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EVENING PUBLIC LEDGEEr-PHItADELPHIA, MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 1921
J Subdue Second Fire
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in PL Breeze Plant
5.
. f -'WiullJiacd from Vn On
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t.y 9t no-8 was touched at too bottom witn
MV savage rea ana toe neat arovc com-
' uiuciais DBCK UUUUIXUS HI KV"
Death At Men's Dadis
This wns not true of the firo-fight-ers,
however. Haggard nnd grim from
the long battlo. theso mca Inched up to
tho. Cqkos until tioy actually ceciacU to
bo standing in them. Directly Luhlnd
tab mca fightlac tie flaming separator
thla morning wiro several huso tanks
vdth capacity of thousands of barrels
Most of the oil bad been drawn from
them, but they were still filled with ex-
Eloslve vapor and enough oil to annl
Uate the tiny croup of men backed so
Closely against them.
These men kept streams directed nt
the flames, while other croups poured
tons of water on the tanks behind the
fighters, nnd still others kept n spray
constantly going over the men closest
to the blare to keep them from being
. roasted nt their work.
r Outside the gates of the big plant the
( 'police had n cleared space extending
' for nbout a half mile from the actual
blaxe. In places the fire lines almost
touched tho walls of the plant, but so
vast Is its extent that they wero In a
safe distnnco from a fire of, such co
lossal magnitude. In the long lines of
people massed against the wall of tired
bluecoats could be discerned the wor
ried faces of wives nnd mothers won
daring if tho new outbreak would bring
tho melancholy parade of ambulances
that bad marked the conflagration Sun
day morning. Despite all this, work
continued as usual In tho parts of the
plant not touched by the fire and ong
fines of men stood outside the employ
ment office seeking work.
Job SeeUers Defy Flro
The line of men applying for work
passed almost directly beneath one of
the parts of the plant nearest the fire.
A big man stuck his head out of the
ndow nnd grinned down through the
oily grime on his face. In the line were
men who had been employed In that
two acres of ground that had been
wiped out by Sundny night's blaxe.
One of these men, evidently knowing
the grimy man leaning from the win
dow, looked up nnd smiled. The man
In the window yelled down:
"Hey, Mac, what are you doln for
a llvln'." . , , , ,
"Nothln yet," wns grinned back,
"haven't you heard about our vaca
tion?" "Within n few minutes the vacation
was over and the man wns walking in
with a group of fellow workmen to take
tip his labor in nnother part of the
plant. In order to do this he and his
companions hnd to pass a line of am
bulances drawn up nt the gates waiting
for possible victims from the fire, whose
smoke caused the incoming workmen to
choke as they passed through the gate.
Wreckage Cleared Away
Most of the men hired today were
put to work aiding the firemen In fight-
4 fog the smouldering blaxe, nnd others
were mit nt work cleaning up the wreck-
age. 'When tho second outbreak csnio
this morning few of this group left the
' plant. They merely fell In line with
tho older men and sought to prevent
furtther damage.
Marks of tho excitement nttendant
on the first blaxo were easily discerni
ble in the neighborhood this morning
after the explosion of riic separator.
Besides tho residents of the neighbor
hood, there were large groups of people
who wero evidently sightseers nnd who
took n morbid pleasure in looking nt the
outer walls of. n very modern nnd ef
ficient looking factory, with only :i
mounting pile of black smoke above the
roof to tell of tho havoc being wrought
within.
Tho neighborhood was somber with a
nbanging pall of smoke, relic of the
other Are, when tho wind blew the
other way, and appropriate as a shroud
over the homes of the men who had died
In the blaze. Even after the fire wns
declared finally "under control" lnrge
croups remained gazing at the plant.
When the fire was at its height, so largo
Is tho plant that a view from Passyunk
avenue could bo little more exciting
than looking at any of the oflicc build
ings of Bread or Chestnut street blnz
inc. Only tho knowledge of the drama
being enacted within held the crowd.
