The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-03-23
THE FLOOD IN THE OIL REGIONS.
Great Distraction or PrOperty-Forty
Th0usnnd Barrels OF Oil and Fifty
thousand Empty barrels Lost-Farm
Houses and stock Swept Away-Eami-
Hes Camping Along the Banks, sc.


Hes Camping Along the Banks, sc.
lFrom The pittsburg Commercial, March 20l
We learn The following items from H. NJ Long, Of this
city, who arrived at the Allegheny wharf yesterday about
noon from OIL City having made the trip with two others
The river Oil CITY, on Wednesday was about ten feet
deep IN the channel II commenced rising rapidly and
continued to do 80 until Friday at noon, when It had
risen ABOUT wv nty feet making thirty feet Of Oil
City, from the Post Once down. was under water in
Guiding the main street and all back Of It, In fact nothing
was lett dry but the property the hillside. All the
business Offices, from Pennock Ball Co Is up TO the
mouth OF the creek including Shirks', Burg Co r.
Fishers and others carried oil by The immense cur
rent that set in from the creek
On Friday night the creek raised Ave feet in hour
and made clean sweep Of every movable thing ncud-
ing tanks by the hundred, barrels of OIL empty barrels
houses, derricks bridges, &c, &c. The McCntock and
OIL Cypridgcs over the creek, and the French
bridge at franklin, were carried away Passengers
being rowcd across tho creek one dollar head and
landed at the door Of the First National Bank The river
everything swept on. Tanks came down past the city
without NUMBER half full of oil and tho river at
times was black with floating barrels. Only life was
lost 10 vi CITY that Mr. Long heard Of and that
young man Ia the employ Of Pennock, BAH 4 Co.. who
brnyey waded into the water up to his shoulders en-
deavoring 10 save horse belonging one the EN-
poyes OF the hrm and succeeded ng the horses
life, but at the sacrifice Of his own Several narrow
escapes were made by parties who remained in the
houses and offices along the levee until the water rose
too high for them to escape Skis after them
but o. these were destroyed before all the parties
rescued
The loss Of property the creek, up the and
Oil City, will amount without doubt TO 81 600 00O
over It, The principal losers follows -McWh inney
Marshall will lose $500 barrels of oil and several thou
sand empty barrels Fisher Bro, 10C0 barrels oil and
5000 empty barrels VIM. Haiderman, 1000 barrels OF
OIL and 600 empty barrels; Mckevy, Miller Co.. 500
barrels of oil and 900 empty barrels; Cochran Ero
Gallagher 4 Danver, Robert Ashworth, J. Gallagher
Pcnnock, Ball & Co., j. Porteons G. g Long Co,
Stockdale Conkle, Dilworth \ Ewing, shirk Co,
Lockhart ~ Frew, Burgess " Co., also among the
principal losers ut OIL City Their losses will from
five hundred TO thousand barrels Of OIL aud many
hundreds of empty barrels each. Considerable oil in
barrels lodged in the eddes formed around heSsheds
and warehouses; and may eventually be saved Thou
sands OF barrels thus mixed up and uoated together
and will require much time TO assert them
The Freepor aqueduct Is broken aud OF the spans
gone. The other river bridges are unijured The prin
cipal less will be the crcek aud river among the Oh
wells All Of these on the flats will be overlooked aud
nlled up with sand and dirt resulting in many
doubt in their destruction The quantity OF oil supposed
TO be swept on Is estimated at forty thousand barrels and
nifty thousand empty barrels many OF which will be
picked up hereafter along the shore
All along the banks sad evidences of the wreck
the lreshet had made Houses gone and families camp
ing along the banks Houses, COWS, horses sheep, &c.
all swept of. Al Emlinton the water up in tho
Freeport, Tnrcntum, Franklin and sharpsburg All
of the islands covered, and piles npop
piles OF boards lodged against the trees with
tables, chairs, wrecks Of houses bcdseads, derricks
empty barrels, &C. &c. The people along the shores
whose houses fences barns cattle &c. were all gone
anxious rquirers after the effects OF the above
all thinking and quite right tool that the oil interest
would be the heaviest losers Business everywhere
entirely suspended and everybody watching the
river At OH City the oldee nhabi,ant dec Jared that
s'sich rise never before known"
The 18th of March, A. d. 1855, will long he remem.
bcred up the Alleghe the day Of great fcshe
The rise was caused by the snow goug of with heavy
rain The snow around Pit Hole and through Mercer
county, and north Of H. was two feet deep; and
cessantyn fact in perfect orrcnts-the rising
the rate Of six inches an hour part OF the time.