Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1892-06-06
People Perish in Penn
syIvania's Oil Region.
TWO CITIES DEVASTATED,
Titusvillo and Oil City Practically
Ruined.

the history Of this country. A conserva-
tive estimate places the number OF lives
lost as high as seventy-live from fire and
drowning. As near as can be gathered
F. from reports as they come in, the loss by
destruction Of property will aggregate
fully S1,5O0,OO0. All this loss is I'm this
city, with the surrounding country yet 70
be heard from. A large number of the
most extensive and prosperous manufac
turing establishments now lay In ashes,
and hundreds of homes aud business
places are utterly wiped out, while the
streets are filled with crowd OF hungry,
homeless, weeping and distracted people,
mourning the loss of loved ones who have
perished in the rush OF waters or the fiery
pillows of flame which engulfed them as
they were struggling in the vain endeavor
to save their homes
The sky is Allied with dense and pitchy
clouds OF smoke arising from the sm6uL
dering ruins of renneries, cooper shops,
furniture factories. radiator works, hotels,
railroad warehouses, cars, dwellings. etc,
while the waters OF Oil creek are rushing
through the streets with almost resistless
force Nothing can do justice to the scene
of terror and confusion prevailing in this
stricken city. The Illuminating gas works,
the electric light plant, the city water
works are all under water, while the
natural gas mains have been turned off at
Oil City. This leaves Titusville
without Water. Fuel or Light
a at least from the sources from which these
necessities have been accustomed to come
Parents and children stood by without
the power TO aid one another's struggles
against the clutches Of the food, until
eventually they went down to rise no
more. AS sad and as sickening scenes as
ever transpired in the valley OF the Cone
maugh three years ago wereJ repeated
here while thousands looked on unable TO
avert them. One father is a maniac over
the loss Of his whole family wife and
seven children, one a babe days old
A brother was rescued from burning
building where he was forced TO leave a sis
ter, her husbandand two children to perish
Many such cases are heard. Many arethe
fathers, mothers. sisters and brothers
wandering aimiessly in search OF missing
ones, who in all probability will never
again be heard of.
Fully one-Shfrd of the business and resi-
dence portion of Ttusvlle isin ruins. Tie
terrible food with mighty roars rushed
through the streets never before touched
by water, with almost as great fury as
when the first tidal wave broke over the
confines Of the usually small stream.
Brave men with ropes tied around their
waists are breasting the terrible current
rescuing the unfortunates who have pa
tiently awaited their turn. The people do
not realize the enormity of the calam-
ity, 1t is
Too Full Of Horror
l.. to be grasped. Fully Zoo people witnessed
five strong men perish together. Holding
to piece OF timber, they were struggling
to make the shore, and just as they reached
out for a grasp at the bank, n neighboring
oil tank exploded the river of burning oil
enveloping the men. Death came almost
instantly.
About midnight Saturday historical Oil
creek began suddenly to rise. Late re-
ports say that the huge milldam. owned
by Thomson e. Eldred, and located mt the
little town OF Spartansburg, seven miles
above this city, suddenly burst This
body of artificial water was I-2 miles I'm
length and one-fourth of milo wide and
quite deep. This great body OF water. thus
suddenly let loose, made Of this valley, in
the course OF few brief moments, n regu.
lar inland sea.
This sudden avalanche OF water de-
scended when most OF the inhabitants
were sleeping. and at once shut them OF
from the higher portions OF the city. Not
withstanding this state of affairs the dan
ger to the city was underrated, no one
having the slightest idea that the flood,
dangerous MS it W $, was TO be soon
Augmented by Fire.
This, however, was true, for Mt 9 o'clock
In the morning, immediately following
three terrific explosions. which shook the
city to its center great light went up
from the direction OF the Crescent refin-
cry, located on the north side of the
creek, in the east end. A second look
showed the entire plant to be ono sheet of
solid flame, the light from which illumin-
ated full half mile OF surrounding
blackness, and showed to the assembled
and Mortified spectators the full extent Of
the great calamity that had befallen their
beautiful city. The tongue Of flame
shooting straight into the heavens, the
shrieks and agonizing cries of the help
less human beings Gagged I'm their dwell
ings in the middle Of that rushing and
mighty water and within the very shadow
of death from the burning oil, benziue
and naphtha, that threatened at any time
TO engulf them, the shrill whistliug of
steam whistles, the jangle of the nre
bells, the clatter Of the steamers, hose
carts and hook and ladder trucks, the
crackle, roar, rush and rumble of the
huge body OF water and sky piercing
flames all went to strike terror to the
stroneest heart. The people. In their
eager haste TO get some place out OF dan
ger, they knew not where, in many cases
rushed pellmcll over each other, and
scores were injured 10y being knocked
down and trampled on.
The undertaking establishments of
Davidson and McNutt have been
Turned Into Temporary Morguea
With the exception of the bodies Of seven
Hebrews ana two children, all of the
bodies so far recovered have been taken
there rs fast an they are brought from the
water. Most OF the bodies bear evidences
III havipg met death from burning OIL,
bnany Of them being burned almost be-
yond recognition, and several of them In
such manner Ne to leave the bodies moth
lug but blsckened crisp. entirely without
the least semhlance % the human form
IL is impossible 10 give an estimate ol
the number missing IL runs up TO the