, 1880-05-07
Nine Hundred Oil Wells and
Vast Quantities Of Oil
Destroyed.
The Little Town of Row City
Literally Swept from OF
tho Earth.
Men, Women, and Children Flee
ing from Before the Rivera
Of Burning Oil.
Biz Lives Known to Be- Lost, and Many
Other Fatalities Have Proba-
bly, Occurred.

BHhnFC1I1, Ih.y AlHy u.-2t HltisI tlt5hIaIl@
I've series of oil fires devastated tho northern
oil field to-day. At this wrllng it is estt-
mated that fully zoo wells werc burned. 1t
is proper to say TINT the oil-wclt rig CONSISTS
of engine and cng1nc-hu,lse, boiler and boiler
house, tank, artl tank-lo,,se, bclt-housc, and
derrick. The tanks average 20 barrels cacl.
and In most eases wcro full tn Overlooking.
About noon to-day whl1e twellty-unart tor
pcdo wns being lowered III I3radlcy's No. 0,
on the Taylor farm, the well made II sudden
flow. causing MI explosion, denlo'istling tho
derrick and setting the rig OH fire. Tho tor
pctlo-sfooter and his asslstnnt Ind lniracll-
lolts escape fronl death. a strnlg west wind
was blowing, nntt In MI incredible short time
the fire hal spread to tic adjoining wells.
THO woods caught fire, anil the
wind sent tho flames Eal!op,g over
the ridge to Rev City, burning
about lG0 wells In lis fiery course. lew City,
town Of perhaps 800 inhabitants, WIS
swept from the face of of1tton,. The town
was we'll built up with rude wnoacn
atr,lctures. There wcro two main streets.
The fro started in the west end Of
the place, swcpplng everything beforc It.
The Inhabitants Ind ITO time to save any
thing, nnd III must instances lost their all. 1t
did not take long to burn tile fntetl town.
This afternoon tic streets were still smoking
hot with the heat. Not ycstige Of the
place remained. Men, women, md
children were huddlcd in groups in tho
woods, their compilations stained black by
the dense sup1iurolls sl,l0ke which over
;hung hill and valley, reminding one Of tho
,Day OF Judgment. 1t was reported that two
women alld five clilldren were burned 10
death, Latest reports e0nttrln tho ru1lors.
Names cannot ho ascertnin6.
From Rev City tho flames, Which reached
hundreds of feet intn tic air. swept over hill
and valley, devastating tho country, mid
slowly but surely approaching Bnrtcll Ctty
and Coleville, two prosperous oil towns. The
fire is still raging and 1t isto1.gl.t will spend
its force Gro II reaches uortlcll. The loss at
lew City is estimated Mt Sue, 900. DGtwecl.
Rev City aid Bortlcll abunt 200 wells were
burned.
The sight Of tic burning oil running down
the hllstles and tho 1urll tsautes lcapil,g fron
derrick To derrick was BubltMcly grand. AZ
far MS the ego cuult reach the country
wns one living llass of ilaine. Tile
smoke was Mt times 10 thick
md stiillng thai QUO was bewiltieret
whfcl, way turn. Tho tntnes travelled with
the speed Of Il racchorsu, and hundreds o1
men employed at tlla wells were compelled
to fleo for their lives Nearly ti'olIsa'lt
snen are at work trying to c!leck tho fire BY
every known continuance.
About o'clock Il p,,ssng engin0 set fire tt
the web of Porter, t;iimurc sE Jackson, ncnl
1lel Rock. Thu track at tint point rcsenl
bled q IlOrscsl,Du bend. Tho high wind car
red tho tla,lirs to tho ,uhiUfning wills, ans
In less than half ri, hour several acre
Of ground were burned over md SOM
ninety wells creMntcd. The tire crossed th'
track md nn,le n clean sweep of tho horse
shoe. Az, B,000-barrel tank Of oil caught ilr
several timry, but Mt last account
had not burned. Tho burning nil i!owe
. through the streets Of Rcd Rock, the inlnt
itAnts fleeing for their lives. However, til
fire at that point Il now ul,tter contral. l.
Lutferty lIo'l0w another fire sartclt MI
about thirty wells were buried, clearing til
Hollow ont entirely.
Two ,uttes from the city several wells. an
four tanks of crude oil wcroburliesl.
At Custer City several wells and tank
were consumed, the fire III this case startln
from burl,lng brush,
This afternoon tile woods OIL tho hillside o
the southsldo Of town were on fire. The D,
partnlent WIS called out. Firchlnn nro sti
lighting tho t!anlcs, which lsavo nearly AlIcl
theIr fAree. The valleys for miles ntOilll
are Tonight Illuminated by burning forcst
and wells nlld turks nf oil.
Tlo ErenilN STIR puts the atest estimate
Of loss at D0o wells, 0no town crenatctl, 81
lives lost, and thousands of barrels Of 15.cc,
oil aluvo gone 10 waste.
There arc ru1liors that several other liv,
were lost, but III the confusion which eyis
1t is impossible to Ent tlIo fActs.
The trrs around Bradford formed II kcnl
rjrr1R My lirt,t Hfn rfihq within lIHqf hln
Ut eucli other IN Nix different lntTs \ lnt
report llus It TINT CalyfIle III burning, mil til
the fire Is fast travelling townn! Duke Ce
side Of bradford. Tile Total loss c1ll,nnt j
estimated, but already reaches Oyer 1900
coo. Thousands Ut men aru reduced IL lr
gary, mud hundreds uln,ll thousands Of bu
rclS Of oil llnye been cOlssi'lncd.