Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 June 1892 — BY FIRE AND FLOOD. [ARTICLE]

BY FIRE AND FLOOD.

DISASTER IN THE PENNSYLVANIA REGIONS. two Hundred and Fifty People Thought to Be Burned to Death or Drowned— Oil Tanks Four Forth Their Destructive Contents. In Seas of Flame. The oil regions of Pennsylvania were visited Sunday by a disaster from lire and water that is only eclipsed in the history of the State by the memorable flood of Johnstown, just three years ago. A Pittsburg dispatch says: It is impossible at this tiirfe to give anything like an accurate idea of the loss of life and property, as chaos reigns throughout the devastated region and a terrible conflagration still rages in Oil City. It is safe to say that not less than 150 lives have been lost. . Nearly one hundred bodies have already been recovered and many people are still missing. The number may far exceed 150, but this is regarded as a conservative estimate. The property loss will reach far Into millions. At Titusville the loss is estimated at $1,500,000; Oil City, $1,500,000; Corry, $60,000; Meadville, $150,OCO, and surrounding country probably a million more. For nearly a month it has been raining throughout Western and Northern Pennsylvania almost incessantly, and for the last three or lour uays the downpour in t-.e'' devastated regions had been very heavy. The constant rains had converted all the small streams into raging torrents, so that when the cloudburst came Sunday morning the streams were soon beyond their boundaries, and the great body of water came sweeping down Oil Creek to Titusville, which is eighteen miles south of its source. The lower portion of the town was soon inundated. The flood came so quickly that the people had not time to reach a place of sufety. The water soon swept a number of oil tanks down the stream, and In some way not known they were ignited. In less time than it takes to tell the story the flames spread to the surrounding buildings and before they could bo subdued five blocks had been burned. The oil from the scores of broken tanks ran into the creek and was ignited by floating debris. In a few minutes the creek was ablaze from shore to shore, and as it was carried down the stream death and destruction followed in its wake. Everything inflammable took fire and by the time it reached Oil City all the bridges between the two 1 points were consumed. Moiy of tue Oleaster.

At Oil City a large proportion of the population was distributed along the banks and bridges of the Allegheny Elver and Oil Creek watching the rise ol the flood in both streams. At the time an ominous covering of oil made its appearance on the crest of the flood pouring down the Oil Creek Valley, and the foreboding waves of gas from distillate and benzine could be seen above the surface of the stream. People began tc slowly fall back from the bridge and the creek, but they had hardly begun to dc so when an explosion was heard up the stream which was rapidly followed bj two others, and quick as a fladh of lightning the creek for a distance of twe miles was filled with an awful mass ol roaring flames and billows of smoke thal rolled high above the creek and rivei hills.

“Run!” yelled a hundred voices, and the people turned like stampeded cattle and started for the hills. The panicstricken shrieked madly in their efforts to escape. Women and children were trampled under foot, and about twenty were severely bruised and had to be picked up by a few of the cooler heads and carried out of harm’s way. Almost as quickly as the words can be written fully 5,000 people were on the streets wild with terror, rushing to the hills. Men forgot that they were men and scores of men, women and children were knocked down and trampled upon both by horses and people in the mad flight for places of safety. Just as this frantic ma°6 of humanity had started up Center street the second explosion occurred, knocking many people down, shattering the windows in the main part of the town, and almost transforming the day to night with the immense expanse of smoke. Hundreds of people thought that tho day of judgment had come, and many prayers were heard mingling with the moans and lamentations of the fleeing multitude. The heat was intense, and the weird and awful spectacle presented to the panicstricken people was that a cloudburst of fire, bordered and overcapped by a great canopy of dense, black smoke. Men wept and women fainted. Many left everything behind them, and ran or were helped to the hills, where, aftei they were out of danger, came the anxiety and suspense for relatives and friends who had been along the creek watching the flood when the avalanche of flame came. Most of the bodies Tecovered bear evidence of having met death from burning oil, many of them being burned almost beyond recognition, and several of them in such a terrible manner as to leave the bodies without the least semblance of human form.

A bird’s-eye view of the situation as the smoke from the burning oil on the waters rolls away discloses a pitiful sight, nothing but a mass of burned and flooded ruins from Monroe street east to the most eastern line of the city limits. The streets lie filled full of debris, overturned houses half burned, parts of what were once railroad cats, and empty oil barrels. A great deal of live stock was lost, and It will take days to get the streets in a passable condition. The loss in the county by washouts and loss of bridges will be enormous. There is not a county or township bridge for many miles that is not washed out, and the roads in every direction are nearly impassable. The Western New York & Pennsylvania and the Union & Titusville Bonds have not attempted to run trains, and will be obliged to spend an enormous amount of money before trains can be run in any direction. Oil City is eighteen miles from Titusville. The towns along the creek are Boughton, Miller Farm, Pioneer, Petroleum Center; Kynd Farm, Bouseville, and McClintockviile. Bouseville has about 1,000 inhabitants and the other towns about 200 each. Oil creek flows through a narrow gorge all the way, and as tli > towns are mostly situated on the hills it is hoped there was no loss of life. Communication has been cut off from these places, however, and nothing is definitely known. Cm 1 from the itellei Committee. As the devastation is so great it has been decided to call upon the outside world to furnish financial means to relieve the distressed, and an appeal has been issued. Such contributions should be sent by telegraph to Boger Sherman, president of the relief committee, as no mails will be received or dispatched for several days, owing to three railroads entering the city having their tracks washed out almost entirely for many miles. Titusville gave to Chicago, $5,000 to Johnstown sufferers, and $2,000, to the South at the time of the yellow fever epidemic, also $1,500 to Bussian relief, and has always responded to all demands upon the publio sympathy when oil towns have been in distress.

The reason the average man Is unable to “put himself in your place” is that he *1 together too big to fill it.