Tho60 who remained after tho police
line was lifted this afternoon sat on an
embankment and just gazed at the
walls. Half-smlllng employes glanced
out nt them from time to time. Thpy
were waiting patiently for something
that might happen. Lntll an oil fire is
out it's a dangerous fire and most of
the group loltrelng outside the plant
knew it.
Company Officials There
"i. When the flames first burst out Sun
day morning officials of the compnny
were Immediately notified and rushed at
once to the scsene. J. W. Vnn Dyke,
president, and W. M. Irish, vice presi
dent and general mannger, with Edwin
B. Cox. treasurer of the company and
a member of the City Council, were in
this group. They "stood by" until a
late hour this nfternoon.
Mrs. Olive MeClone, widow of Hugh
McClonc, one of the workmen who lost
their lives, told today of a brief tnlk
she had with her husband before he
died.
Mrs. MeClone said she had aroused
ier husband shortly before midnight
Saturday, as he was due at work at 12
o'clock. He hurried to the plant on
his motorcycle and when he arrived
List of Dead and Injured
in Point Breeze Oil Fire
Dead
James MrUhorn, Jr., twenty-one
years old, BR32 Larchwood avenue,
died of burns In St. Agnei,' Hospital.
William II. tanlfen, Jr., thirty,
2335 Morris strret, died of burns in
St. Agnes' Hospital.
Htiph McCluno, thirty-'five, 0152
nclnhart street, died of luras is
Mothodi&t Hospital.
Frsnk Jordan, twenty-cue, 6150
Reinhart street, killed in a motor
cyclo crash speeding to the. fire.
William C. Crteddl, sixty-six.
2213 Moore street, died of burns In
St. Agnes' Hospital. Mr. Crlsdcll
would have been pensioned begin
ning today.
Kit Cell, Morris street, dtcd of
bums In St. Agnes' Hospital.
Injured
John Jrum, fifty-four, city fire"
man, 2715 South Eighteenth street,
overcomo by smoke. St. Agnes' Hos
pital. William Young, thirty-five, 827
North Twenty-fourth street, burns
of body. St Agnes' HospltaL
John Oorman, twenty-seven, 1447
South Twenty-eighth street, over
come by fumes. St. Agnes' Hospi
tal. John Connelly, thirty, city fire
man, 2203 Mifflin street, overcome
by smoke. St. Agnes' Hospital.
Edwin Woodcock, twenty-three,
address unknown, body burns. St.
Agnes' Hospital.
Nell McCoy, forty-seven, 1140
Cambridge street, burns of face and
body. St. Agnes Hospltnl.
Hugh Martin, sixty-one, 1111
Winton street, burns of body. St.
Agnes' Hospital.
William Donahue, forty-nine,
1838 Rltncr street, broken ankle nnd
burns. Methodist Hospital.
Samuel McKnight, thirty-six,
2423 South Mole street, city fire
man, burns of body. Mothodlst Hos
pital. John Wilson, age nnd address un
known, burns of fact) nnd body.
Methodist Hospital.
Thomas McGlone, thirty-five,
burns on face and body. St. Agnes'
Hospltnl.
Joseph Dougherty, rwenty-cight,
city fireman, 1C07 Federal street,
overcome by fumes. Methodist Hos
pltnl. Many more were treated for minor
injuries by ambulances and at vari
ous other hospitals.
FOUR VICTIMS OF POINT BREEZE FIRE
ssjj 4Ti
Hero are reproduced photographs of four of Hie men who lost their lives ns results of (lie Point Hrccze oil works
fire. They are, rending from left (o right, Frnnk Jordan, 0160 Reinhart street; James Mulhcrn, Jr., 5532
Larchwood nveiiue; Hugh McClune, 0152 Itclnhart street, and William II. Hanlfen, Jr., 2335 Morris street.
Jordan was killed in a motorcycle crash on his way to tho flrtf. Tho other three died of burns in hospitals
wns asked to take another workman to
his home a short distance nwny.
"My husband said the other mnn had
seated himself in the sidecar." Mrs.
