Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1892-06-11
PENNSYLvANlA'S WOE.
Further Details of the Awful Disasters at
OIL City and Titusvllle-The Number of
Dead Nearly 800.

Dead Nearly 800.
Or. CITY, Pa, June 7.-As each hour
| passes horrors add to horrors. Not
only were the first reports of Sundays
| disaster not exaggerated, they were not
large enough. Constant additions are
| being made to the death list. Eighty
seven are now accounted for and the
search is not half finished. Mayor
| Hunt estimates the death loss in Oil
City alone at 150, but these figures bid
fair to be TOP small.
There were between $50 and 800
houses destroyed, besides the various
hotels, works and manufactures. While
the financial loss is hard to estimate at
this time it is certain to reach 81, 250, 900,
or even go beyond that figure.
Over 800 homeless people are being
taken care of, and the Presbyterian
church is being used as temporary
house. Heartrending and pitiful sights
meet one everywhere and tales of hero
ism and desperate fights with the two
destroying elements are heard.
AT a late hour sixtyseven bodies had
been taken from the ruins. 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.
Unbounded gratitude is felt and ex-
pressed by the relief committee here
over the unsolicited and generous SUBJ
scriptions and offers of aid from out
side persons. The committee has in
hand over $4,000, and the answers to
inquiries received will swell the SUBJ
scriptions to double this sum. Already
there have been requests for aid
from 500, and this number is slow
ly being swelled This by no
means represents the total num-
Der of suffers, as many of them
have friends here who have provided
for them. Among the cities which have
either sent subscriptions or made in
quiries relative thereto are Pitts purgh,
New York, Toronto, Buffalo, Philadel-
phia, Rochester, jamestown, Syracuse,
Albany, Harrisburg, Altoona, Erie,
Cleveland, Columb bus, Sanduslly, Chica-
go, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Mime
apolis, st. Louis, st Paul, San Francis
co, Denver, Baltimore. Washington.
One of the heroes who gave his life
for that of others was William L. Stew
art, of Siverlyville, small village
about mile up Oil creek. When the
disaster occurred Stewart ran to his
home in Siverlyville and dragged
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 in his boat to safety.
A great wave of naphtha ap-
preached over Stewards head, a
a house cracked and in an instant he
was engulfed in mass of mortar and
flame. He died at his post almost in
the very act of snatching lives from the
raging elements. His body was fear.
fully battered and burned. He leaves a
wife and two children.
John O'Leary, whose life and his
mothers were blotted out, had just as
sumed the position made vacant by the
death of Messenger Metz, who was
killed in the railroad disaster at Foster
few days ago. When the flood and
fire struck the O'Leary home John tried
to save his mother, who was almost sc
. years of age, but, failing, he calmly
sat down by her side and mother anC
, son faced death together.
! TlTUsvILLE, Pa, June 7.-Peop e are
just beginning to realize the extent ot
the awful calamity wrought by fire
and flood upon this city. The scene
! of desolation is terrible. Soon after
! daylight appeared the sight o.
men carrying dead bodies through the
streets on stretchers became so com
mon as to occasion no surprise. A
the present writing it is estimated tha
) fully $50 persons have been either
: drowned or burned to death. The
money loss will run from 81, 900,
900 to S2,OOO,OOO. An idea of the
amount of territory covered by the
flood and fire can be obtained when il
is stated that over 2 miles of property
) were destroyed. This includes rail
roads, factories, rcfineries, and private
dwellings, etc.
A total of fifty-five bodies had been
> recovered up to 10:30 o'clock p. N. The
work of searching for the dead is still
being prosecuted with the utmost vigor
. as the weather is beginning to grow
warm and the odor of the charred re
mains of human flesh and animals Il
beginning to pollute the air.
ERIE, Pa. June 7.-Sunday evening
Clark's milldam at Union City burs
and wall of water swept through tn,
town, carrying thirty houses from thei
foundations, and, while many person
were hurt, none lost their lives. Hun
dreds of horses and cattle wer
+, drowned. The damage will reach no
l less than 100000. The towns of Gar
land, Pittsfeld, Columbus and man
other places are under water.
Oil City was Incorporated as Il borough /
1862, aud as a city in 1870 1t has thrice
churches, three public schools, six banks, tw
oil rehneries, mandatory OF engines, OF ei
gine boilers Il barrel factory and other indus
tries.
Titusvile is on Oil creek and on the Alleghen
Valley railroad and is the terminus OF the Dul
O. all G. IN