Connecticut western news., 1896-07-30
FURY OF THE STORM.
MANY LIVES ARB LOST IN THE PENN
 SAVANNA olLFIEIDS.

Wind. Rain and Lightning Desoiate Many
 Places In the Keystone state-Greai
 Destruction of Property-oocupants oi
 . Boarding House Swept to Death
 PTrTsBURe, July aa-Dispatohes from all points report heavy damage from the storm.
 Eleven people are now known to have lost their lives in the storm, and 26 were injured, some of them fatally.
 In this city Jacob Affelter was instant. ly killed in Greenfield avenue by falling fence.
 At Sugar Grove camp John Figus had his skull crushed by falling tree and died from the effects of the injury.
 At Boston William Rose, a gardener, was drowned while attempting to ford Long run. His body was recovered in the Ohio river three hours later at Avalon, 2s miles from Boston.
 At Ellwood, Lawrence county, the pumping station was struck by lightning, and Charles Mitchell, the engineer, was paralyIed. His condition is critical.
 At Turtle creek, a new house was struck by lightning and demolished.
 Four children. who had sought shelter in the house from the storm, escaped in- jury.
 In Fayette county seven bridges were washed away between Connellsville and Uniontown-
 At West Newton the building of the West Newton Ground Cement and Lime company was brushed like eggshells by falling debris from the overhanging cliffs The loss will amount to several thousand dollars-
 At Penn Station two story house be- longing to John Driestsdt was completely demolished. The family was not hurt.
 The greatest damage. however, was in Washington county, which was the scene of a oloudburst, where eight people lost their lives in an oil camp. The dead are:
 Mrs. Samuel Mckinney, 50 years old.
 Margaret Mckinney, 30 years old, daughter.
 James Mckinney, years old, son. Clyde Beatty, 21 years old, oil we'll bumper, of Sistersville, ". Va G. c. Higgins, 45 years old, oil well pusper, of Bradford, Pa
 Vincent Wilkinson, 25 years old, oil well employee of Vowinkle, Forest coun- ty, Pa
 Jennie Holmes, IS years old, daughter of a Ceoil coal miner.
 John Wright, oolored, i7, employee of a liveryman at Carnegie. Samuel Mckinney kept a boarding house at Cecil for the accommodation of oil men and miners. The house was sit uated on the banks of Miller's run. a tributary of Chartiers creek Ordinarily the run, which flows through valley banked by high and steep hills, would scarcely float a chip, but oloudburst filled in its closely confined quarters to such an extent that everything along Its banks was endangered.
 Thrilling Experiences.
 There were 18 people In the Mckinney house when the water commenced to rise, but no serious danger was apprehended. The men busted themselves carrying the household goods to the second floor, and the female portion of the household con- tinued their dressing for the dance which was being held in a neighboring hall l Suddenly the house, a two story frame, was washed from It's foundation into the seething waters and rapidly carried down stream. It was then too late for any ono | 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 of, and the rest of the building was crushed like an egg in being forced under the bridge Hig- gins died there, but Whitner made a most miraculous escape. Those on the second floor were badly squeezed. Just below the bridge the wreokage of the house stuck on a sand bar, with those of the party who were still alive olinging to the pieces, with scarcely a hope of being rescued. Thomas Hayes, Vincent Wilkinson and others formed a resouing party. Whitner was res | oued while fast in the wreokage by VII. kinson, who also dragged the dead body of Higgins from its lodgment. Samuel | Mckinney was also saved by Wilkinson. | After assisting in other rescues Wilkinson heard 6 cry for help from the opposite side | of the stream, and. notwithstanding the | extra hazard attached to the attempt the brave fellow made an effort to swim across with rope When about half way over, 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. He made strenuous efforts to save Margaret Mckinney, but was unsuooess. | ful and lost his own life. Through the Washington and MoDon- | aid oilfields hundreds of bridges have been | washed away, and an enormous amount of | oil was lost through breaking of pipe lines and destruction of tanks.