The New York herald., 1879-07-28
Devastation in a Penn
sylVania Valley.
OIL And MINING VILLAGES FLOODED.
Residences and Business Houses Car
ied Down the Stream.
icy TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD.


show that it far more disastrous in its results
than at first supposed. The locality which was the
most affected was in the vicinity of karns City and
Petrolia, two towns in the oil district Of Butler
county about forty miles from this city. Rain be-
gan falling. accompanied by heavy thunder and
lightning. about ten o'clock. 1t was really not q
rain. but deluge. Such storm has not been
known for fifty years.
DETAILS OF THE FLOOD.
Both of the towns named are in q narrow valley
through which Bear Creek. a tributary OF the
Allegheny River. flows. BY twelve O'Clock the creek
overhowed its banks and some of the houses were
flooded. At one clock it seemed though some
large reservoir up the valley had broken from its
limits. large of water, between FIVE and six
feot Deep swept down on Karns City. Houses were
picked up from their foundations and carried off as
if they were chips. The people living in the houses
were taken by surprise, and the scene was
fearfully piteous Women weeping
and screaming for aid and children. with their
bodies projecting from the windows filled the air
with cries of alarm and prayers for assistance.
Boats RATS and few horses were hastily procured
by the residents of the higher portions of the town.
and one Dy one the helpless people were rescued
from their peril. Owing to the cheap character of
the houses and buildings the loss in Karns City is
not over $4,000 or $4,000.
From Karns City the water rushed through the
valley. laying waste FARMS carrying of the grain
which was standing In the fields. and tearing away
such outbuildings were along the banks.
AT PErRoILA
On reaching Petrolia the wave went through the
centre Of the town. and fifty houses swept
away Among them were twenty five of the princ-
pal business houses Railroad street, while
Main street the contents of the Central Hotel
Tobias billiard room. Petugrew's drug store and
artu Aru ootn hadlv 1la1ox
the Central Hotel. Foots drug store. Barthold's
clothing store Levins cigar store and Boltners jew
elry and cigar store were completely destroyed
the owners not being able to save their stocks.
The Post Office building and the news room
slightly damaged. Littles jewelry store.
Benedict's dry goods store. the Oil Exchange. the
Standard OIL Companys Office Taylor Co. 8 offices
and all the offices in Of the Oil Exchange
badly damaged. Ireland's large machine shops
badly damaged, and the large Coliseum COM
pletely destroyed. walking match going
at the time Of the food. and the contestants and
spectators barely escaped. The Parker and Karns
City and Butler railroads suffered loss Of $4,000,
all their trestles being damaged and the tracks
washed away for miles.
A TERRIBLE SCENE.
The scene presented during the rush of the waters
was a terrible one. Mothers with babies in their
and half grown children clinging to their skirts
were seen porch tops. their pale and haggard
plainly telling their fears. while
combating bravely for life in the muddy torrents.
The appearance of the town after the passage OF
the flood pitiable. Nothing but the courage and
determination Of the men who lived the hill sides
prevented the loss of hundreds Of lives. As it is
number of people missing. and it is feared they
carried away in their houses and were drowned.
The loss at Petrolia is about $4,000. Severai
houses struck by lightning. No was hurt.
but the fearful glare OF the electric fluid and the
crashing Of the thunder made the situstion doubly
frightful.
THE MARCH or DESTRUCTION.
At Argyle Station, one half mile distant, four Of
the large United pipe line tanks. partly filed with
OIL were dashed to pieces upon the hillside and the
pipe lines which centre at that point twisted
and bent all out OF shape. From Argyle to Martins
burg. distance OF three miles. houses along the
watercourse turned into kndling wood
soon as the water touched them. At Martinsburg,
Gibsons m.lldam and mill. together with
few small buildings, were destroyed. From that
point to Parker the creek bed was large enough to
carry on the great mass Of water and. with the
ception of the destruction OF . tank Of oil and
bridge at Stony House station. about two aud q half
miles from Parker. no further damage DONE
DETAILS OF DAMAGE DONE.
At Millerstown crops were carried away and the
railroad tracks ruined for some distance.
At Monongahea City the water washed out the
new wing wall at Black Diamond. on the railway
tension. flooded Mingo Valley and dislodged the
township bridge at the mouth of Mingo. 1t also
swept the cornnelds bare from Valley Inn to Mingo
Flats.
Late advices from Peters Greek say it was the
heaviest food ever known there. All the wheat and
oats wero flooded into the Monongahels Two
miles Of the Pittsburg Southern Railroad badly
damaged.
At Elizabeth tho damage was also terrible. shra.
der Co. had the buildings and inclined plane at their
coal works carried away and so did Horner Rob-
erts. another large coal hrm Nearly all the miners
houses were torn to pieces, and the poor lost
oil their worldly goods.
PLUcKY PIEcr WORK.
One Of the pIuckiest pieces of work done was the
labor of ten at Roberts mines. They worked
until they well nigh killed themselves to prevent
the mines from being flooded and the sixty miners
who inside from being drowned. The loss ut
this place Is ut least $4,000.
At Irwin the Youghiogheny elsailroad track
swept away for long distance. The water snapped
the steel rails pieces and carried of thousands of
feet OF lumber aud shingles. II is estimated that
seven inches of fell at Irwin.
RAILROADS DAMAGED.
The destruction in the immediate neighborhood
OF Pittsburg is small. but all the railroads leading
here have been damaged. The Baltimore and Ohio
have suffered considerably.
MOTHERS SACRIFICE.
At shaner's Station, nearly mile this side of
GufYey's station. on the Baltimore and Ohio road
two runs meet at the river. On the point stood two
houses occupied by the families of coal miners. They
small houses. and the raging torrents swept
past them, carrying both into the Youghiogheny.
Tho inmates of one of the houses escaped, but the
children In the other house caught in the flood.
The mother, woman named Mcguire. seeing their
danger went after them and succeeded In rcscuing
the little ones. put herself carried away and
drowned. The body had not been recovered at last
accounts. Tho Allegheny Valley. the Pttsburg and
Lake nre. the Pennsylvania. the Pittsburg. New
castle and Lake Erie; the Pttsburg southern the
Erie and Pittsburg; the Pittsburg, Virginia and
Charleston; the Fort Wayne and Chicago. and the