The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-06-06
FIRE FOLLOWS FLOOD.
A Veritable Reign of Terror
In the Oil Greek
Valley.
MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED LIVES
REPORTED LOST.
BURNING OIL ON THE FLOOD TOP.

The Torrent Started in a Dam Burst
Seven Miles Above Titusyille-On Tanks
Swept from Their Bases--A ocomoti
SPARK Ignited the Swollen stream--wnd
s%tRmpedes for safoty-women and Chill
dren Trampled 60 Denth in the Mad
Rush--Hundreds Are Missing. and Many
of Them Are Thought to BE Dead Scenes
of Horror That Pen Cannot Describe.
on CITY, Pa, June 8.-Flood and fire
have laid waste a large section of this
city, and q fearful loss Of life has re-
suited. The widest stories Of its mag
nitude are ahdak It Is claimed that
90 persons have been burned or drowned
in this city, and the number may ex-
coed 100.
A territory of at least 40 acres, being
q narrow strip along OIL Creek, is
burned or flooded or both. In addition
TO those dead a large number are In
jured and probably q thousand peo-
pie are homeless. The fire started in
this city at 11;40 O'Clock yesterday
morning with az explosion of naptha
and oil on the surface of Oil Creek,
which was at a fearful height.
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 conf1agrRtion.
The town consists of -four principal
parts. The south side is on the opposite
side of the Allegheny River and was at
no time in danger. In the acute angle
formed by the confluence of OIL Creek
and the Allegheny River lies the bust
ness section of the city, and across OIL
Creek and on down the west bank of the
Allegheny is the Third Ward, which Is
the district entirely burned.
A thick coating of oil, presumably
from he bursted tanks at Titusville,
covered the surface of the creek. Float
ing along were three tanks of naptha.
The sun was shining hot and caused a
vapor of oil fumes to rise from the
wide surface of the creek. The several
thousand people who were watching
the mad torrent seemed to simultane-
ously recognize their peril, and lust as
they began to move, the calamity came.
IL is believed that a spark from an
engine on the Western New York 81
Pennsylvania Railroad ignited the
fumes, which could be seen plainly daz-
Fling In the air about 20 feet above the
surging water. Eye witnesses say that
sheets of fame and volumes Of smoke
shot upward to a height of 100 feet in
the vicinity of a bridge crossing Oil
Creek. 500 yards above the junction with
the river.
In two minutes the fire had spread up
and down the stream for over two miles.
In less than ten minutes between two
and three hundred buildings were in
flames. The thousands of witnesses
were thrown into a state of the widest
panic. Men, women and children ran
through the streets screaming and be-
seeching each other to be conducted to
a place Of safety.
. Clouds Of smoke obseured everything.
When the darkness was most dense,
three frightful explosions In succession
shook the very earth. These were the
floating naphtha tanks In the creek.
The cause was not then known, and a
feeling that some horribly uncertain
fate was impending added to the
other t%errors 1t was then evident that
the whole Of the Third Ward and a
large number of buildings on both
sides OF the creek further up were
doomed. Lower down where the build
ings were above the waters surface,
tho fire was swept directly In among
them.
--any of the persons who lost their
lives were overtaken In the streets as
they fed for safety. An almost per
pendicular wall of stone hemmed the
victims In on one side, the river on
the other, the ~devouring flames at their
rear. Others were burned In their
houses and many were drowned.
. One rescuing party with a large skiff
load of persons taken from foodsd
houses was 'overtaken by the blazing
oil and all persisted. Four of a party
who stood on the Western New York s.
Pennsylvania Railroad bridge are known
10 be dead,
Bodies are being unearthed literally
torn from masses of debris made solid
by the food. Out In the middle of
Seneca street parties of men are com
ing and going with stretchers between
them weighted down with q body.
They return from the morgues 'imme-
expecting to aud more dead
In some places three feet or more of
covers the streets. The sidewalks
are torn from their foundations and
piled In confusion.
TERROR-STRICkEN TlTUSVILlE.