The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1892-06-09
VICTIMS OF FLOOD AND FIRE.
Horrible Scenes in Oil Greek Valley in
Northwestern Pennsylvania.

The Horrors of a Johnstown Made
More Terrible by Waves of Burning
Oil and Torrents of FIame-Two
Hundred Lives Lost.
NEW YORK, June 7.-Waterspouts
and cloudbursts at Spartansburg,
Townville and Canahdota Lake, in
Northwestern Pennsylvania Satur-
day night, following almost continu
GUS rain for six weeks, caused the
greatest food ever known in the Oil
Creek Valley, accompanied by dread
al destruction of life and property.
The Spartansburg dam burst, let.
fling loose an avalanche of water
which swept down upon Titusville
while the inhabitants slept.
Explosions and fires followed, vast
quantities of burning oil quickly
spread over the surface ofthe stream,
and burned. The city waterworks,
gas works and electric-light works
are all under water and thousands of
homeless people were without food,
fuel or light last night.
l. hC oCcHcS vi O'tc AlsS HI III II uSN Illo
were repeated yesterday on perhaps
even a larger scale at Oil City, eigh-
teen miles below. Thousands of peo-
pie were watching the flood when
there occurred an explosion that was
rapidly followed by others.
Fire spread with great rapidity,
burning oil being carried everywhere
by the flood.
Tie damage to property in Titus
vile and Oil City, and the towns
| along the creek between those cities,
| amounts to millions of dollars. and
appeals for help have been made to
the country at large.
! At 11:3O O'Clock Sunday morning
a large proportion of the population
| of the city was distributed along the
banks and bridges of the Allegheny
river and Oil creek watching the rise
of the floods in both streams, the
cause of the rise of the latter being
due to a cloud burst above Titusvi
At the time mentioned an ominous
covering of oil made it's appearance
on the crest of the flood pouring
down the Oil creek valley, and dan
gerous foreboding waves of gas and
benzine could be seen above the sur
face of the stream.
People began slowly to fall back
from the bridge and the creek, but
they had hardly begun to do so when
an explosion was heard up the stream,
which was rapidly followed by two
others, and quick as flash of light
ming the creek for a distance of two
miles was filed with an awful mass
of roaring flames and pillows OF
smoke that rolled high above the
creek and river hills.
The scene that followed beggars
description. Men, women ard chill
dren rushed madly to places of safe
ty and many were knocked down and
trampled upon.
Just at this frantic mass of hui
mainly had started up Centre street
the second explosion occurred
knocking many people down, shat
of the town and almost transform
ing the day to night with the i'm
mense expanse of smoke preceding
the second burst of flame. Hun
dreds of people thought that the da,
of judgment had come and man.
prayers were heard mingling will
the means and lamentations of thu
fleeing multitude. The heat wa
intense, and the wierd and awfu
spectacle presented to the panic
stricken people was that a clout
burst of fire, bordered and overcap
ped by a great canopy of dens
. black smoke, was falling upon tn
city.
The lower part of the town wa
soon a mass of flames and man.
, were either burned to death o
, drowned in the floods.
The disaster at Titusville was of
, somewhat similar character and va
almost as appalling.