Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-14
RIGHTING THE WRECK.
Gangs Hard at Work Removing the
Debris From the Flood.
CON GRESS TO BE ASKED TO AID.
OIL Greek Flowing Out Of Its Course and
Needs to Be Put Back.
THEORIES As TO THE FLOATING OIL
rsrEcIAI r1LEoEAM TO TIE DISPATCH.

1ITgSVlLLEs "a, June 1o-Ine work OF
clearing up the ruins has been pushed with
renewed vigor to-day, $50 being employed.
These have been divided into four gangs and
apportioned to their regular districts. The
men received their pay tonight for the first
weeks work. The roll was large one, the
amount footing to nearly 81 900 for labor
alone. Superintendent Rouse says that q
number of men Will be laid off soon. The
fist to go will of course be those from out
side. The work will still necessitate the
employment OF 100 men for some weeks,
and that is the number those in charge pro-
pose to retain.
1t is now thought that all the missing
have been accounted for with the exception
of possibly one. This doubt arises from the
blunder made by those who took the Bin
genheimer and Whalen families from their
burned home. 1t is positively known that
one at least of the Whalen children was
buried as Bingenheimer. The feet, hands
and other pieces of anatomy found in the
Bingenheimer house two or three days after
the first bodies were removed have always
been figured as a body. This has accounted
for the correct number known to have been
In the two houses at the time of the catas-
trophe
Reasons for the Floating Oil.
The opinion fs, however entertained by
many that the parts mentioned belonged to
some of the first bodies found, as several of
them were minus hands and feet and were
otherwise badly mutiisted and unrecogniza-
BILE. 1t will require the finding of either
another Whaien and Bingenheimer body to
completely clear up this mystery.
Mr.. G. N. Payne, of the National Transit
Company, one of our leading citizens and
veteran in the oil business since 1862 when
he landed at Petroleum Center, in con-
versation with DISPATCH correspondent
to-day advanced an idea as to the cause of
so much oil, benzine and naphtha being
scattered on the face of the flood which
seems to be good one.
"You will notice." said Mr. Payne, that
nearly every tank with q solid and we'll
riveted top still stands In almost as good
condition as before the disaster, with its
contents intact, while those wirh'loosely
constructed and carelessly built coverings
are either ruined and empty or scattered
along the creek bank and bed between this
city and Oil City. My theory is that when
the water became high enough it ran in
over the top of the leaky topped tanks and
took the place of the lighter contents, fore
ing the latter out and thus adding fuel to
the flames. Go through any of the refinery
yards and my theory is confirmed at once,
for the solid topped tanks are standing
there to-day with their contents intact.
To Interest the Public for Aid.
A public meeting of merchants and busi-
ness men was held this afternoon at the Oil
Exchange with the object of devising means
to interest the outside wholesale firms with
whom they have business relations in rails
ing funds to send to Titusville's relief The
meeting was largely attended and arrange
ments made for carrying out the object
One of the leading questions of the hour
is how to provide means for turning Oil !
Creek once more into its proper channel. |
Just below the railroad bridge the flood |
seemed to swerve from its natural course |
and bear to the left in toward south. As |
has been before stated in these dispatches |
the creek now runs directly through and |
over the completely obliterated Crescent Oil |
Refinery. 1t tnow passes closely to and nearly |
on a level with the big Stephens barrel |
works, the Western National Refneries,
Cyclops Steel Works, Galena Lubricating |
Climax Gasoline Works and several
other prosperous manufacturing plants. A
common, everyday food would now raise
havoc and do inestimable damage. A solid
bank of earth and gravel is piled where the
creeks bed was formerly located. Where
Church run empties into Oil creek at the
Stephens Refinery there is now regular
lark and there is no outlet for the same un-
til the creek is in some manner compelled
to assume its former course. Meantime
these large works employing 100 and more
men are under water and shut down,
Asking Congress to Right the Creek
AT a meeting held yesterday to debate
this question committee was appointed
of Messrs Roger Sherman,
Mayor Z. o. Emerson, 81. G. Bloss, Hon.
Jesse Smith and A. B. Howland to act in
conjunction with a committee from Oil
City in the matter of determining on the
of applying to Congress for aid
TO right the course of the creek both at this
place and Oil City. If this should not be
deemed good judgment an effort will be
made for State aid, the same as was done at
Johnstown. One thing is certain, some
thing must be done, and that quickly. 1t
will cost fully 500, 900 to do the required
work.
The Coroner's jury met Tonight and
without transacting any business adjourned
TO Friday evening next. To-day So, ,169 "a
was added to the subscription list This
makes the total up to tonight, from all
sources, S44, 726 80. Quite an amount of
goods was also received yesterday. The
number of people so far provided for at re-
lief headquarters is 800.