screaming scream scream- Ing ng human torches in the half dark of the smoke The death list In Michigan's first oil field tragedy Mrs s. Mar Mary McClanahan 35 wife of the he well owner Mrs Lola Loh Gu Guy 45 45 wife of or the Roosevelt oil refinery dent Mrs Helen Guy 18 in daughter law aw of the r refinery superintendent and md her baby which was to have been born jorn today Mrs Anna Lamb 25 wife of the well veil driller Arwin E E. E Gorham 66 wealthy Mount Pleasant manufacturer Marion Marlon 38 independent oil operator Ruby Melvin Melvln 13 daughter of the oil field superintendent Mrs H. H E E. E 35 of Mount Pleasant Others feared to be hopelessly burned included John Melvin Mclvin 40 oil field superintendent Walter L L. L McClanahan 40 owner of the well E. E J. J Guy 45 superintendent of the Roosevelt refinery R. R C. C Guy 20 his son Glen 30 well driller Mrs George Kelly 30 Mount Pleasant Thomas Lamb driller dimer of the well |
