Evening journal., 1892-06-06
One Hundred Dead at OIL city.

on CITY, Pa, June 6.-Flood and fire
laid waste large sections of this city and a
fearful loss Of life has resulted. The widest
stories Of its magnitude are ahoat. Fifty
persons have been burned or drowned and
the number may exceed 100. A territory of
at least forty acres along Oil creek is burned
or flooded or both. In addition TO those
dead large number are injured and prob
ably thousand people are homeless. The
fire started in this city at II 40 a. IN. sun
day with an explosion Of naphtha and oil on
the surface OF Oil creek The people of the
city were apprised of the Titusville calamity
and the whole town was ont watching tho
rising Of the waters.
The entire upper end Of Oil City on both
sides Of the creek was under water at the
time Of the explosion, which caused the
awful conflagration. The town consists Of
four principal parts The south side is on
the opposite side of the Allegheny river and
I at no time in danger In the acute angle
formed by the confluence Of Oil creek and
the Allegheny river lies the business section
/ of the city, AMI across Oil creek and on
l down the west bank Of the Allegheny is the
| Third ward, which is the district entirely
burned Cottage hill, the high ground Of
/ the city, lies back of the business section
4 between the two streams 1t is there the
oil refineries and great many residences
are located, and several huge oil tanks there
are burning There is considerable peril to
what is left Of the city from a number OF
tanks bursting and blazing oil streaming
down the creek.
Mad Stampede for Life.
Thousands of people were gazing upon
Oil creek when the fire started. A thick
coating Of oil, presumably from bursted
tanks in the region of Titusville, covered
the surface of the creek Floating alonl
were three tanks Of naphtha. The sun wa.
shining hot, and caused vapor Of oil fumei
to rise from the wide surface of the creek
Several thousand people seemed to stimuli
taneously recognize their peril, and just a
they began TO move the calamity came. i
is believed that a spark from an engine oi
the Western New York and Pennsylvania
railroad ignited the gases, which could b
seen plainly in the air about twenty fee
above the surface Of the snrging water
Eyewitnesses say sheets of flames and vol
umes Of smoke shot upward to a height O
100 feet in the vicinity of bridge crossin
Oil creek In two minutes the fire has
spread up and down the stream for owe
two miles In less than ten minutes bt
! tween LlN anu ON Dhll4AABc were III lulntl
The thousands Of witnesses were throw
into state Of the widest panic MeI
women and children ran through the street
screaming and beseeching each other to L
conducted, to place Of safety. Men forge
that they We're men, and scores Of mel
women and children were knocked dow
and trampled upen both by horses and PEI
pie in the mad fight for places Of safety.
Burned 60 Death in the Streets.
Clouds of smoke obscured everything
When the darkness was most Dense thr,
frghtful explosions in succession shook Il
very earth Thes ewere thefiouting naphtl
tanks in the creek 1t was then evidei
that the whole Of the Third ward and
large number of buildings on both sides
the creek farther up, We're doomed. Low
down where the buildings We're above Il
waters surface, tie fire was swept direct
I in among them. Many of the persons wi
lost their lives were overtaken in the stree
as they fed for safety. An almost perpe
dicular wall of stone hemmed the victims
on one side, the river on the other, the d
vouring flames at their rear. Others we
burned in their houses and many we
drowned. One rescuing party with a lar
slSifload of persons taken from nood'
. houses was overtalSen by the blazing
and all perished Four Of a party wi
4 stood on the Western New York and Pen
sylvania railroad bridge are known to
- ] land