MeClone stated. "The motorcycle was
near the still where the fire started. My
husband said he hnd not started the
engine of his cycle and that ho had just
about to throw a leg over tho saddle
when tho explosion came. He was cov
ered with blazing oil."
The incessant shriek of the fire sirens
on the compnny "reservation" Sunday
morning had been heard by firemen on
watch duty beside the alarm gongs In
the downtown engine houses.
As n result, the crews in many engine
houses were "standing by" when the
first nlnrra clanged over the Electrical
Bureau wires. It had been sounded by
Acting Lieutenant Mullln from a box
Inside the company s grounds.
As the city engines rolled from their
stations and raced to tho plant the
tlnmes had reached the "agitators."
lead-lined tanks used for treating high
grade oils.
Fire Destroys iloso
The heat was so Intense that the fire
could be fought only from the rim, and
much of the hose was burned up ns the
flames swept here and there. The cen
ter of the blazo was so fierce that even
up to the middle of the ufternoon it was
impossible for officials to penetrate far
enough to take exact stock of how many
of the pumphouses and auxiliary build
ings were doomed.
As throngs of sightseers and worried
householders hurried to the scene the
short-circuiting of electric wires of high
voltage added bright flashes to the dis
play. The crowds were stopped nt the
Passyunk avenue bridge from tho west
nnd well below the plant from the east,
so that further casualties should not be
added to the night's toll of death and
damage.
Up to 4 :30 o'clock in the morning,
the wind enma from the West, nnd the
drift was to Passyunk avenue. In this
direction there wns a large bare space
to cover to the Philadelphia gas works.
and three squanes to the Philadelphia
section of tho Atlantic Refining Com
pany's works.
Mnls wns toe most invornitlc circum
stance of the fight nnd enabled the fire
men to keep their efforts on t lie steam
still, nnd tour Icml-llncd 'Vgitators"
In which oil, varying from lCjOO barrels
to 4000 barrels In nuantlty. is treated
in the refining process.
At about 4:SU o clock, however.
there was n slight shift of the wind
toward the south, which carried the
lames to five of the storage tanks, In
which refined oil, nnptha, gasoline and
other finished products were stored.
Pressure had been reduced in tlu?m and
a constant drenching of "wntcr foam"
and water administered, but nothing
wns effective.
Leaping nnd licking their wny In
red-golden tongues from tho central
treating point, the flnmes reached tho
tnnks. A series of dull explosions fol
lowed, nnd the contents of the reser
voirs, whose capacity varied from 5000
to 20,000 barrels, were added to the
general heat nnd nolso of tho con
flagration. The smoko nnd the constant roaring
of the flames added to the glow, which
made the spot hideous, even from
vantage points a number of blocks
away.
Since almost the first of the fire offi
cials of the company were on the spot
assuming direction under the general
direction of Mr. Irish, who from the
time he arrived at 1 o'clock until there
seemed no chnncc that further danger
wns to be feared, refused to leave the
fire. Several times when he approached
particularly dangerous ureas In his zeal
to protect both the property of tho
company and the lives of its men he
was warned by others that he wns risk
ing ills own life.
Firemen wero subjected to a baking
and broiling nroccsu no wood nr nihnr
material could crente, ns the flames from
me iuei nnreu and leaped in nn ap
parently never-ending blaze. When tho
tanks, agitators and still seemed at
times to be coming within control there
was the separator, a cement-lined pool
of oil, about 150 feet wide, where the
fire leaped into renewed life with the
drainage from the ground nnd conduits.
The scpnrntor is used to separate tho
oil and wntcr, so tho water can be
emptied Into the river, nnd the oil
drnwn off from the top. Naturally, ns
soon ns the hose of wnter wns turned
into its caldron the water went to tho
bottom nnd the fire leaped triumphantly
along the top.
Thirst and hunger were added to the
exhaustion of the fighters ns the firemen
kept on with one of the longest nnd
most grueling jobs they ever encoun
tered. Hnnlfcn wns tho first man found. His
clothing hnd been burned from his body.
MeClone was found next, almost twenty
feet from tho point where he had last
been seen at work. Nearby was Mul
hern, who was semi-conscious.
