The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-06-07
BOTH FLOOD AND FIRE.
The Awful Sabbath Visitation of the Oil
City Regions.


City Regions.
on CITY, Pa, June 9. - Few of the
spectators who were watching tho food
yesterday when the explosions occurred
and escaped can give a good idea OF what
happened. All agree that there was
terrific explosion and that the whole air
was filed with flames. This was quickly
followed by two other explosions. Three
gasoline tanks had exploded almost at
the same time. The oil on the creek
blazed up. The gas in the air burst into
a roaring flame. The water and air were
all literally ablaze. Men, women and
children were knocked PROSTATE by the
shock and many never arose. Some of
those who did found themselves in q lake
of flames.
The multitude fed with screams of an
guish for the higher ground. In the rush
and badly injured. Some were hurt by
horses; others ran and leaped into the
water and were drowned. The flames in
the air quickly burned out, but they left
huge volumes of black smoke across the
heavens beneath which roared the fierce
flames of the burning oil upon the water
The many submerged houses and shops
along the creek bottom were soon in
flames, and the silent fire of blazing gas
was succeeded by the cracking flames of
burning homes. In many OF these houses
the people were confined. They could
not escape for the fire. Within the
sight OF thousands, who heard their pite-
Gus screams they burned to death or
leaped into the river and there perished
by both flood and fire.
The Story Of a Rcscucr.
The story told by Harry Mcveagh,
member of a rescuing party which saved
dozen lives, surpasses in horror many
of those related by persons who worked
only in bringing corpses out of ruins,
and his words indicate that he believes
many Of those saved alive would be bet
ter with the dead, they are SO horribly
wounded and burned. He, with Wade
Hullings, William Couch and Albert
Smith toured the creek in skiff after
the fire had all died off its surface and to
the foot bridge crossing at the head OF
clinging. "Their condition was horri-
ble," said Mcveagh. "Their clothing
was burned off their bodies; their hair
was singed and the eyes even In some Of
them were burned out, yet some OF them,
I believe, will live.n
them from the bridge into our boat and
the cries they sent up were the most piti-
full that ever reached my ears. They were
seven men and four women and the
appearance of the latter was particularly
distracting. We have cared for them the
best we can"
One OF the heroes, who
Gave His Life For That OF Others.
was VIM. l.. Stewart. When the disaster
occurred Stewart ran to his home in
Siverlyville and dragged a boat to the
waters edge. He braved the death that
moved on the waters and was one OF
those who helped to save the west side
victims. For an hour he helped to drag
people out OF the houses on the bank OF
Oil Creek and bore them ia his boat to
safet-. A great wave of naphtha ap-
proachedtover Stewards head, n house
cracked and in an instant he was engulfed
in mass OF mortar, oil and flame. From
below the river stretched out a hundred
tongues; from above came a shower OF
timbers and plaster. Stewart was killed
outright. He died at his post almost in
the very act Of snatching lives from the
raging elements. His body was fearfully
battered and burned. He leaves q wife
and two children.
John 8. Klein, Supt. of the National
Transit Company's shops, was instru-
mental In saving many lives by timely
warning. He was near the tunnel on tho
Lake Shore Road when the pungent odor
OF the benzine borne on the breeze at
tracted his attention. Knowing that
some accident must have happened up
stream, or that a volume Of oil was float
ing down the creek, he recognized at
once the fearful results that would ensue
II IL should catch fire. "Put out your
hres and
Run for Your Lives"
he shouted, running with all the speed
he could muster from house to house.
Many took warning and fed to the
shelter of the hills. But he had not gone
far before n fash as II from some huge
thunderbolt illuminated the valley, and
in an instant wall OF flame arose from
the creek, enveloping everything within
the compass Of the rushing waters In its
awful grasp.
Eighteen miles Of death and desolstion