Explosion on a Petroleum Vessel

Feilding Star, Volume XIV, Issue 15, 23 July 1892, Page 4

Explosion on a Petroleum Vessel

— — — ♦— — An appalling accident occurred on June 14, on the river Gironde, near . Blaye, France, when the British steamer Petrolia, loaded with coal oil from Philadelphia, became filled with fumes from this cargo, which, oeinp accidentally ignited by lightriing during' a thunderstorm, caused '«$ tremendous explosion, scattering the deck and upper works in every direction, and setting fire to the vessel. The oil floated on the surface of the water and set a number of Teasels in the river on fire These were mostly engaged in the river and coasting trade. They were burnt to the water's edge. The Petrolia was completely destroyed, and twenty of the forty men comprising her crew perished in the flames, The other twenty were rescued with difficulty, some of them in a /badly burned condition. The lightens near the Petrolia sank in a few minutes after the explosion, drowning three men who were on board. The fire communicated to the landing stages, and the woods alone the banks ol the river were also fired, and a quantity of valuable timber burnt. 'Ihe total number of lives lost by fire and explosion is known to be 23.