The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1892-06-07
J FLOOD AND FIRE
AEOTHBR JOHNSTOWN HORROR IN
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.
OH Tanks Burst and Add Terror to the Rag
Ing Waters by Catching on Fire-Loss
Estimated at Four Millions.

Titusville, Pa, June 5.-Never in the his
tory of this city or of the oil region has
there been such terrible disaster as the
one that swept down on 1itusvlle TINS
morning. Horror has been brought on by
both flood and fire, and at II o'clock n.
N. fully a million and a half has gone up
In flames and smoke, while the loss of lite
Is conservatvely estimated at thlrty-nfe
eouls, with chances greatly IN favor OF th:tI
being an underestimate. This loss Is Ill III
the city, while news from tributary towns
shows proportonate losses. Fully one-third
of the business and resident portions OF
this city are Il mass of charred embers,
over which the terrible waters still rush
with unabated fury.
The streets are filed with crowds, wet,
hungry, homeless and despairlng men,
women and children, most OF whom nave
lost their loved ones and all their property
The water still floods the streets ana the
sky is black with heavy smoke from burn
tng refineries, cooper shops, radiator WORKS,
hotels, furniture factories, the freight de-
got and dwellings,.
The big refinery and wax plant OF L. l..
Wood & Co. caught fire exactly at noon
and The, black smoke blowing directly over
the city turned midday almost into the
blackuess of night 1t was lndescnbably
awful and as the rain continued to come
down In bucketfulS what outcome 10 De was
past even conjecture.
Rushing Waters Add to the Horror.
The waters of Oil creek We're rushing
ShrOlI~h the streets in the lower part with
seeIning rCsistlcSS force, while from houses,
windows and dTittWOod piles, located direct
IL in the midst of the torrents, came beSeech-
Engy walls and screams of anguish and dis
tTeSs from the helpless victims, all lmplorlng
sid Brave men with boats and ropes bat
fled manfully against the terrific current
and Hundreds Of captIves were brought safe
IL 20 land.
1t is simply impossible to give the read
er any idea of the horrible scenes enacted
Ia our midest Our people do not as yet
TealizG through what they are passing.
Fully fifty people are yet unaccounted Tor
and in tie present crush, excitement and
confusion it is out of the question to cor
sectly state the number actually drowned
and burned to death.
Five persons all males, were seen to
perish while grasping d piece of timber
Just as thousands of spectators, looking on
with unabated breath, unable to render the
slightest assistance, We're led to believe
that the sufferers would safely reach land,
ueighbOriug tank of Oil exploded in close
proximity and Ill moment the doomed
men were cnveloped in flames and death
cane speedily to relieve their sufferings,
taeir bodies being at once swallowed up in
the raging waters.
sire Two Hundred Feet High.
At . o'clock a. m. Il dull heavy explosion
was heard and Immediately heavy stream
Of flame fully 200 feet III height pierced the
Inky darkness and threw glaring light over
the vast eXpansc of angry waters. At once
cry rang ont from thousands of threats
that the crescent oil refinery of John
Schwartz * Co, located close to the north
ern bank of the creek in East End, was
on fire.
rapidly. In less than three minutes from
the time the explosion was heard the vast
plant was one sheet of seething flames. Then
It was that pandemOnlum seemed 10 break
loose and began to reign supreme. Thou
sands Of people rushed pell nell through the
streets tumhl.pg and knocking each other
down in their aimless endeayOrs to escape
from what they imagined was the crack OF
doom.
II. the Glare of the Burning Oil.
The bright light thus thrown on the sur
rouDdings revealed an appalling sight. On
the roofs and i'll the windows of the upper
stories of most of the houses In the flooded
district appeared men, women and children
dressed mostly in their night robes and all
Of them pteoGsly appealing at the height of
their voices. which could only now and then
be distinguished above the loud rush of wa
tiers and crash of fiery tlmbers, for AID and
sUccOr.
Cliugirc to the driftwood, timbers and
otter debris were scores of human beings,
sud they were borne onward down the
.stream; there were errOr-stricken faces,
desperate struggles and plaintive cries for
10 be forgotten or effaced from the men,
CRY of the behOlder.
The story of destruction by the flames
has already been told. Tonight the under
taking establishments of Messrs. Dawson
q McNett have been turned into temporary
mOrgucs, and with the exception Of seven
Hebrews and two children, all the bodies
so far recovered have been taken there as
fast rs taken from the water. Most OF the
bodies bear evidence of having met death
from the burning oil. many of them being
burned almost beyond recognition, and sew
eral of them III such q terrible manner as
80 leave the bodies without the least SEM
blauce of human form.
List os tie Dead.
Fifteen dead bodies have already been
recovered and the search continues. The
following IS list of the dead as far as
ascertauet:
JOHN QUINN, mail carrier, wife and
JACOB BERGENHAMNIER, wife and
nine children
MRS. NARY HAYNES and three
daughters, Gertrude, Mary and Clara, and
MRS. NrKENZTE
MRS. JOHN M'FADDEN and sister.
MRS. CAMPBELL and two children.
Mrs. CASpERSON.
MIR COPPIE.
FRED REID, butcher, wife and child.
JOHN OMARA and wife.
Two Veigle boys and four more, names
Unknown.
An Estimate of the Losses.
1t Is impossible at this hour (midnghO
20 give anything ike an accurate report of
the loss of life and property, as chaos
seigus throughout the devastated region
and a terrible confiagration still RACES in
Oil City. 1t is safe to say that not less
than one hundred and fifty lives have been
Host Nearly one hundred bodies have al
ready been recovered and many people are
missing. The number may far exceed one
hundred and fifty but this is regarded as Il
conservative estimate. The property dam
aged will reach into the millions Titus
yilles loss is estimated at 81 100000; Oil
City, $1.5O0,000; Cory, Penn, and Mead
vile. $4,000 and the surrounding coun-
Try probably million more.
TIE WORK OF DESTRUCTION At OIL CITY