The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-06-06

fuel or light, at LEAFS from the source,
from which these necessities have beer
accustomed TO come.
Parents and children stood by without
the power to aid one another's strua.
giles against the clutches of the food
until eventually they went down to rise
no more As sad and sick entng scenes
as ever trenspired in the valley of the
Conemaugh three years ago, were re-
peated here while thousands looked on
unable to avert them. .
One father Is a maniac over the loss
OF his whole family, a wife and seven
children, one, a babe three years old. A
brother Yves rescued from q burning
building where he was forced to leave a
sister, her husband and two children to
perish. Many such cnses, sad in the ex-
IRENE, are heard. Many are the fathers,
mothers, sisters and brothers wandering
aimlessly in search of missing ones,
who, In all probability, will never again
be heard of.
About mi1night Saturday historical
OIL Creek began suddenly to rise. Heavy
and almost inoessant rains have been
prevalent throughout this entire section
Tor the past six weeks. This, however,
does not seem to have been the cause Of
the sudden rise in Oil Creek, although
at first IL was thought to be the case.
Late reports say that the huge mill dam
owned by Thomson and Eldred and To-
Gated at the little town Of Spartans-
burg, seven miles above this city, sud
denly burst. This body of artificial
water was one and q half miles wide and
quite deep. This great body of water
thus suddenly let loose made of this
valley in the course of a few brief mo-
ments a regular inland lake.
The food was soon augmented by
fire. At 2 o'clock in the morning, i'm
mediatelY following three terrific ex.
plostons, which shook,the city to its CEN
tire, u great light went up from the di-
rection of the Crescent refinery, located
on the north side of the creek, In the
East End, and owned by John Schwartz
q Co. 1t showed to the assembled and
horrided spectators the full extent of the
great calamity that had befAllen their
beautiful city.
The tongues of fame shooting 200
feet and more straight into the heavens,
the shrieks and agonizlng cries of the
helpless human beings Gagged In their
dwellings like rats 10 a trap In the mid
0AS Va bAoN 0AHA0J auu flushing WHIGE,
and within the very shadow of death
from burning oil, benzine and naptha
that threatened at any time to engulf
them, the shrill whistliug of one hun
dred and one steam whistles, the ianEle
OF the fire bell, the ~olatter of the steam
ers, hose carts and hook and ladder
trucks, the crGckle, roar, rush and rum
BILE of the huge body of water and sky
piercing flames all went to strike terror
to the strongest heart.
About n hour from the time the
Crescent Works caught another alarm
was sounded, and 1t was found that oil
discharged from an overturned tank fur
Their up the creek had scattered itself
over a broad enough eXpsnse of water TO
reach the Crescent fire, where 1t at once
ignlted, and in a moment a large acre
age of the creek was one vast sea of
fire.
This blaze soon spread TO the Inter
national Oil Works, owned by Thomas
q Co., and they were 5000 in q blaze.
came the large refining plant and
soap factory Of Rice g. Harrison, which
the flames In a short time reached and
consumed. The wind was In the right
quarter, and on sped the fire, arriving
In due time ct the Oil Creek refinery
n wax plant
Besides the three big refining plants,
the fire has destroyed the large furniture
factory, store and store room of Casper
son & Rowe, located on South Franklin
street, the Cullen Hotel, the Western
New York & Pennsylvania freight de-
pot and about 70 private dwellings,
! WARREN, Pa, June 6-Ths cloud
burst on Saturday afternoon between
Cory and Irvington, near the head
waters of the Broken Straw, was most
disastrous. Streams, already bankful,
became rivers The railroad bridges at
Pittsield and Y~oungsviIls were swept
away. At I~rvington the central pier of
the bridge used by the Dunkirk, ALLIE,
gheny Valley & Pennsylvania, and the
Philadelphia s. Erie railroads was
was he'd away, All traffic on these roads
has been abandoned.