The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1892-06-11
A FEARFUL VISITATION.
Flood and Flames Work Havoc at
Oil City and Titusville.
scores 81 geopl. Burned to Death OF
Drowned and the TsuBs Nearly
Demolished by the Wss<r
or Bnrninr Off.


places the nuG,.SeF cf hSes lost at fully
TWENTY-FIVE from Ere asa browning.
As me- .s cah he gathered front fe-
ports as they e;;:=:.s' in. the hasS by de-
! s,rrnction cf property ~iu aggregate
fuiis e, soo.0oo All this loss Is Va The
city. with tns s~rroundieg country vet
TO be heard from. A iS-,se number of
the most extensive and pldSs'erous
manufacturing establishments now a-
in ashes and iis:,--lrexis of homes and
business places are utterly wiped cat,
while the >trcrtsare filled with a Cs-vsd
of hungry, homeless, weeping and d.
tractcd perple. mourning the LF>S of
loved ones ~l,o have periShCNl in the
.ssh os waters or the aery bill"vs vt
AsnR, ~h;cs cessuls.Si them almost in
sA,r twinkliny II ss eye - they w,re
Struggling m The vain cfS'SavCn tc >ave
their h,'ils.>-S
Vt this writing ~: >kF is silcd with
tiS:,--A aad piichy clouds NJ smoky .srtsS
inS from - ~asOlleriHg ruins ~; ~
tincries cVspcr shops s~rni,are fScts
rics, radiator wNri<S> hotels ssssie'ad
warehouses; cars dwellings ct>, whi,t
the waters oE tSl cr>rk arr rushing
thn,uyh the Str~ctS wIIG -'sa'>t SN>>'>t>
less tSir M tongue M prn> ~ r''s-
ruayr can dr Justice to the s>cnr ut
terror and confusion prevailing in this
stricken city a> the sun went down yes
,cr,ay, The illuminating gas works
the electric light plant, the city water
works, arr all ur1cr water. while the
nstu,al gas mains have tsNrs turned of
al Iii SitS. This kaves TituSviilc with
cut watcr, tuci * hslit, nv least from
the sources from which tt,c~S HeccSSi-
,:~s have lsrcn accustomed to come
rarn,S All, cssildren s,ood by with
out the power tn aSs t.s~ anothcrS
struggles against the clutches - .he
fo;s., until eventually they went down
tn riS,, M narC ~ sad and aS Siclcn-
ing scenes rs ever ,l;ie>pirsI in the
valley of the Concmaugh three wears
agn were repeated here to-day, while
thousands looked on unable To avert
them.
One father tonight iSa mania" over
the lU>a of his whole family of wife and
seven children. ohs babe three days
old
4 brother WAS rescued front burIi-
ing building. where he was forced tn
leave sister, her husband and two
children to perish.
MANY such eases, sad in the cXtreGic,
are heard. Many are the fathers,
mothers, SISTERS and brothers wander
ing aimlessly in search of missing ONES
who in all probability will never again
be heard Of
Thirteen bodies HAZE already been re-
covered in this city, and reports from
further down Oil creek are that seveif-
teen more bodies have been picked up.
PIrTsBURGH. Pa. June 6.-Fully one
| third of the business and residence
portion of Titusville is in ruins. The
| terrible food with mighty roar rushes
through the streets never before
| touched bv floods with almost as great
Jury as when the first tidal wave broke
over the confines of the usually small
stream.
Brave men with ropes tied about Their
waists and brcasting the terrible cur
from last midnight until now have
patiently awaited their turn. \ little
l-year-old boy Just brought to shore
from the wreck of handsome resi-
dcnce was placed in the hands of
friends When asked where his par
ems were he replied with sob: Papa
and mama hof drowned"
The people do not realize the enor-
nifty of the calamity. 1t is too full of
horror to he grasped. Fully seventy
five people are vet unaccounted for. II
,s an impoSSibility. however. to give at
his time accurate figures of the loss of
| life.
Fully 1000 people witnessed five
strong men perish together. Holding
to piece of timber they were strug-
| Cling to make the shore and just as
they reached out for a grasp at the bank
| a number of oil tanks exploded. and the
river of burning oil envcloped the men.
| Death came almost instantly.
About midnight Saturday historical
| oil creek began suddenly to rise.
| Heavy and almost inccSSant rains have
been prevalent throughout this entire
section for the past six weeks. This,
| however, does not seem to have been
| the cause of the sudden Oil creek rise,
although at first it was thought to be
the case. Late reports say that the
| huge mill dam owned by Thompson &
| Eldrcd. and located at the little town
| Of Spartanburg. seven miles above this
i 4 L. Th..- hg1t- ~
water was one and one-half miles in
length and onc-fourth of mile wide
and quite deep. This great body of
waite. thus suddenly let loose made Of
this devoted valley in the course of a
few brief moments regular inland sea.
This sudden avalanche of water de
,cending when most of the inhabitants
were sleeping silently, at once shut
them off from the higher portions
of the city. Notwithstanding this state
If affairs tn, danger in the city was
underratcd. no one having the slightest
idea that tin: food. dangerous as it was
was 20 be so IN augmented by fire. This
however. was true. for at o'clock this
morning, Immediately following three
| terTlIlC eAplOSlOnS, WHICH SHOOk IHt
city 10 its center, a great light went uI
from the direction of the Crescent re-
finery. located on the north side of the
creek, on the east end, and owned Ivy
John Schwartz & Co. a second lool
showed the entire plant to be one vast
sheet of solid fame, the light from
which Illuminated full half mile o.
surrounding blackness, ard showed t.
the assembled and Mortified spectator:
the full extent of the great calamity
that had befallen their beautiful city
The tongues of fame shooting 2O'
feet and more straight into the heav
ems; the shrieks and agonizing cries o
the helpless human beings Gagged il
their dwellings like rats in a trap in
the middle of that rushing and might!
water, and within the very shadow o
death from burning oil, benzine anc
naphtha that threatened at any time t.
engulf them; the shrill whistling OF q
hundred and one steam whistles; thu
iangle of the fire bell; the clatter o.
the steamers, hose carts aud ladder
trucks; rattle OF the cars; rush ant
"umble Of the body pt water ana IN
1.