Evening star., 1926-03-23
|O|L CITY FLOOD
| RECE.DES IN NIGHT
Breaking of Ice Jam Above
City Still Holds Threat.
Experts Declare.
By the Associated Prcss.


OIL CITY. Pa, March 23.--Fiood
waters In the Oil City business dis
trict had receled greatly today. CIV
ing the city temporary relief at least
from the menace Of high water. Prac-
tically all the water which backed up
Oil Creek in its sudden rise yesterday
afternoon moved out during the night,
leaving only a portion Of Seneca street
and other lower sections submerged.
The main ice gorges in the Allegheny
River, the primary causee or the
flood, continued to hold.
Rain which fell last night hah
stopped, but the sky was overcast
bringing a prospect Of further GOWN
fall today. There was also snarp
drop in temperature from 3O DEGREES
at midnight to 3S degrees at daybreah
observers had feared that continued
high temperature, together with RAIN,
would break up the ice gorge north Oh
the CITY and back more high wafer
into the streets.
River men offered no possible eA
planation for the recession or most ~
the food waters, with the ice stil
solidly jammed III the river. one was
that the water might have 1ouflu d
weak spot in the ice below Oh 'Its
and was seeping through. the o'n'f
was that the water was backing w
Tionesta Creek. a tributary, "h,t'
was cleared OF ice last night
Loss May BE $5,000.OO0.
As the food waters receded OH CT
hapap m count its loss. Estimates Ct
damage ranged from S3.50o,ooO u
s. 900 O00. Real estate and industrial
experts included in their estimates re
pairs to buildings and machinery anu
lost time.
About 5000 feet Of ice moved out 81
the main gorge today, causing a ftlT-
tber drop of 81 inches in the river
stage. A similar recession -! ~
Creek brought further relief.
DIR. III. T. Barnes. Montreal scientist
set off several thermite bombs yesteF
day near the point where the ice
movement occurred. Some observers
| were inclined to give the therinlte
operat;ons credit for loosening ina,
section of the gorge. Others belicVed
the pressure of backwater forced tiie
| ice out
$50 Families Driven Out.
II was the backing up OF the food
waters in Oil Creek yesterday that
| caused the high water to descend
unon the city, resulting in $50 families
| being driven from their homes ara
! causing damage estimated as hign as
! s.. 900 900. Oil Creek rose from . 10
| ! feet within 10 minutes. flooding an
| area 10 blocks long and blocks VIDE
including the heart OF the business
| section. The rise was so raplo thal
| Office and store workers, intentiy en-
| gagged upon their daily tasks, suu'
| denly found the waters tapping az
their. feet and police and f1remen were
! called to carry scores OF woman
workers TO safety.
| The river late last night had
dropped . feet, due mainly to the
/ passing out of an ice foe in Tionesta
| Creek, 90 miles north of here. Gov.
| ernment observers expressed belier
/ that should the warm weather con-
| tinue the Smile ice gorge between
Oil City and Franklin would pass OUT
| without danger. This gorge. they
said, was breaking up slowly. They
river stage would cause the ice TO Jan'
and might result in additional back
! water.
Power Line Broken.
| Partial light and power service was
| restored early today after the city
! had spent the greater part OF the
| night in darkness due to an ice move
ment tearing away n steel tower sup
| porting wires that had been carrying
/ temporary power to the city.
| Street illumination. however. had
| not been restored TO the central busi-
| ness section. Throughout the night
| police in motor boats maintained q
I patrol. on the lookout for fires and
robbers No reports of looting had
| been received. A patrol also was es-
| tablished along Oil Creek when Il was
| found an oil line crossing the creek
| had been broken. No one with lights
4, was permitted within the vicinity in
| fear of setting the oil on top Of water
l afire.
Industries did not expect to resume
| today, as the small amount of electric
power available would be insufficient
| for their needs. Newspapers were un-
! able to publish yesterday, but with
| partial restoration Of power early to-
! day the Derrick succeeded in putting
| on the street an abbreviated edition.