The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1895-06-13
BIG FIRES RAGING.
FORESTS AROUND BRADFORD, PA,
ARE burning.
The Woods for Miles L. "a Roaring
Mass of Flames and the People are
Fleeing for Their Lives-SeNeraI
People are Missing.

Bradford, Pa, June 5.-The woods
about OrmSby are on fire. and num-
Der of oil rigs have been destroyed.
All communication mas been cut off.
Fires are also reported a'"ng the New
York, Lake Erie X Western railroad
as far as Allegheny, y. \. ON the
Buffalo, Rochester X Pit;ShUrg road,
at Dent, the property @. the Emery
Oil company is threatened. oil rigs
all through thar section have been de-
Stroycd. as well as millions OF feet of
standing timber. The most fear is
felt at Routherford Run, where 1000
pounds of nitrO-glyCerine is stored.
Coon Run. a small settlement Ten
miles south of here in the heart Of the
oil fields, has been wiped out of eX-
iStcnce 10y the flames. The people had
TO fly for their lives. and great excite
mcnt Prevailed The fire came so
suddenly that many women and chill
dren were panic-strickcn and became
unable To move, and had to he carried
to places OF safety in the clearings.
Passengers who arrived here over
the PittSburg X Western road say the
woods for ten miles in the oil field is
Tanks says the people on the oil
leases are fleeing for safety. hut the
fire spread so rapidly that he cannot
see how all of them could have eS-
capped. So far as reported only several
oil bumpers are missing.
Everything between Iron Run and
Russell City is buried, including all
rigs and tanks of the Elk OIL company
station ard Standard Pump station.
The tire has crossed the +. ilroad north
of Russell City. Pa, and is sweeping
everything before ii with strong
wind from the west. If the wind does
not change Russell City will be wiped
out.
\ telephone message at 9:45 o'clock
via Clean, y. Y. from Kn&pp'S Creek,
says the leases of Messrs. Burns Rus
sell and Curtis have been fire swept
and fifty rigs are destroyed. Several
dwelling houses have been burned.
and should any wind arise during the
night it will likely carry the flames
to Knapp's Creek and destroy the
town. Knapp's Creek is located mid
way on the mountain between Brad
ford and OI"an. on the Western Now
York * Pennsylvania railway, and
has a population of 1000.
Around Kane the forests have been
on fire since Saturday. and all efforts
to check the flames have proved I'M
aNailiHG. This afternoon at 3 o'clock
the fire had spread 10 West Kane. the
heat being SO intense that the fighters
were driven lack and the people be-
gan To desert their homes for places of
safety. The loss amounts to millions
of dollars.
Late this afternoon the fire had
again crossed the creek at Load HOl-
low. and the Emery oil companyS
steamer was sent out to protect it's
property. The Lead pump station Of
the United states line. Il 2J.00O-barrel
tank and a cO0-harrel tank filed with
oil, were in imminent danger. along
with the dwelling houses at this place
a squad of tircmen. directed by Chief
McAllister ard aided by the residents
of the Hollow and the pipe line en-
plOyeS succeeded in keeping the flames
out of the settlement.
Just south of Bradford and not far
from the city line. fire is raging. The
Rock Glycerinc cOmpany's magazine
containing 800 pounds Of explosives. is
almost surrounded 10y fire. and il is
feared ii will be destroyed before the
flames can he subdued.
At . o'clock the South Penn Oil COM
pany sent twenty men 70 Dag0lia to
fight fires raging near their oil prop
erty. The city is being secured for
men to fight fire in various parts Of
the local oil eldS. 20 cents TO a dollar
an hpur bpinu ofTornI for tho ,,.orI,