Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1892-06-09
HUNDREDS ARE DEAD.
TERRIBLE FLOOD IN NORTH
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.
OIL City and Titusville Devastated--Oh
Tanks Take Fire and the burning
Fluid Rushcs Through tho valley
Outside Help Appealed for.

palling calamity in the history of Oil
City came yesterday, resulting in de-
struction of life and property which as
yet can only be Appropriated. Thus
far sixty-nine lives are known TO be
lost. hundreds of people are known to
be missing, and it is believed the loss
of life will reach 200 or more.
At ll:30 o'clock in the forenoon a
large proportion Of the population of
the city was distributed along the
banks and bridges of the Allegheny
river and Oil creek watching the rise
OF the food in both streams, the chief
cause of the rise of the latter being
due to cloudburst above Titusville
which resulted in tho loss of many
lives at that point. AT the time men,
toned an ominous covering of oil
made its appearance on the crest
of the food pouring down
the Gil Creek valley, and the danger
GUS foreboding waves of gas from dis
tillate and benzine could be seen above
the surface of the stream. People be-
gan slowly to fall back from the bridge
and the creek, but they hardly begun
to do so when an explosion was heard
up the stream which was rapidly fol-
lowed by two others, and, quick as n
flash of lightning the creek for a dis
lance of two miles was filed with an
awful mass of roaring flames and bill
lows of smoke that rolled high above
the creek and river hills. No pen can
picture the scene then witnessed.
Almost all the town was on fire
within three minutes of the time Of
explosion, and no one knows us yet
how many Of the Inhabitants are dead
in the ruins of their home.
A correspondent stood at the time
of the first explosion at the east end of
the creek bridge mentioned. Almost
as quickly as the words can be written
fully 5000 people in that portion of
the town were on the streets, wild with
terror, rushing to the hill. Men forgot
that they were men, and scores of men,
women, and children were knocked
down and trambled upon by both
horses and people in the mad fight for
places of safety.
Hundreds of people thought the day
of Judgment had come, and many
prayers were heard mingling with the
means and lamentations Of the fleeing
multitude. The heat was intense, and
the weird and awful spectacle pre-
sented to the panic-striclen people
was that a cloud-burst of fire, bordered
and overcapped by great canopy of
dense black smoke, was falling upon
the city.
The flood in the Oil Creek valley has
inundated the upper portion of the
town, flooding from fifty to seventy
five houses along North Seneca street.
The most of their inmates reached
places of safety by the use of boats or
by swimming or wading, but number
of them were yet in the upper stories
or in the water when the fire came and
their fate, was quickly sealed. Some of
them were seen to jump into the water
to escape death in the flames.
The distillate and benzine on the
creek came from tank lifted by the
food and is supposed to have been
ignited by a spark from an engine on
the Lake Shore road, just above the
tunnel at the northern part of the city.
The fire shot up the creek as well as
down and several tanks are on fire at a
number of the retineries above. But it
is believed that their burning contents
can be kept within the tanks and that
second baptism of fire may be
averted.
1t is almost impossible to find words
to describe this awful calamity arst at
this time no one has any idea of the
number of lives that have been lost.
For miles up the creek on both sides
everything is in ruins, and hundreds of
families have been rendered homeless.
The fire came SO suddenly and so unex.
pectedly that little II any property has
been saved along this stream, and the
sky for miles around is still black with
the smoke from burning dwellings and
oil tanks.
The water in Oil creek is falling
slowly at this time and it is hoped the
worst is over and no more lives will be
lost. The creek is fifteen feet deep and
100 yards wide now and in the memory
of the oldest inhabitant has never been
so high before
Scenes the Same at Titusville, and the
Destruction as Great.
TITUsvILLE, Pa, June This city
is passing through the largest flood,
attended with fire, together with large
loss OF life, that it has ever expert
enced. Though the fire is still raging,
the latter is now under control. The
estimate OF actual loss will foot up be-
tween 81 200, 900 and $1,000, 900. The
loss OF life will be from seventy to 200
people, composed mostly of the work.
ing classes.
Three cloudbursts occurred early last
evening, two fifteen and twenty miles
north, while the third was at Titus
Vile, fifteen miles southwest. This
caused the sudden rising of the waters
of Oil Creek, breaking the Spartans-
burg dam and enveloping the southern
portion of the city in mass of surg.
ing waters,
Death and destruction were met on
every hand by the occupants of houses
and employees of the manufactures in
their efforts for life.
The whole city turned out and did
what could be done towards rescuing
those who were in danger. While a
large number were saved many met
their death before relief could reach
them, the waters covering SO much
aren.
The scene presented by the rushing
waters surging through the lower part
Of the city as witnessed by thousands
Of citizens was one of desolation When
morning broke hundreds of anxious
people looked out of the windows or
stood on the roofs of the houses waiting
for helping hand and trembling for
their fate. Strong and brave men, by
means of boats and ropes, succeeded in
reaching and saving those who had
secure position till help arrived or till
the waters began to recede. To add
to the horror of the scene rain fell in
torrents and fire broke out in the re-
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