The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-06-07

Unidentified.
on CRY, Pa, June Ga day full OF
excitement and narrowing scenes has
closed here, and thousands who have
been seeking for the dead and aiding
the suffering have gone TO rest. Not all,
however All along the burned sec.
tions can be seen groups of persons still
hunting for their loved ones. They do
not seem to weary or despair, but dig
into the accumulated filth and rubbish
with bare and bleeding hands. Many
of them have not ceased fora moment
in the search for tho dead. Without
food and sleep the unwearied are con-
tinuing in their task. For many OF them
the work will be without result, for it
is now certain many Of the bodies have
been either burned TO ciuders or swept
into the flood and away. The banks
along the creek are caving in, and many
a victim has gone to his last resting
place unattended by mourning friends
and with no ceremonies.
At late hour tonight siXty.seven
bodies have been taken from the ruins,
and this practically ends the work of
The searchers till tomorrow. Those
who are acquainted with the locality
where the greatest damage was done
say the loss of life must reach at least
$50, and many put the figures at 200.
The number OF bodies recovered gives
no fair estimate of the number lost.
The section where this loss of life is
greatest was largely occupied by for
eigners, employed in the tube works.
No one knows their names, and 1t will
be impossible to over learn just how
many are missing. In this section,
also, were vast number Of children,
or, as one citizen puts it, there were
swarms Of them. OF all the bodies re-
covered only ten were children, and the
great question is, what has become OF
the rest OF the children?
PROMPT AID.
Unbounded gratitude is felt and ex
pressed by the relief committee here
over the unsolicited and generous SUBJ
scriptions and offers Of aid from outside
persons. Tonight the committee has
In hand over $4,000, and the answers
TO inquiries received to-day will to-mor-
row swell the subscriptions TO double
this sum. Already there have been re-
quests for aid from three hundred, and
this number is surely being gswelled.
This by no means represents the
total number OF sufferers as many of
them have friends hero who have pro-
vided for them. The tales OF heroic
struggles for life will never cease TO be
told, and every person one meets has a
thrilling story to tell While all alike
in most respects, each has some dis
tinctive feature which makes 1t worthy
OF honorable mention. Were each mem
toned, however, space could not be
found to contain them. Among the
cities which have either sent suscrip-
| ticns or made inquiries relative thereto '
are Pittsburgh, New York, Boston,
Buffalo, Philadelphia, Rochester, James
town, Syracuse, Albany, Harrisburg,
Altoona, Erie, Cleveland, Columbus,
Chicago, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, st.
Louis, San Francisco, Denver, Balti-
more and Washington. The question
OF insurance is most serious one, and
adjusters are already on the ground.
The total insurance is about $500, 900.
4 DRAvE LITTLE HERO.
Little Willie Ash, the eight-year-old
son of Mr.. Isaac Ash, the venerable city
solicitor OF Oil City, is probably the
brayest little hero OF this awful calamity.
Yesterday morning Willie and his father
were walking along Seneca street in the
vicinity OF the Centre street bridge, As
they reached that crowded throughfare
the first explosion OF the series that
laid waste so much OF this town, rent
the air, and the terror stricken people
started for the hillside to escape the
wrath Of flood and fire.
Mr.. Ash and his boy were jostled
about in the throng OF half-crazed men,
women and children. The city solic.
itor and his boy Joined in the rush,
and were soon being half carried, half
dragged toward tho upper hills. As
they passed Seneca street Mr.. Ash
stopped down to pick up his boy and
carry him to a place Of safety; but
Willie possessed sounder judgment
than his gray.headed father, and said:
II can walk as well as you papa, and
il you carry mo We both may die" A
few PAGES ahead the father and son
HLOppeu hu lustdub w l0Oh paSAt ou0
the little fellow spoke again. "If l
could die, papa" he said, "thep you
could save yourself" The big tears
welled up in the fathers eyes, but
through tho mist he saw that the death
dealing fire had taken another course,
sweeping westward. The old man and
his boy were not in its path and were
able to reach homo in safety. Mr. Ash
felt prouder than ever ofhiB boy to-day,
and in relating the story his eyes
moistened and his voice fnltered.
CURIOSITY SEEKERS.
The, curiosity seekers have already
begun to swarm into the city from all
points, and tonight the devastated dis
tricts arc thronged with people hunting
relics OF yesterdays catastrophe. John
o'Leary, whose life and his mothers
we're biotted out by yesterdays FIRE, had
Just assumed the position made vacant
by the death OF Messenger Metz, who
was killed in the railroad disaster at
Foster few days ago. When the food
and fire struck the O'Leary home John
tried to save his mother, who was al.
most eighty years Of age, but failing lie
calmly sat down by her side and mother
and son faced death and died together.
The Valley Oil Company's property
| At Rousoyille was damaged bv the food