The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-04-19
OUR TRAVELLING CORRESPONDENT,
OIL City, Pa, April Sth, 1879.

I'LL lil, pm OIL, 10
Mr.. Notwithstanding much
has been previously written of this vicinity,
much more remains to be said and written.
Thanks to good health and natural buoy
ancy l am yet on terra frma, surrounded by
sea of mud on one side (the backside); Oh
three other sides by whirling, dashing,
muddy, greasy, angry streams, which
threaten destruction to many, and bid def
ance to all mankind excepting lumber
mem. Yes, l am truly water bound; water
in front of me, water to the right of me,
water to the left of me Should advance,
down would 60 the two hundred. The
continuance of heavy rainfall commenc-
ing Saturday last and ending only on Mon.
day, caused the snow on the mountain,
then p to feet deep, to melt rapidly las
Sunday was excessively hot, Immediately
the streams got high, though the prevail
ing liquid was cold water. Yes they start
ed down on regular old time tare, wash
ed away railroads between Pittsburg and
! Cory; overtlowed banks swept out tim
Der; and when arrived here the town was
submerged; people moving their effects in
boats, RATS, &c. Saw one handsome span
of grey horses swimming from their stable
to dry quarters, as that portion of the
city was then and is yet, 3 to s feet under
water. Seneca, one of the principal bust
ness streets, is entirely under flood, and
ferries established fare to 10 cents On
the main streets where the river has not
reached, the mud is from 12 to so inches
deep, and the ruling passion of the sport
ing man is seen: wagon leaves the bridge,
to q she sticks, says one; 5 to 10she goes
through, says another; and on they go
making and losing on chances in mud and
the endurance of horses. Nothing daunt-
ed, onward they go, needing not Gods
angry elements or observing mans society
| etiquette. Unceuth, almost rude, they re-
deem themselves in the eyes of ALL only
when troubles come or suffering calamities
! overtake. When want reaches the home
less, they give as freely as they take, and
teristic of this region. Whisky and inky
mud have always been abundant here tthe
latter free; but they were almost strang-
ers to pure spring water until now. The
st. Rat family were nearly an drowned and
the big (bed) bugs roost mighty high,
while blush not to say it, am not jealous
of their elevated posish.
Amid all the hurry, hustle and confusion
of getting to dry, safe quarters, some one
| cries look, and behold comes majestically
swinging around the bend of the Allegheny,
one of those cumbersome, unwieldly, 70
acre RATS, manned by two stout-hearted
and stropg-nerved lumbermen. Striking
the pump. house of the water works, it tore
/ away the stone-wall, swung around, strik-
ing one of the bridge piers, when one of
the men jumped to the bridge; the other
remained on the cripple until it went into
three pieces, when he cheered and swung
his hat in apparent glee at the grandeur of
sailing RATS III fractions | should not
have you or readers think that r. r.
was your Pretzel; no, no, his name was
Reckless Kaufman; no relation of mine,
either. Following the example of that raft
and crew, next came skimming the murky,
oily, deep, a barge; it struck one of the
bridge piers, too-whon the lower and bet
ter half suddenly became detached and it,
too, went into improper fractions.
In all, it seems mans genius and mach
nations are mere bawbles in comparison
with dame natures power, when she cheos-
es to freak, "Nenseance is mine saith the
Lord These people, aided with money,
gotten from depths meath Gods foot stool,
defeated Local Option in the hands of
cLurchmen, gave license and liberty anew
to the CONSCIOUSNESS to furnish their fallen
brothers with the red poisoned fire-water
And yet while they, the gin singers were
in their glory, e1ulting in their might over
the defeat Of right, God visited upon them
his vengeance two-fold, both fire and water.
Friday night one entire block of hotels and
gin-mills was sacrificed to the fiery ele-
ment, until God in the fulness of his mercy
saw proper to open the windows of heaven.
Despair hung on every brow; the city
seemed doomed. The loss in dollars and
cents was certainly great; but ten such
blocks burned, would not suffice to atone
for one soul damned, by and through the
agency of those vntures in human shape,
yet they will not be warned by heated ex-
perience.
And new dangers beset them. Saturday
last, here, will not be forgotten in time,
nor will 4 parallel be found in future l
hope. A train Of oil cars has passed the
city. Up the creek are seen rounding a
curve from the heights above, has fallen an
immense boulder of tons in weight, against
which the engine strikes; the cars and
tanks are piled in one confused mass into
| the swollen stream; already bank full. The
twilight of a gloomy day has cast shadow
of blackness over all things earthly and
oily hereabout. Suddenly against this
shadowy blackness the glare of hundred
barrels of burning petroleum bursts forth
anu cues Haoly ScelHluS anu leaplnS BACK
toward the town, borne by and the on face
of the angry waters Fire in the oil region
has a peculiar horror; but a burning river
running through the center of a city, added
new terror to this already frcnzied people.
Every bell rang, hundreds of steam whis-
ties shrieked the warning, the street rang
and the hills echoed with the shouts and
screams of men, women, and children. To
this wild chorus of sound, the storm king
responded, and was added the roar flash
and rattle of thunder. storm, of the most
| terrific character, appalling the stoutcst
hearts, prostrating, and almost convulsing
from sheer fright, the timid. Putting all
these elements, sights, sounds, terrors
together-canopy each and all with blu
ish, yellow, foggy, oily smoke, and the
picture of his Satanic Majesty's abiding
plice were a thing of beauty, compared
with this city on that eyeutfnl day