Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1892-06-09
A FEARFUL DISASTER,
Fire and Flood in the PENNSYLVANIA
Oil Regions.

TITUsv1LLN, June 5.-The city of
Titusyille has been visited during
the past twenty-four hours by one
of the most disastrous fires and
| floods in all the history of this
region. Oil creek has overfowed
it's banks from the west, and above
the water and gas works to the city
line below. and for hours assumed
the proportions of an almost resist
less flood. Perry street and Franks
lin street iron bridges have been
swept away. Scores of cheap
dwellingshouses in the lower part
of the city have been destroyed,
and scores of lives lost, some hay-
ing been burned, but the majority
perishing by drowning.
The scene presented by the rush
ing waters surging through the
lower part of the city, as witnessed
by thousands of citizens, was one of
utter desolation. To add to the
horror of the scene rain fell in tor
rents, fire broke out in the refn-
cries at different points, and the
burning oil, swept down by the
current communicated fire to other
manufacturing plants and estab-
lishlnents. Fifteen dead bodies
have been recovered. A dispatch
from Oil City says the flood there
was caused by the bursting of the
dams at Spartansbury and Newton.
Thirty five people were drowned.
i On Cry, Pa, June 6.-The
magnitude of the disaster which
has overtaken this section does not
lessen with time and a better knowl-
edge of it. Mayor Hunt places
the number of deaths in Oil City
alone at 15o. Sixty-three bodies
we're gathered in the temporary
morgue to-day. Many are missing.
A number of bodies hoated away
on the flood and many of those
rescued alive from the water are so
badly burned that death will uns
doubtedly claim them.
There is as yet no way of making
an accurate return of fatalities
Between Titusville and Oil City, a
distance of eighteen miles, there
are nine villages, whereat oil wells
, have been sunk. Within this dis
tance in the narrow valley was or
Saturday population of between
10000 and $4,000 souls, of whom a
large fraction were exposed to the
flood and fire, and the entire eigh-
teen miles is a continuous scene
t of desolation.
Il In Oil City proper the fiery
! food destroyed one mile of proper
ty along the creek on the west side
Across the creek from the mair
lportion of the city, not house il
E standing between the creek ane
the hill, and not vestige of lif'
can be seen except many searcher
= for the dead. Along the east side
: from the mouth of Oil creek fol
! a distance of three-quarters mile
every building except one alons
the creek has been destroyed. Thi
: strange monument to the deatl
: laden flood is a frame dwellin.
It house standing among the ruins
c 1t was in the midst of the foo,
x and fire and yet it was passed by
oil The curtains are on all the win
d dows and the noon meal stands ol
i the table; but the former occu
" pants of this lonely house ar
l. among the dead. They attempte
le to escape, and were caught in th
sea of fame on the east side.
'e There seems no doubt that th
n flood undermined and overturned
II tank of benzine, the contents G
which covered the surface of th
ID water. A locomotive passing owe
r the bridge dropped some live coal
'r into the food and this started th
J. fire. There is no abatement of th
food, and that has interfered wit
the search for bodies. The foo
alone would have caused serior
disaster without it's firery accon
I'd paniment. Nearly everybody re
covered from the water shows th
action of fire, demonstrating ths
in they had been caught in the fam,
~ and jumped into the river
OF quench the burning. Most of thes
y were in houses suddenly surrount
e e ed by the food, bearing fire upo
Ill its surface, and they had only Il
ng choice of the method of DEATH
p burn up in the houses or burn U
;ie ;s and down in the fiery food ou
IS side:
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