The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-07-29
Half-DreSsed Women. Preparing for
q Dance. Carried Down the
Stream and Drowned.
VICTIMS AROUND PITTSBURG
re- LIVES LOST AND TWO SCORE
INJURED DURING THE STORM.
Heavy Da age to Private Property,
Crops and Railroads Through
ont Pennsylvania.

~
PITTSBURG. Pa. July 2S.-Eight persons
were drowned in the food last night. Seven
of these met death at Cecil. a mining and
oil hamlet in Washington county. the eighth
victim going down at Carnegie. The dead
are:
MRS. SAMUEL M'KINNEY. fifty years
old.
MARGARET MKINNEY. daughter, thir-
~ years old.
JAMES MKINNEY, eight years old.
CLYDE BEATTY. twenty-one years old.
oil-well pumper of Sisterville. w Va.
G. C. HIGGINS. forty-hve years old. oil
well pumper Of Bradford. Pa.
VINCENT WILKINSON. twenty-five
years old. oil-well employe Of Vowinkle.
Forest county. Pa.
JENNIE HOLMES. eighteen years old.
daughter OF a Cecil coal miner.
JOHN WRIGHT. (colored), seventeen
years old. employe of a livery man at Car
nsgie.
Samuel Mckinney kept a boarding house
ut Cecil for the accommodation of oil men
and miners. The house was situated on the
banks OF Miller's run a tributary of
Charters creek. Ordinarily the run. which
flows through a valley banked up by a high
and steep hills. would scarcely float a
chip. but last night a cloudburst filled it
in its closely-confined quarters to such an
extent that everything along it's banks was
endangered.
There were thirteen people IN the McKin-
ney House when the water commenced to
rise at $50 o'clock last night. but no Sc
rious danger was apprehended. The men
busted themselves carrying the household
goods to the second floor and the female
portion of the household continued their
dressing for the dance which was being
held in a neighboring hall. Suddenly the
house. a two-story frame. was washed from
its foundation into the seething waters and
rapidly carried down stream. 1t was then
too late for any one in the house to escape.
Below the site of the house, about 200 yards.
stands an old-fashioned country bridge
which spans the stream. The house crashed
against this structure. the roof was torn
off and the rest of the building was crushed
like an eggshell In being forced under the
bridge.
Higgins and w. B. whitner were caught
between the first and second floors. Hig-
gins died there. but Whitner made a mar
velous escape. Those on the second floor
were badly squeezed. Just below the bridge
the wreckage of the house struck on a
sand bar with those of the party who were
still alive ~clinging TO the pieces with scarce
ly a hope of being rescued.
Thomas Hays. Vincent Wilkinson and
others formed a rescuing party. whitner
was rescued while fast i'm the wreckage by
Wilkinson. who also dragged the dead body
Of Higgins from its lodging. Samuel Nc
Kinney was also saved by Wilkinson. After
assisting in other rescues Wilkinson heard
the stream. and. Notwithstanding the ex-
treme hazard attached to the attempt, the
brave fellow made the effort TO swim across
with a rope. When about half way over
q log struck him on the head and. broke
his neck. His body was found several hun
dred yards below. lodged in a tree.
Clyde Beatty was another hero Of the
disaster who lost his life. He made stren-
uous efforts TO save Margaret Mckinney
and Jennie Holmes and had them lodged
i'm a tree. when a wave came along and
swept all three to death. Beatty had sew
eral opportunities to save himself. but re-
fused to leave his weaker companions.
Those of the unfortunate party who were
rescued were taken from the branches of
trees and portions of the wrecked house.
Those who lost their lives were either
crushed in the wreckage or knocked insen-
sible by rapidly floating logs. making them
an easy prey for the raging torrent.
The bodies have all been recovered.
Wright. the colored %liveryman. while at
tempting to drive across a bridge at Mur-
ray Hill was caught by the high water of
CHARTERS creek. near Carnegie, and
drowned.