One of the most pathetic Incidents of
the firo wns the death of Crlsdell, who
was to have retired this week nftcr
forty-three years of continuous service
nt the plant. At the last meeting of the
Hoard of Directors n pension was voted
to mm.
Crlsdell wns overjoyed by tho news,
ns was his wlfo. who had planned a
party for him. When he left for work
Saturday Mrs. Crlsdell said ho would
soon be awny from his dangerous oc
cupation. Ho had helped fight scores
of fires during his long service.
Jordan, who was a neighbor of Me
Clone, rushed to tho flro on n motor
cycle nbout 12:30 o'clock Sundny morn
ing. After learning of his neighbor's
denth he started homewnrd to break the
news. His motorcycle was struck by a
truck carrying nurses to the big blaze.
Jordan died of a fractured skull.
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Loose Leaf Binders
in Stock
1 blank: books
Bounfl anil
Ixwa Laf
Lmiooiunmia
PRINTINQ
ENanATOfa
OSTICE
BUUoomt
sd OupyllM
YU n "top In at G29 Jtarkat Street am!
set lint what you want rlsht from our
itoek without the usual delays
Loo-ie Lif Lrdcr nnd LaTM Pout
Hinders ning Memorandum and Blor
Irlc Hook Record nnd Minute nooks.
Aluminum Holders and Sheet Holders.
Our stock Includes 'a complete lino of loose leaf
'jutnte. from thou, of tho lowest cost to ttie
most elaborate. Tour neods will bo courtoously
and promptly attended to hero.
WILXIAM MANN COMPANY
529 MARKET STREET
PHILADELPHIA, PA. '
Nw York 0Ticei: S61 Broadway, founded in 18iS
mmimmmwmmmmMswmm
Mwmmmmwmwmiiiuw
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Tho "Food-
Safe
Milk
For Infanta .
& Invalid
iOOOOKINa
Drink" for All Affen. 1
Quick Lunch st Home, Office, nod '
fountains. A$k for HORUCK'S.
JwAToid Imitations ft Substitutes
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Apartments
September lst,1921
several attractive
apartments will be
'available in The
Hotel St. James
Annex
(One room aad bath two
( rooms and two bathsup
to five rooms and four
baths
(Hotel St. James
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"v.-' w .J v. r
Ifttt at 13th St.
XfauhAXi
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Limited Half-Price Sale
At Wanamaker & Brown's
LIMITED as to time, limited as to quantity, unlimited as to value
and profit-taking by the buyer.
1000 Suits, all new, all-wool clothing, thoroughly represent
ative of Wanamaker and Brown's entire stocks worsteds, light
weight woolens, medium-weight suits. Many men will buy the latter
for all-year-round wear because they prefer medium to heavy
weights.
We advise our customers and friends, as well as any man
or young- man in Philadelphia, to take early advantage of this
old-time half-price sale at Oak Hall the first in years.
$30 Suits going out at half-price
$40 Suits going out at half-price
$50 Suits going out at half-price
$60 Suits going out at half-price
$75 Suits going out at half-price
$85 Suits going out at half-price
$15.00
$20.00
$25.00
$30.00
$37.50
$42.50
Sale started this morning when the store doors opened.
WANAMAKER & BROWN
MARKET AT SIXTH FOR SJXTY YEARS
aMMMMiallllMilMiBMiii f"'" '" ))u"
ill
SWISS EXPLAIN DEFEAT
DewalJ Fact That American Marks
' men Uted Apparatus
Bomo, Aug. 15. (Iy A. 1.) Tho
members of the Swiss rifle-shooting
team, who hnvo jiiBt returned from
Lyons, whore they met defeat for tho
first timo in fifteen yrurs, nt the hands
ol the American marksmen in the in
ternational rifle shooting tournament
last week, complain that the American
victory wns due to "special technical
r.ppnrnttiB such ns field glnnncs, lenses
nnd padded cushions for resting elbows
und knees, which, especially In firing
from the prone position, gave the
Americana nn advantage."
