The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-07
DEATHS DANCE.
Oil City'S Loss Of Life in
the LVPid Flood l5Q.
The Loss Of Life at TituSYiIle
Also Heavy.

No Chance Given thu Hapless People
to Escape-One Houss in the Midst
of the Rushing Wave Of Destruc-
tion Left Unhermed With the Noou-
| day Meal on the Table and It's Oc-
cupants Lost in Their Attempt to
Escape.
OIL CRY, Pa, June 6.-Few OF the spec
tators who were watching the flood when
the explosions occurred, and who escaped.
can give good idea OF what happened. All
| agree that there was a terrific explosion and
that the air was filled with flames. This
was quickly followed by two other explo-
sions. Men thought hell had broken loose
on earth, and they were not apparently very
| far out Of tho way. Three gasoline tanks
had exploded almost at the same time. The
oil on the creek blazed up, the gas in the
air burst into roaring flame and the sheets
OF water, land and air we're all literally
aolaze. Men, women and children were
knocked prestrate by the shock and many
never arose. The multitude fled with
screams OF anguish for the higher ground.
In the rush many of the weak we're trampled
upon and badly injured. Some were hurt
by horses, others ran and leaped into the
water and were drowned The flames in
the air quickly burned ont, but they left
huge volumes Of black smoke across the faco
OF the heavens. beneath which roared tho
fierce fire OF the burning oil upon the water.
BUILDINGS ABLAzE.
Many submerged houses and shops along
the creek bottom were soon 10 flames aud
the silent fire Of the blazing gas was suo-
ceeded by the cracking flames of burning
houses. Ia many Of these houses people
were confined They could not escape for
the fire. Within sight of thousands who
heard their piteous screams they burned TO
death or leaped into the river and
and there eIp peri'hsd ed, by both flood
scene Of destruction by two terrible clements
has been seldom witnessed upon this earth.
IL is marvellous, that from this valley of
death any one was saved alive It Ia
strange that out OF this mingiiug OF fire
and flood any houses we're spared.
The story told by Harry MoVeagh a
member of a rescuing party which saved
dozen lives, surpasses In horror many OF
those related by persons who worked only
in bringing corpses out OF the ruins, and
his words indicate that he believes many OF
those saved alive would be better off dead,
they are so horribly wounded and burneds
ON THE CREEK IN sKIFF.
He, with Wade Hulings, w. Couch and
Albert Smith, rowed about the creek in q
skiff after the fire had died off its surface.
the bead of Seneca creek. they found eleven
burned persons cliuRing TO anything they
could catch hold Of in a last desperate
struggle for life. "Thelr condition was
horrible" said Mr.. MoVeagh. "I wish that
l could Gloss my eyes and shut out the
sight Their clothing WAS burned Off their
bodies; their hair was singed and some Of
them had their eyes burned out, yet a few
of them. believe, will live" and the bravo
fellow breathed sigh as IL he regarded
their living as misfortune to themselves.
They cluDg piteously to US as we took
them from the bridge into Our boats, and
the cries they sent up were the most pitiful
that ever reached my ears. There were
seven men and four women, aud the ap-
pearance of the latter was particularly dis
tracting. We have cared for them the best
we can, but God pity them," and McVeagh
turned away aud stared at brick wall as it
1t shut out the horrible sight he had wit
messed.
AT LEAST $50 PERIsHED.
OIL CITY, Pa, June 6, p. M-The mag
nitude Of the disaster which has oVertaken
this section does not lessen with time and
better knowledge of it. Mayor Hunt places
the number Of deaths in OIL City alone at
$50. Sixty-three bodies were gathered in
the temporary morgue to-day. Many peo>
pie are missing. A number of bodies finated
away on the flood, aud many of those res-
cued alive from the water are so
badly burned that death will un-
doubleday claim them There is as
yet no way OF making an accurate return Of
the fatalities. Between Titusvllle and Oil
City, distance Of eighteen miles, there are
nine villages whereat oil wells have been
sunk. Within this distance, in the narrow
valley, was on Saturday population of be-
tween 40 900 and 45 900 souls of whom
large fraction were exposed to the food aud
fire, and the entire eighteen miles is a con-
tinuous scene Of desolation. In Oil City
proper the fiery food destroyed one mile Of
property along the creek on the west side.
Across the creek from the main portion of
the city not a house Is standing between the
creek and hill and not a vestige CT life can
be seen except the many searchers for the
dead.
THE DEsoLATIoS ON THE EAST SIDE.
Along the east side, from the mouth OF
OIL creek for q distance Of three-quarters of
a mile. every building except one along the
creek has been destroyed. A strange mon
ument to tue death laden flood Is frame
dwelling house standing among the ruins.
It was in tho midst of the flood and fire. and
yet it was passed by. The curtains are on
all the windows and the noon meal stands
on the table, but the former occupants of
this lonely house are among the dead. They
attempted to escape aud were caught in
seq OF flame on the east side.
There seems no doubt that the food under
mined and overturned the tank OF benzine,
the contents Of which covered the surface of
the water. A locomotive passing over the
bridge dropped some live Goals into the
flood, and this started the fire.
There has been no abatement OF the food,
and that has interfered with the search for
the bodies. The food alone would have
caused serious disaster without its fiery
accompaniment. Nearly every body re-
covered from the water shows the action of
fire, demonstrating that they had been
caught in the flames and jumped into the
river to quench the burning. Most of these
were in houses suddenly surrounded by the
food bearing fire upon its surface, and
they had only the choice Of their method of
death, burn up in their houses or burn and
drown in the fiery flood outside.
sIxTY-sEvEN BODIES RECOVERED.
The number Of bodies recovered is Axsy-
seven to- night. Only rcn Of these ara