The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-06-06
THE HORROR AT oIL CITY.

An Overlooked Town Becomes = Sea OF
Raging Fire.
OH Cry, Pa, June 5.-Never before in
the history of Oil City and the oil country
has such disaster. excitement and tur.
moil been seen - tho city ia now Witness
ing. Oil creek was raging torrent this
morning and fully thousand people we're
watching the waters. About 11:30 green
fluid was noticed on the water. This in
creased in quantity and finally ootsrsd al
most the entire waters of tho creek. The
smell of gas and oil WAS pereeptibie and
The words were hardly uttered when 200
yards up the streum mass of fame shot
heavepwsrd. People stampsded like cat
tie and started for the hills. Hardly had
they started when two e1plosions almost
simultaneous, rent the air. and the entire
creek for distance of 100 feet seemed one
seething mass of flame and smoke Panic
madly rushed in their efforts to escape.
Women and children were trampled under
foot and some severely bruised. An engine
on the Western New York & Pennsylvania
railroad passed a tank of gasoline standing
on siding. The tank was leaking and a.
the engine passed mass OF flame shot into
the air and the earth seemed to shake with
an awful tremor. II is supposed the en-
giuecr and fireman were killed by the force
Of the explosion. In an instant the flames
swept madly over the entire upper part of
the city which was flooded by the oily water
FROM the creek. Men, women and children
who we're moving from their homas we're
caught by the deadly flames and, if not
burned to death outright, were drowned in
the raging food.
Following ia a list of the dead identified:
William Shafar, John Reinbold, Charles
Miller, Miss Minnie Russell. Daniel Sull-
van. James Holiness Mrs. William Briggs.
Mrs. Emma Briggs ard three daughters.
liees, Mr.. Baker, Sheridan Wick, John
Rough and son, Mr.. Eskin and two
sous, two sons OF DR.. Hazanfritz.
Mr.. and Mrs. Hawks and daughter; Mat
thew Lyons, wife and two children; John
O'Leary and mother, Frank Plank, James
Rogers, James Hsskins William White.
John steck, john Rambo, Humphrey Stew
art, William Stewart. Harry Holmes, Will
lam Malone, Frank Watson, w. l.. Daugh-
erty. There is still number missing.
At 4 late hoar tonight the loss Of life
here. BY conservative estimate. will be
thirty-hv This ia entirely within the
city. while the news from tributary towns
show proportionate loss. Fully third of
city is a mass of charred embers over which
the waters rush with unabated fury. The
streets are filled with crowds of wet. hum
CIR :. homeless, despa ing men, women and
children, most of whom lost homes and all
their property.
1t is simply impossible to give an idea of
the horrible scenes enacted. Men with
boats aud ropes battled maufully against
the current and hundreds of people, cap
tives in their homes on account Of the sur
waters. were rescued. Fully fifty
people az yet are unacoounted for and at
present it IL impossible to correctly state
the number actually drowned and burned.
Five persons who wore rrasping u piece OF
timber with prospect OF landing safely.
were in proximity OF an oil tank when it
exploded and in moment tho men were
elvsloped in flames and death came speed
lily to relieve their sutferings. A mother
with her babe olaspsd to her breast and
clingina toa plank, drifted toward the
depot around which the waters wee rush
ing fu' iously. Az both reached that point
the suction was.s great it drew them down
and they disappeared from view. Scores of
cases of like fearful characser are reporter.
The seriously injured are: Louis Hnzen-
fritz, badly burned, cannot live; five child
rem badly burned, two will die; Mrs. Feeney
and six children badly burned.
1t is reported that Sam feader, OF Rouse
Vile, saved about twenty five people who
ware floating down the creek. He used a
boat during the high Hood and great praise
is due him.
Burning material can be seen down the
river a mile below town. Nine tanks OF the
Imperial Refine ' on Oil creek are on tie.
For miles up the creek on both sides sv-
erythin9 il III ruins aud hundreds Of faini-
lies a q rendered homeless. Very little, II |
anv. property was saved, and the sky for
miles around is still black with smoke from
The burning dwellings, and oil tanks. When
the explosions occurred people were Knocked
80.