In future the Swiss ten in will refuse
to compete unless the marksmen refrain
from using such pnraphernalla.
Fund for Losing Ball Teams
Dftrolt, Mclh., Aug. 15. To nid
clubs that may encounter financial dif
ficulties a sinking fund will be created
by the ' Michigan -Ontario Baseball
League through tho deduction of one
nnd one-half cehts on every pnid nd
mission. Tho plan becomes effective
today. The league season, originally
scheduled to closo September 18, will
end September 5 it was announced today.
POLICE BATTLE CROWD
Thirteen Arrested In Row at Twelfth
and Lombard 8treeta
A fight took placo last night between
police and a crowd ot Negroes at
Twelfth and Lombard streets following
the arrest by two detectives of n mnn
suspected of theft. Thirteen Negroci
nre under nrrcst ns n result of the row.
but no ono is seriously injured.
The two detectives, Anderson nnd
Alexander, of tho Twelfth nnd Pino
streets station, arrested the suspect Jutt
ntter ho left a houso near tio cornur
of Twelfth and Lombnrd ttets. ?c
irroas in n crowd nnnrhv nn.tcrteu. arm
, uhon they attempted to forco tho pris-
i Itvi d imvaiov iuu liyiifr null iVUt
The detectives wero fast settles the
worst oi tns uneven struggle woi-ji
detail of police srrlTl from the ststlon
nnd nfter a fight arrested the thirteen
negroes nnd routed the remainder. The
thief suspect escaped.
Two of the men arrested were held
in $1000 bail, chnrged with assault and
battery nnd attempt to kill. The others
arc held in $500 bail n the same
charge.
BUSINESS MEN ORGANIZE
Promotion of Good Fellowship Aim
at Sharon Hill
A Business Men's Association has
been organised in Sharon Hill, with
tho object of promoting good fellowship
In the town. Officers elected were
Frnnk M, Tanner, president; irnnk
J. Donahue, vlco president: P. M.
Read, secretary : Emil C. Wagner, Jr.,
trcnuurer, nnd Charles W. Tuppenny,
publicity ngent.
A set of bylnws is being drnwn up
by n committee consisting of Messrs.
Tuppeny, Wagner and Read.
Drowned 8hortly After Betrothal
Norrlstown, Tft., Aug. 15. There Is
nn ndded touch of liuman Interest In the
drowning of George Rogers, of Jcffer
sonvillo, nn employe of the State In
surance Department, on Saturday nfter
noon In tho Perkiomcn Creek near Oaks.
Ho wns betrothed just tho evening be
foro to Miss Mnrion Htrltzlnger, daugh
ter of B. Frank Strltslnger, a grist
mill operator of this place. It is be
lieved that his death was due to henrt
disease, ns he was n good swimmer. His
Doay wns recovered niter tour Hours'
search by his brother, Charles.
HOLD MILITARY FUNERALS
Woodbury Pays Honor to Victims of
Great War
Woodbury, N. J.( Aug. 15. put s of
the largest funerals ever herd in this
city was held Saturday, when the body
of William Stokes Bonsai, who wns
killed in action in France, wns interred
in Greene Cemetery. Tho Amcrlcnn
Legion Poit, bearing tho dcccnscd
nan's narao, bad charco of tho funeral.
Tho survlces were in tbo Presbyterian
Church. TJio procosslon was led by
tho 'Third Regiment Band, followed by
.. -.& J F .Jl n' A ....Ilia ".. C? tltlA
tuo pOl mu jjiiutcp uMijr. vtatw
Chaplain Dubel ofhclated both in tbo
church and at the gravo. Lieutenant
Bonsai was killed about three years ngo
by a Germnn sniper. When news came
i . A .1. 1.1. .It... Willi. Tl-
OI U1S (icaill, iub iairn.1, nullum .uuji-
sal, wns taken ill nnd soon died. He
leaves n mother nnd a sister, Mrs.
Robert Hendrlckson.
Tho body of Edward "Wright,
formerly of Swcdesboro, was burled
with military honors Sundny nfternoon.
