Show BIG BENZINE j TANK EXPLODES 1 i The Result Was Five Men Were Killed r TWO BURNED TO A GUIS I moll n a Miracle that lUlf lu In house Home Wih LI Philadelphia Aug Au 20 Five persons were killed by the tho explosion of at the big lIlg benzine tank at it the tho Atlantic Refining oil al works Jt at t Point Breeze at midnight THE DEAD John McCullom engine company ID 49 4 James Balls engine company 49 4 John Dougherty truck company No Nonine Nonine Nonine nine nineA A fireman and anti an of at the re mc refining fining company too badly burned bunted to be recognized When Shen the explosion occurred the tho fIremen of engine company No 49 U and Ild of or tho tilt Atlantic Refining company In itt nil all abut lut lift men were at nt work at al the limo p house draw drawIng Ing lag off or of oil oi from maim the tho turning tanks Flames shot eliot high In lii I tho air nail and the tho pumping house h uso wan almost completely demolished The Irmen who had hind been playing streams on the tanks then di dl directed directed their attention to 10 the tho rescue of of at the men Inca who had hid bom een Imprisoned In tho the pumping house ha e It I was as nearly an nn hour before the rh n could be bu reach reached ed eti Ao Au quickly men muon len were ero res yes rescued rescued cued they time the were vere sent Bent td hi hospitals Five l bodies were ware recovered sent Hent to the time morgue but only three of ot them could be b Identified The bodies bies were vere rousted roasted to a n crisp and so that It I way was almost Impossible to f tell tel whether they were those of at pr colored men menNon None Non of ot the 17 1 Injured men taken to the tho hospitals Is seriously Injured They were suffering from burns and bruises and amid after having 11 their wounds dressed ed nearly nil all ni were able to leave heave the hospitals Tho Time pumping house where the time explosion sion slon occurred was WIS midway between the two rows of ot burning tanks and the time firemen were endeavoring to confine the tIme llames lames to one ono row ro by drawing off I Ith time the th oil 0 at lt the tho time d dt di the explosion There are ate tanks In time the big oil 01 plant and more than thal a 1 dozen of at them are on fire At the time tune of o a the explosion the wind was vas blowing strong siong from fromn the cast east and carrying the tho tames names directly to ward war the other tanks but early earl this morning the tho wind shifted a tod to the south southwest southwest west vest and there Is 1 of ot say sav saving Sl saying ing the other tanks tankS from destruction The Timo he wind carried the heavy heaY stilling black smoke directly over aver ver the Ule central section of the city almost obscuring the time suns rays At the tho time imo of the explosion two German tank and Marie were vere loading land In petroleum at the time Atlantic oil 0 wharves but time they were towed towe down the river to a place of safety Various theories ore are advanced as to the time cause of ot tho the explosion In the pump house where the firemen lost Jost their lives es According to a 1 fireman of engine corn com company cr pany pan No 46 48 which was Wi pumping out the time oil 0 from roam a 1 burning tank the fluid was allowed to get too low and drew the tire fire lre with wih It The explosion occurred as the mem meat were Yero pumping and wonder Is If expressed d by b the men inca Ien that everyone every everyone oyer one lne In the building did not lose their lives Another theory Is that the tho oil 0 In tank No 0 O overflowed and amid the burning oil al spread pread to the where the firemen weer nt at work causing cusing the oil al there to explode There Theme was Wi a n rumor early arly this morning that a large gang of employee of the company were burned when time the explosion occurred Since early morning the flames Humes spread to live additional tanks making IS 18 that have been destroyed At 11 1 the time fire lre was wall not yet t under control and although most of the tanks not yet et on al lire lre were apart from rom those burning there was waR constant fear ot or time the flames reaching them The almost exhausted firemen fremen paid little or no attention to U tl Uthe the burning tanks devoting their en endeavors deavors to an effort to save the tanks and other property not on fire lre There was tas wal constant danger of another ex ox explosion that might possibly spread death and anti ruin arid and the tho men were ordered not 10 to expose themselves unnecessarily Meanwhile the tho oil In the tanks tanka al near nearest est eat those tho o on lire fire tre was being pumped to the most lost distant tanks In its the time hope that the tanks liable to catch tire Ire may he be emptied before the time lames reach rench them The big cooper shop was on Ire fire nr at nt one onetime time but the lames flames were extinguished before time the structure was nh much damaged The of the time company refuse to give GIe any nn an estimate e of the loss Those Thos In position Jo to know estimate It I at nt front from 50 to 1000 As A the Standard Oil 01 company which controls the At lantic Refining company does dos Its It own Insuring tho the loss will tail fall the wl rai on In Insurance fund of ot that t concern The Time Point Breeze oil oi works have been cn devastated by fire on several everal oc occasions enemas Eleven years ago alo a I fire lre start started started ed e which burned burnel fiercely for three days daI da destroying much property and causing much toss loss Seven years ets ago there was as another tire lre which defied the efforts of the fire firemen men amen aen for tor six days The fire fighting force of at the city was not able to cope with lh this lils ls outbreak cind onti JI Md atti ad was lum sum summoned from tram nearby places place On both of these the c occasions the heavy smoke noke hung over orr the city oft complete ty iy obscuring the light of at the sun |