The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-06

covered and the search continues.
Following is list of the dead as far as as
certained:
JOHN QUIN, mail carrier, wife and two
JACOB BERGENHAMMEB, wife and nine
children.
MRS. MARY HAYNES, three daughters,
Gertrude, Mary and Clara and one son.
MRS. MCKENZIE.
MRS. JOHN McFADDEN and sister.
MRS. CAMPBELL and two children.
MRS. CAsPERsoN.
Mr.. COPPIE.
FRED'REID, a butcher, his wife and child.
JOHN O'MARA and wife.
Two VEIGLB boys, and four more, whose
names are unknown.
AN APPEAL FOR HELP.
The following appeal has been issued
Our suffering and destitution is terrible.
There is great loss of life and destruction of
property. A large portion Of our manufactur-
ing interests were wiped out by the flood and
fire, hundreds of families are homeless and des-
titute In the absence of our mayor we appeal
TO generous public for help in this, our time Of
distress.
WILLIAM McNAUaHroN,
President Select Council.
w. b. BENEDICT,
President Common Council.
ISAAC WEsTHEIMER,
President Scnool Board.
H. c. BLoss,
Editor of the Herald.
JOSEPH ZEER,
JOHN T. MCKINNEY,
j. a. CADWALLADER,
J. G. MCKINNEY,
J.J. MCCRUM.
THE WORST IN THE CITY's HISTORY.
TITUsVILLE, Pa, June 5, II P. NJ
Never in the history Of this city or Of the
oil region has there been such terrible dis
aster as the one that swept down on Titus
vile this morning. Horror has been brought
on by both flood and fire. and at II o'clock
this morning fully Sl,500,000 had gone up
in flame and smoke, while the loss OF life
is conservatively placed at thirty-flve
souls, with the chances greatly in
favor Of that being an underestimate.
This loss is all in the city, while news
from tributary towns shows proportionate
losses. Fully one-third of the business and
residence portion of this city is a mass of
charred ruins, over which terrible waters
rush with unabated fury. The streets are
filed with crowds of wet, homeless, hungry
and despairing men. women and children,
most of whom have lost loved ones.
Water still foods the streets and the sky
is black with heavy smoke from burning
refineries, cooper shops, radiator works, ho-
tells. furniture factories, freight depots and
dwellings. The big refinery and wax plant
of F. L. Wood & Co. caught fire at noon,
the city turned midday almost into the
blackness of night. it was indescribably
awful, and as the rain continued to come
down In bucketfuls what the outcome was
TO be was past even conjecture.
CRIES FOR HELP.
The waters OF Oil creek were rushing
through the streets in the lower part OF the
city with seemingly resistiess force, while
from house windows and driftwood piles
located directly in the midst OF the torrent
came beseeching walls and screams Of an
guish and distress from helpless VIC
tins, all impioring aid. Brave men
with boats and ropes battled manfully
against the terrific current and hundreds
of captives were brought safely to land. 1t
is simply impossible to give reader an idea
of the horrible scenes enacted in our midst.
Our people do not as yet realize through
what they are passing. Scores of people
are yet unaccounted for and in the present
crush, excitement and confusion 1t is out
of the question TO correctly state the num-
ber drowned and burned to death.
FIVE PERISH BEFORE THOUSANDS.
Five persons, all males, were seen to
perish while grasping a piece Of timber
just as thousands Of spectators. looking on
with bated breath, but unable to render the
slightest assistance, were led to believe
that the sufferers could safely reach land, a
neighboring tank of oil exploded in close
proximity, and in a moment the doomed
men were enveloped in flames, and death
came speedily 10 relieve their suffsrings,
their bodies being at once swallowed up in
the raging waters.
At 3 O'Clock this morning a dull, heavy
explosion was heard and heavy stream of
flame fully 200 feet in height pierced the
inky darkness and threw a glaring light
over the vast expanse of angry waters. A
cry rang out from a thousand throats that
the Crescent oil refinery of John Swartz &
Co., located close to the northern bank of
the creek in the east end, was on fire. Never
before did fire seem to spread so rapidly. In
less than three minutes from the time Of the
explosion the vast plant was one sheet of
seething flames.
PANDESIONIUM BREAKS LOOSE.
Then it was that pandemonium seemed
to break loose and began to reign supreme.
Thousands of people rushed pell nell
through the Streets tumbling and knocking
each other down in aimless endeavors to es-
cape from what seemed the crack Of doom.
The bright light thrown on the surround
ifigs revealed an appalling sight. On roofs
and in the windows OF the upper
stories of most Of the houses in
the flooded district appeared men,
women and children dressed mostly
in their night robes and all piteously ap-
pealing at the hight of their voices, which
could only now and then be distinguished
above the loud rush of the waters and the
crash of fiery timbers, for aid aud succor
Clinging to driftwood, tImbers and other
debris as they were borne onward do wn the
stream were scores of human beings,
their white and terror-stricken
faces, desperate struggles and plaintive
cries for aid combining to create impress
sions never to be forgotten or effaced from
the memory OF the beholder. The story Of
the destruction Of the flames has already
been told. Tonight the undertaking estab,
lishments of Dawson and McNett have
been turned into morgues, and with the ex-
ception of seven Hebrews aud two
children, all the bodies so far re-
covered have been taken there as fast
as taken from the water. Most Of the bodies