Port Arthur, TX Oil Steamer Humble Explosion, Jun 1911

TWO PERISH IN A BIG OIL EXPLOSION

FOUR LABORERS ARE MISSING AND SIX OTHER PERSONS ARE HURT

MUCH PROPERTY IS LOST

Fire Which Develops into Disastrous Blaze Starts on the Oil Steamer Humble, Which Was Totally Destroyed

Galveston Tex , June 27 – Fire starting from an explosion on the oils steamer, Humble cost two lives, injured half a dozen persons and destroyed property valued at $500,000 at Port Arthur.

Nearly all the property destroyed was owned by the Texas company, the oil company of which John W. Gates is the head. The Humble had aboard 4,000 barrels of oil when a spark from a workman’s pipe ignited the oil, which exploded with a terrific force and a noise which was heard for eight miles.

Captain Frank Weber and Oscar Thiel, a sailor on the Humble, were killed by the explosion and a half dozen laborers were badly burned and otherwise injued and it is feared two of them will die.

The fire destroyed the Humble and quickly spread to the tug John H Brady and barge Dallas, owned by the same company, which were also destroyed with nearly 14,000 barrels of oil. The fire communicated with the wharf and two large warehouses owned by the Texas company and the warehouse with 1,000 feet of wharf were ruined.

The city firemen and several tugs fought the fire for five hours but the greatest damage was done in less than two hours. A tank containing 25,000 barrels of oil was ignited a half dozen times, but the fire extinguished before it got much headway.

Four laborers are missing and it is feared they have perished and their bodies will be found in the ruins.

The Iowa City Citizen, Iowa City, IA 27 Jun 1911
__________________

Transcribed by Regina. Thanks Regina!