Services, held in the Episcopal Church,
were largely attended. yhe young
soldier entered Cnmp Dlz Mny 13,
1018, nnd was assigned to Company
A, U22d Machine Gun Battalion and
sent to France. He wns stricken with
influcnzn nnd died the following Oc
tober. He wns the son of tbo lnte.
Dnvld nnd Josephine Wright. Tho
funeral wns in charge of Swain Post,
and a number of fratcrnnl societies
attended. The Swedcsboro Bnnd led
tho procession to the cemetery.
WAITE FOR N, J. FREEHOLDER
Petitions In Circulation for Cotllngo
wood Man
Petitions nre in clrculntlon in Col
Ungswood to plnce tho name of George
A. Wnltc, a newspaperman nnd for
mer Assemblyman In the New Jersey
Legislature, on tho Republican ballot
to represent that borough In tho Cam
den County Board of Freeholders. Tho
Jersey primaries take place tho first
week of September.
Mr. Wn-lte has been n resident of
Cnmdcn for thirty years nnd of Col
llngswood bnrougli slnco 1007. Tho
cnhdldnte will make tho opening nd
drcss of his cnmpnlgn nt the firemen's
fnlr Thursday, Frldny nnd Saturday of
this week.
FIREMENOPPOSn
PAID DEPARIINil
' i
Wilmington Company Will XsJ '
unancoiior to Halt Pro.
poood Organization
TAXPAYERS ALSO JOIN fj
Wilmington, Del., Aug. 1(5.-,,,
G. nnrrnan, former City Solicitor inJ
attorney for tho Dclawnre Fre Co
pnny, will apply to Chancellor Joi'
O. Wolcott, nt Dover, tomorrow ft
nn order restraining the Directors ij
Public Safety of Washington w
proceeding with tho organization of .
pnid firo department until such man!
ns nre now disputed shall be cleared I u?
, Mr. Herman nlso represents the '
payers, who nssert that nctlon ,.'
bo taken to prevent the snerifico of til
people s money, it wns stated last nlAV
It is further declared that if is.
Department of Public Safety end citJ
Council hnvo proceeded in nny othil
manner than is set forth In th. .!!
whirl, provides for the inauguration of
n paid firo department it will aftvi
the validity of the bonds which ban
been Issued for the purpose
The Dclawnre Fire Company h
sought tho proposed nctlon after h
coming incensed with the failure of
tho directors to purchase their fir.;
house nnd fnlluro to offer Z
than $0000 for their truck, which 2
them $14,000. They base their action
however, on the ground that the dl.'
rectors purchased houses nnd apparatus
without first ndvertising for competing
Woman Lost Seeking Daughter
Mrs. Ellen Doolcy. of Wilkcs-Barre
became lost in this city yesterday in an
effort to locate her daughter, Mr
Johns. In nn exhausted condition' tht
uppcaled to tho Trenton avenue and
Dauphin street police utation for a.
slstnnce. Sho wns turned over to th
Trnvclcrs' Aid Society. "'
Vi c t rr o 1 a
REG. U. S, RAT. OFF.
wrm I il
I
No. 300
The new Victrola No. 300
Mahogany or English Drown
$250
LfEft
est addition
th
4fee9
victrol
ct
to
JLJLA JLicZ?
While this new model marks a
distinct departure in design, it still
embodies the patented features
which have won for the Victrola
the universal recognition of superi
ority The design of the Victrola is
necessarily governed by its func
tion as a musical instrument, and
m this new style, as in all Victrola
models, are represented the knowl
edge and experience gained in
nearly a quarter-century devoted ex
clusively to the talking-machine art.
j-!
'HIS MASTERS VHCE-
wuuinKCfP
Il'j?,dem?t3!F ?nd tIl trademnrked
yrord"Victrola"ldentirVallourr.roducw
look under the lid I Look on the labcU
VICTOR TALKING MACHINE CO.
Camden, N.J.
Victor Talking Machine Co., Camden, N. J.
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t2gflA
lingtoa Cemetery
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