The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1892-06-08
HORRIBLE
J0HNSTOWN DUPLICATED!
FLOOD, FIRE, HORRORI
A Picture Of Terror no Tongue can
Describe nor Pen Depict.
TlTUSvILLE AND OIL CITY
OUR CITY NEIGHBORS DEVASTATED
BY FLOOD AND FIRE, AND OVER
100 Lives Lost.

sylvaDia 1t has never been the lot O
the journalist or historian to record
such calamity-Johnstown excepted
as has befallen the cities of Titus
vile and Oil City. And in some re-
spects it distances that that befel
Johnstown. There are features of thi,
disaster that are still more terribl,
than any recorded at that time and
that hardly seemed possible.
In Titusville the loss of life is moi
fully known. On Monday evening 81
bodies had been recovered, and it i.
feared nearly as many more are yet in
the debris.
The loss in property is fully s2,OOO,
900 in Titusville alone.
In Oil City the loss of life is not SO
great as in the other city, but still it is
fearful to think of. 80 dead bodies
have, so far, been recovered. The
number of missing is estimated at 25.
The loss of property in Oil City is
fully 100000. In both cities many
of the dead recovered are so burned
as to be altogether unrecognizable.
Many have been identified more by
the place where they have been found
than by any trace of features or clothes.
Now after the water has subsidized, and
the fires have been extinguished, and a
great deal has been done to open up
the streets and restore something like
order, the scene is one of awful desola.
tion AID ruin and death. One should
see 1t to be able to appreciate it, and
even then it must be regarded from
many points of view, and approached
from many sides, and many details
must be considered before ANYTHING
like even a tolerable apprehension of
the awfulness of the calamity presents
itself to the eye and mind. 1t is too
huge and vast to be taken in in a gen.
eral view, or at one sweep of the Wis.
ion, even if one were placed so as to
have the whole awful field of disaster
and death spread out where the eve
could consider it at one glance. The
Demon Of Ruin and Wrath with the
awful elements Of water and fire at his
command seemed to hold unrestricted
sway, and desolation marks his foot.
steps. The details of this sad vista.
tion it would require volumes, almost,
to contain, but we will endeavor to
present condensed account for the
benefit of the REPUBLICAN.
On last Saturday afternoon a heavy
rainfall occurred at and around CORY.
and in that section of country gener.
ally. 1t began to fall at 2 o'clock in
the afternoon and continued without
cessation until near midnight, iucreas.
ing in intensity as the afternoon wore
away and evening came on. By
nine o'clock in the evening water two
feet deep was running past the depot
there, and while no lives were lost 10
Cory the damage to property was
fully s15O,000 dollars. The water
from this awful rain storm finally
found its way into the Conewango
creek that empties into the Allegheny
at Warren, into the Brokenstraw that
empties at lrVineton, into Frenck
Greek, and into Oil Creek where such
sad havoc was wrought. By eleven
o'clock in the evening on Saturday
the water in Oil Greek at Titusville
had risen until danger was feared.
But no damage had been done. Above
TituSville 3 miles, at Centleville, there
was a small dam across Oil Creek,
and at Spartansburg, IA miles farther
up, larger one, with head of 8 feet
and covering about 200 acres. Yield.
pg to the tremendous rush of water
hat was pouring into aud through and
over it the dam at Spartansburg gave
way and as the waters hurried down
he creek thus reinforced the Centre.
'ille dam too was carried away. This
ush Of water reached Titusville at 2
o'clock, or near that time, Sunday
morning. No warning had preceded
and so no measures had been taken
o forestall this new danger. Oil
Ireek flows through Titusville a dis
ance OF more than two miles, or rath.
for that distance is Titusville built
long the creek. The city is built all
n side of the creek, the other side
eing steep bluff with no room for
uilding on the creeks bank. Oil
reek is about the size of Tionesta
reek' and here was probably 200 feet
'lde' On the city side the ground is
at gradually rising as one goes back
'om the creek TO The foot Of the hills