Los Angeles herald., 1892-06-06


shot heavenward. People stampeded like
cattle and started for the hills. Hardly
had they started when explosions rent
the air and the entire creek for hundreds
OBJECT seemed one seething mass of flame
and smoke. The panic-stricken crowd
shrieked madly in it's efforts to escape.
Women and children were trampled un-
der foot and some severely bruised.
An engine on the Western New York
and Pennsylvania railroad passed tank
Of gasoline standing on a siding. The
tank was leaking, and as the engine
| passed mass of fame shot into the
air and the earth seemed to shake with
an awful tremor. It is supposed that
the engineer and fireman were killed by
the force OF the explosion. In an in
stant the flames swept madly over the
entire upper part of the city, which
vas flooded by the oily waters of the
creek, and men, women and children
who were moving from their homes
were caught by the deadly flames, and
if not burned to death outright were
drowned in the raging food. At this
writing several ghastly bodies have been
taken from the food, and are lying on
the track unrecognized.
1t is impossible to give an estimate OF
the number of lives that are lost. For
miles up the creek, on both sides, every
thing is in ruins and hundreds of
families have been rendered homeless.
Very, little, If any. property has been
saved, and the clouds for miles around
are black with smoke from the burn
ing dwellings and oil tanks. When the
explosions occurred, people were
knocked down by the force of the
shocks and every window within a ra-
dius Of two square miles was broken.
The panic during the height of the ex-
element was something fearful. It is
remarkable that no one was killed by
horses or the wild, frantic mob. The
waterin Oil creek is falling slowly, and
1t is hoped that the worst is over.
In the upper part of town about 100
dwellings were destroyed by fire, and,
owingto the depth of the water, the fire
department is helpless. This part of
the city is blocked with lumber sheds,
and the roofs of houses which floated
down. The sight from the hill-tops,
above town, is awful and beyond de-
scriptlon. The loss to property is es-
timaten at from $3.50, 900 to 81 900 600.
The surrounding country is probably
also damaged to the extent of 81 ,OOO, 600.
Fifteen or twenty bodies have
been recovered and identified. The
Third ward is as level as field. The
following is the list of the dead go far as
can be identified: William Shafer, John
Reinbold. Charles Miller, Miss Minnie
Russell, Daniel Sullivan, James Holmes,
Mrs. William Briggs, Mrs. Emma
Briggs and three daughters, William
Morgan Oil City; Mr.. and Mrs. Hawks
and daughter, Matthew Lyons, wife and
two children, John o. Leary and mother,
Frank Plank, James Rogers, James Has
kins, William White, John Steck, John
Rambo, Humphrey Stewart, William
lone, Frank Watson and William Daugh-
erty. There are fifteen hodies at the
undertaking rooms of Britting, Nc
Cracken d Co., twenty at the city hall
and number were taken to their homes.
There are still number missing.
Ed Keating, Mr.. Terwilliger, Mr..
Baker, Sheridan Wick, John Rouch and
son, Mr.. Eakin and two sons, and two
sons OF DIR. Hasenfritz were seriously in
jured.
Louis Hasenfritz was badly burned
and cannot live. Five children are
badly burned, Mat Lyons is missing and
is supposed to be lost and Gus Hawks
and daughter were burned. Nine tanks
of the Imperial Refinery company on
Oil creek are now burning.
1t is reported that Sam Yeader of
housewife saved about twenty-five peo-
pie located down the creek. He used a
boat during the high food, and great
praise is due him. Nothing can be
heard from Titusville here as yet, but
burning material can be seen on the
river mile below town.
TTTUsvILLE, June Sat q late hour
tonight the loss of life here is conserva-
lively estimated at thirty-fve. This is
entirely within the city, while the news
from tributary towns shows proportion
ate losses. Fully one-third OF the bust
ness and residence portion of the city is
a mass OF charred embers, over which
the waters rush with unabated fury.
The streets are filed with crowds of
wet, hungry, hopeless and despaising
men, women and children, most of
whom have lost loved ones, their homes
and all their property. 1t is simply i'm
possible to give the reader an idea of
the horrible scenes that were enacted.
Men with boats and ropes battled man.
fully against the current, and hundreds
OF people, captives in their homes by
the surrounding waters, were rescued.
Fully fifty people are as yet unaccounted
for, and in the present condition of |
affairs, it is impossible to correctly
state the number of those actually
drowned and burned.
Five persons were grasping piece of |
timber with the prospect of landing |
safely. When in the proximity of an
oil tank it exploded and in moment |
the men we're enveloped in flames and |
death came speedily to relieve their euf- |
ferings. A mother, with her babe
ciasped to her breast, and clinging to
plank, drifted toward the depot, around |
which the water was rushing iuriously.
AS both reached that point the suction |
was 30 great that it drew them under |
and they dissppearedfrom view. Scores
of cases of like fearful character are re- |
ported.
Many bodies bear evidence of having
met death from buring oil. Some are |
burned beyond recognition and several |
in such terrible manner as to leave |
them without the least semblance of |
human form. The loss in the county by |
washout bridges is enormous, ,as there are
no county or township bridges for
miles that are left. The roads in
every direction are impassable. The
Western New York and Pennsylvania,
Union and Titusyille, and Dunkirk and |
Allegheny valley roads suffer great loss.
Citizens tonight issued an appeal to |
the public, recitiDg the terrible destitu-
tion, great loss of life and destruction of |
x,rov,ortxv hvy Aood ond f3ro ond rouuost |