explosion

I got permission from the owner to investigate an abandoned business where an oil explosion had occurred many years ago. I found this in the September 15th, 1925 issue of The Republican News.

The fire started, on the 14th. They say it was ignited by a static spark from a tank wagon being filled in the rear building. The wind carried the flames through the front of the building, through the gas station and into the road. The fire quickly spread and all efforts were made to keep it under control. If the wagon had not been in the building, the fire could have been controlled. Unfortunately the 21 storage tanks (capacity of 1,000 to 15,000) were full of oil, kerosene, gasolene and Benzoil. Firemen were spraying the tanks to keep them cool so they would not explode. The manager was fighting alongside of the firemen when he saw streams of oil and gas running out under the other tanks. He ran towards town to the stores looking for something to move the other cars on the tracks, the firemen stayed behind.
At 4:30 when the first explosion happened, hundreds of people had flocked to within yards of the area. As the boom of the explosion rolled out over the river people ran to get away and a stampede occurred. Many people were strampled as they ran for their lives feeling the heat on their backs. Things calmed down, or so they thought, and many people came back and then a shrill whistle came out of the flames. This was when the 10,000 gallon tank blew. One of the men yelled "Here she goes" and the the end of the tank blew and sprayed the men with the flaming liquid. Most of the men ran behind them and jumped into the river. The river saved quite a few lives. One man engulfed in flames jumped into the water and when he popped his head out of the water a 2' flame shot up behind his head. These men were pulled from the river and raced to the hospitals.
A substitute fireman, only on the job for 6 weeks was covering for men taking vacations. He had told one man that this was his last day and he had wanted one last good fire before his job ended. His burns were so severe, he died at the hospital.
People standing on the square, 5 blocks away felt the heat. The heat became so unbearable that people across the river were jumping out of the windows of the buildings. Water was sprayed on the buildings across the river to keep them from overheating. The heat was so intense that the corregated iron used in the construction of the building burned as if it was made of pine.
Late in the evening, an 18 year old who had been a substitute fireman was reported missing. He had been last seen holding the hose on the tanks. One of the firemen in the river had seen him running towards the river, ablaze holding his arms over his eyes, after the explosion. His body was found around 10pm on a pile of driftwood between the tracks and the river. He had evidently ran with the firemen towards the river, caught his foot in the driftwood and burned to death.

The business is no longer in opertaion. Our first Investigation was on the 21th of May. One of the members was using my doswing rods and was getting activity near a door. I asked if anyone there would like to speak to me. Two of us heard a man say "Yuuup". It sounded like it came from behind the door. I rewound my tape but I didn't pick it up. I was asked if I heard that and after I said I thought I heard something I captured a man laughing. There were no men there. I didn't get any other EVPs in that area. We spent some time there there and then moved over by the river where the young man had burned to death on the riverbank. I got nothing on photos there and an EVP that I cannot understand. It is either saying "Steve" which makes no sense or "leave". That is what I hear using noise reduction.

One of my members and I made a return trip on June 1st. We went to peek in a window and verify that a "face" the member picked up wasn't something in the building. We didn't see anything that would look like a face. The member looking in the window was standing on a railroad tie that was nailed to the wall. She said she heard a voice mention something about "falling" when she was up there and asked if I had said anything, I said no. I decided to ask a few questions and we took more pics. At the door where we heard the man's voice on the first trip I got these moving orbs. I had asked for a sign if someone was there as I walked around. I took a pic behind me and got this pretty orb. I normally don't post orbs but this one may be letting me know someone was there. It is unlike all the dust orbs I picked up.