Morris tribune., 1892-06-08
AT TITUSvlLLE.
Big Loss of Life and Destruction of Prop.

Big Loss of Life and Destruction of Prop
crty.
PITTsBURa, June "a Titusville spe-
cial to The Times says: Titusville has
been visited by one of the most over
whellning floods in the history of this
county A conservative estimate
places the number of lives lost at fully
twenty-five from fire and drowning. AS
Near as can be gathered from reports as
they come in the loss by destruction of
property will aggregate fully 81 500, 600.
Allthis loss is in the city, with the sur
rounding country yet to be heard from.
A la3ge number Of the most extensive
and prosperous manufacturing estab-
lish.neaits now lay in ashes and hundreds
OF homes and business places are utterly
wired out. while the street is filled with
a crowd Of iluneiy, homeless, weeping
and distracted people moaruing the loss
OF loved ones wiio Ilare persisted in the
Bush OF Waters or Fiery Di1lows
of fame which enSuIfed them almost in
the twi4aling Of an eye as they were
struggling i'll the vain endeavor to save
their homes.
How 1t Occurred.
Aboutmidnight Saturday historical Oil
creek began suddenly. to rise. Heavy
and almost incessant rains have been
prevalent throughout this entire section
for the past six weeks. This, however,
does not seem to have been the cause.
Late reports say that the huge mill dam
owned by Thompson & Eldred and To-
Gated at the little town Of Spartansburg
seven miles above, suddenly burst. The
wave was one and one-half miles in
length and quarter of mile wide and
many feet deep. This great body sud.
denly let loose made of the valley in the
course of a few brief moments regular
inland sea. This sudden avalanche OF
water, descending when most of the in
habitants were sleeping, completely and
at once shut them off from the higher
portions of the city. Notwithstanding
this state of affairs the danger to the
city was underated, no one having the
slightest idea that the food, dangerous
| as it was, was to be ....
Soon Augm ented by Fire.
This, however, was true, for at a. m.
Immediately following three terrific ex
plosions which shook the city to the
oertre, a great flame went up from tte
Crescent foundry. A second lool
showed the entire plant to be one vast
sheet of solid fame, the light from which
Illuminated full half mile of surround
ing blackness and showed to the assem-.
bled and Mortified spectators the full ex.
tent of the great calamity that had be-
fallen their beautiful city .., .....
Oil creek was now swollen to 500 times
its natural size and reaching from one
hillside to the other presented an ap.
palling picture. Floating swiftly by on
| its bosom were all sorts, manners and
kinds Of animals and inanimate objects.
| One he 7 after the Crescent works
| caught another alarm was turned in and
it was found the oil-running flames had
scattered over the valley and the creek
was one vast sea of flame. This blaze
soon spread to the International works
owned by J. P. Thomas & Co., and they
were soon ablaze. In the course of the
fire it has destroyed the large furniture
factory, store and store room of Casper
son & Rowe, the Cullen hotel, the w est
ern New York and Pennsylvania pas
senger depot, the Western New York
and Pennsylvania freight depot and
about seventy-fve dwellings.
tits impossible to give an estimate as to
the number missing. It runs into the
hundreds and without doubt fully
seventy-fve will be found dead. It is
dark and rainy yet.