The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-07-29

her OF coal miners IN Painters Run dis
trict, just over the Washington county
line. The boarding house which they
occupied was blown down and swept
away and OF the sixteen persons sleep
iag In 1t, eight are believed to have
been drowned. The bodies OF five have
been recovered. One OF them was res
Cutt.
They were all foreigners. mostly
Italians. and were employed In the mines
Of Colonel W. p. Rend aud the Ridge
way-BIshop Coal Company,
The boarding house was In a little
minIns settlement called Cecil on the
line OF the Eight Mile branch OF the
Pan Handle road, which leaves the
CHARTERS division at Brldgeyllle. The
branch runs over TO Mcdonald and
Cecil Is located midway between the
two points. Z
The fatality occurred at 4 4. M, when
the small stream, Painters Run. which
empt!es into CHARTERS Creek, was sud
denly swollen into raging torrent by
cloudburSt. The stream had been very
high on account OF thu rain. But little
damage had been done before the rush
Of waters which carried away the tene-
ment houses.
The particulars OF the tatality,which
have been received In this city, are very
meayre, owing 10 the remoteness OF the
locality and TO the fact that the, wires
are down.
Five OF the bodies OF the unfortu-
nato men were recovered during the
morning at various points ahout Il mile
NhnrN tk.a hn,yua 0tn hn
other ten are believed to have perished.
One OF the sixteen was rescued while
clingiug TO tree: another OF the 0ccu-
pants OF the house was discovered
cl!nging TO the bouShs OF tree three
miles down the stream He was uncOn-
sclouS and died few moments later.
A great deal OF mining and oil proper
~ was damaged In the districts along
the run. The water rose s9me-places 10
Il depth OF thirteen feet. The loss In the
district viii amount to unusands Of
dollars. rs"',--
Many narrow escapes arc reported
from the valley through Painters Run
courses and 1t Is not unlikely tha. some
others, may have perIshed. although
there Is no further rurnorcd loss OF life.
Several houses in the valley were
swept away, but the occupants go far
as learned, all managed to seek places
OF safety before their homes were car
ried down the stream. Some OF the
occupants were rescued In skiffs.
The rigging In many oil wells were
swept away and the men working about
them were compelled to flee for their
lives rs the torrents bore down the val
10y on It's course OF death and destruc-
lion.
The high water caused the boilers to
explode In tie No. mine OF Colonel W.
?. Rend, the Chicago operator. The
boiler house was destroyed and conSId-
cradle damage wrought. but no one was
hurt
4 dispatch from Cecil, Pa. at noon.
says seven bodies have been recovered
and eigh, are still missing.
The untortunates were not all for
egEers as at first reported. Among tho
bodies that have been recovered were
tbos OF Wilkinson Higgins, Mrs Nc
Kenney. the keeper OF the boarding
house, James NcKenney. n son: Jennie
Holmes. a domestic. and an unknown
oil man. were drowned. The water
rose twenty feet in few minutes.
A Later Report.
4 later and more reliable account
Says: Eight persons were drowned in
the food last night: seven OF these met
death at Cecil, mining and oil hamlet
IN Washington county, the eighth VIC
tim going down at Carnegie.
The dead arc: Mrs. Saipuel Mckinney.
nifty years old; Margaret Mckinney.
thirty years old, daughter; James Me-
Kinney. eight years, a son: Clyde Beat
~, twenty-one years old, oil well pump
cr. Of SIstcrsylle. ". Va: ]. C. Higgins,
foctyhvcf years, oil well pumper, Of
Bradford, Pa: Vincent Wilkinson.
twenty-five years. oil we'll empoye, OF
VOwinkle. Forest county. Pa: Jennie
Holmes. eighteen, daughter OF Il Cecil
cool minor; John Wright. (coldred) sew
entcnn years, Cmploye OF a livery man
at Carnegie.
Samuel Mckinney kept boarding
r0uEc at Cecil for the accommodation
Of oil men and miners. The house was
situnted on the banks OF Miller's Run. n
tributary OF CHARTERS creek. Ordinarily
the run which flows through Il valley
banked by high and steep hlllB would
scarcely float q chip; but lust night a
clOudburst filled II In its closely coniln-
"l quarters TO such an extent thnt ev-
rrything along Its banks was cndna-
gcrrL.
There were thirteen people In the Nc
Kinney house when tho water com
'ncnccd to rIYc at 0:30 lust night, hut no
tcrouS danger was apprefnrded. The
men hug!Gd themselves carrying the
a1ISchOld goods to the second floor and
tnn female portion of the household
continued their dressing for dance,
whch waa being held In ueiGhborlng
Ahll. Suddenly tho house. two story
irAinc way washed from It's foundation
IHln the Seething waters md rapidly
carried down stream. 1t was then too
ldtG for any one In the house to escape.
Er!Hw the site OF tbs house, about 200
yards, stands an -fashioncd county
bridge, which spans the stream. The
hHade crashed against this structure,
TIE root was torn off and the rcst OF
tnr building was crushed like nm pgg
Sn"ll In being forced under the bridge,
iigSins and W. B.Whitncr were caught
n.rtwrcn the FIRST and second lO0rs.
ihSKinF died thGrc, but Whittier made
= most miraculous escape. ThnSc on tho
second ilO0r were badly squeezed. Luat
".iHw ils: bridge the wreckagc OF the
Aghse struck on sand bar with those
~ INe party who were Still alive cling
'i,i to the pieces with scarcely hope
N rryclIc.
Thmhs Hayes, Vincent Wilkinson
~ others formed a rcHcunr party,
"'aiilrr was rescued while fast IN the
"''2l1gc by Wilkinson. who Alto drag.
req TIC dead body Of IiggInatfr0m It's
'"h2mcRt. Samuel Mex nncyswn also
sa.sd by Wilkinson, }ist
NVcr nXYlBtI,g IN other resciinB VII