Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-12-13
RED RUIN.
APPALLING DISASTER IN PENNSYL-
yANlA OIL REGIONS.
The Village Of Red Rock Destroyed by
Fire-A Flowing Well lgnitss and 4
Stream Of Burning OIL Runs
through the Town,
TERRIBLE SUFFERING Of The HOME
LESS PEOPLE.

BRApFORD. PA. December IA fire
broke out last evening at Well No. I, be-
longing Ia r. o. Emerson, in Red Rocks
The we'll had been cleaned preparatory
To torpedoing, and was left open. super
intendent Mason OF the Emerson lease
passed. by with a lantern, and the gas
ignited and set fire TO the rig. The well
made a flow. and the burning oil ran
down the hill To a 25O-barrel tank, which
caught fire. The fire communicated to
25,OOO-barrel iron tank, which was
soon in blaze, and burned steadily
until ) o'clock this morning.
Rivers OF OH Flowed Down the Valley
and through the main street Of Red
Rock, burning all the business and pri-
vate houses OF the town. Three hun
dred families are homeless. and there Is
great suffering. The scene at the vii
lage. after the fire had consumed all
there Was 10 iced on, was simply appall-
ing. A dense, black cloud hung over
all the surrounding country, and moth
ing hut the blackened beams and still
smoking ruins showed the site of what
had been, not long before, thriving
village. Relief committees have been
formed. Ia render aid, az Gilmore, Der
rick and Bradford. Mayor Broder, OF
Bradford, has telegraphed as follows:
b Call on us for all help necessary
Grea, Suffering OF the Homeless
NEw NoRK, December IA dispatch
received By the Vice President OF
the Petroleum Exchange from the office
ofthe Bradford Nt,u. says: The suiter-
iug caused 10y the fire y intense. The
weather, which has been warm, changed
during the night, and the fire drove out
hundreds into the open air almost with
out clothing. Aid Is needed immediate
IN % relieve the suffering. lmme-
diatelv ON the receipt OithiS dispatch sub
scriptions were started at the Petroleum
Exchange hy the manager, and the
members responded hb-rlIIy. The
funds are remitted by telegraph as last
a. received Hon. James Eroder, Mayor
oi Bradford sends telegram % the
President ot the Western lnlou Iele-
graph Company as follows. "Ert Rock,
"A upightoriug town, has been destroyed
hy fire. Three hundred families home
less Can YOU assist US financially.
The Western Union Telegraph Conn
panv will receive and forward any Cou-
tributious sent 20 iiS oihcrS.
John Wesley's Chapel and Grave.
The cable last evening announced the
partial burning on SUNDAY night of the
famous chapel oi John Wesley IN Lon
don. The fire entirely destroyed one Oi
the wings, irreparJbly injured the more
recent ireSCUes ui the main ceiling and
weakened the original roof. The cable
despatch accurately speaks oi the Yves
lryan Chapel iu City EUad. Amerl-
can visitor, tu London who look mp the
autiguitir, Ui Me,huii~m are often
shown another Wesleyan Chapel iu
keuti~h town tu the north ut the MIDI
lanI Station. another near LIuCu.u.S Inn
Fields. anu'u,r iu ISliugtpu near the
Agricultural Hall, amt one near the eN-
trrmr East End oi London ju East In
dia Ruaj. These chapels are all more
prrtrntiUuS Boo architecture amt deCora-
mons than the little modest building ON
Civ EuIi. opposite tu the entrance oi
the Buuhia Fields Burviug Ground and
between FiuSbury Square ami the TIRE
elan Theatre. 10 stands about a hun
drrd feet back from the street ami Is Ui
simple and utterly uuambitIous appear
auce. 10 is frOntel hy church-yard OF
about seventv-Gvp feet Square, through
which runs "a board walk lu the ward
are several old trees and portions ui %
are laid out with duWyr-bDjS. The
chapel also has a ClnrUhyJrI Of no mean
BrOpOrtionS I'm the rear. IfCIu Dee reach
rd hv theumuihUScs which run between
the Angel az ls,ingtou uud the Bank o.
England, or by tram.rJrS from Moor
gate street and London Wall, or by
other omuibuSes that run past the Lang
ham through Portland Place, Eu~tuu,
PentonviIle and the CITY Road down tu
the Bank Of England. The chapel was
finished IN l77N The corner stone was
laid the year before by John Wesley
himself, aud in 10 va, inserted a brass
plate inscribed with his name. Upon
that occasion >Duthey tells MS that We>-
lev said. Probably this plate will br
seen no more by any human eve, but
will remain there tin tine earth ami the
MNFhN ILIFLNOl NI' NN|l| ANN UP ANI NN.N"
chapel, excepting when travelling. John
Wesley preached twelve successive
wears. The Bible which he used is still
thrrc, aut 20 appears from the cable
despatch that his original pulpit was uu-
injured bv the fire The great apOstIcu ut
Methodism himself was buried March .,
l7gl. jn yJu', 300 the chUrCG-yUrd, with
an few feet OF the street frontage. over
the vault is seen hy every passer-by
plain square white marble monument,
surmuunted hy a shaft which rises tn a
point. and altogether only about twelve
iert high. Ii bears his name and all the
necessary dates, and also inscriptions I'm
memory OF his mother and his brother
Charles, the sweet singer whose re-
remains, however. rest In the BUnhlll
Fields Burying Ground Immediately OPP
uuSite. Into this chapel according tO
MesIev's last request. h,- body was car
riei iu q plain coffin after being ~hrOud-
ed iu plain WOODEN cloth. over the
Slruud were put his gown. gJSSur6 AMI
band. Ou his hyJi rested the familiar
clerical cap lu one hJnd Bible was
Cla-prd and in the other a white hand
krrchiei-Wthu the Chape, the remains
rruOsed one whole day and were visited
bv such immense crowds that 70 was
deemed best in expectation Of the great
rr crowds which might come the next
dIy-t1 have the remains inferred 40
day-brrstk Ou the ensuing morning. This
was done iu strict JrguriJuCr with the
diving directions of John Wesley let
me hehoruc without hyar~g. coach or cS-
,uirlpuu bv SIX Tuur urU Who ~uJ., rc-
L. ..H d.. r.'r....
81 pomp ! wish the tears of them that
lIy, me and who gry following mo 90
Abraham 5 bosom But fu1,withStaud-
iug the sudden change rt trc hour ui
iutrrmeut many hundred persons hcarl
oiit and filled the cuUrruvurlduriug the
Irlef hut impressive services.
Al of these events had impaired to
the chapc, iu city E'Ju amt It's sur
ruuudIugS q tender interest, aui doubt
less mo- American Methodist has ever
visited London without recalling them
AZ he stood in tine chapel and waS shown
the very spot where Wesley coffin had
rested or as hc fingered near the vault
and the monument, or crossed the busy
street into "Buuhill Fields. and looked
there upon the modest hc3i~;oUcS which
mark the burial places ui i~u>Juuah We>-
lev and oi Charles Wesley.
Many other historical "reminiscences
arr associated with this old DiSSsuterS'
burial ground Of Bunuill Fields. With
IN its confnes--nOw incongruOuSlv be-
set with loudest London hum re
pose DIR. Thomas Goodwin, the predCher
who attended Oliver Cromwells death
beah: DR.. John Owen, who preached
the first sermon before Parliament after
the execution Of King Charles; Lord
Deputy Fleetwood, Cromwel's son in
law. who married the widow Of General
Irntnr,. Inhn Rnnvan Daniel nRfna DIR