FIRE RODE THE FLOOD. Great Loss of Life and Prop- erty in the Oil Regions. A Dam-Burst Carries Death to Titusville and 0il City, The oil regions of Pennsylvania have been | visite 1 by a disaster of fire and water that is only eclipse? in the history of that country by the memorable flood at Johnstown just three years ago. On the day after the calamity it was known that at least eighty persons were drowned or burned to death. Estimates of the loss of life increased, hour by hour, and it was thought that the death roll might swell to from 150 to 200, if not more. A dam seven miles above Titusville gave way in the night. Oil tanks were away, the stream leaped its banks, and, bearing on its back a widespread layer of oil, dashed into Titusville a roaring, tum. bling mass of flame. There was a terrible stampede. Scores of persons were swept away in an effort to find safety. One-third of the town was burned, and at 10 o'clock | that night forty bodies had been recovered. The scenes of the night in Titusville were repeated on perhaps even a larger scale at Oil City, eighteen miles below, The damage to property in Titusville and Oil City, and the towns along the creek be tween those cities, amounted to millions of dollars, and appeals for help Lave been ma le to the country at large, For nearly a month it had been rain ng throughout Western and Northern Penge sylvania almost incessantly, and for the three or four days before the disaster the downpour in the devastated regions been very heavy. The constant rains daries and the great body of water came sweeping down Oil Creek to Titusville, which is eighteen miles south of its source, A dispatch from Titusville tells the fol- lowing pitiful story: Flood and fire have wiped out fully one-third of this town, and at least two score of human lives have been miserably lost amidst horror and destruc. tion, The bursting of the huge dam of Th ym pe at Spart ansburg, seven 8, at midnight, me and a half miles length by one-quarter in breadth, the waters of which came rushing down, swelling the historic Oil Creek toa raging torrent, which overran nearty half this town with resistiess force, Sweeping many of the smaller buildings and scores of people away down the valley. Many of the latter reached the shore farther down, but at least seventy-five were undoubtedly lost, The waters of Oil Creek rushed through the streets in the lower part of the city with re- sistless fury, From housstops, windows and driftwood piles came wails and screams of anguish and distress from the helpless vie tims, all imploring aid. Brave mea with boats and ropes battled against the terrific current, and hundreds of the captives were brought safely to land. Fully 100 persons of all ages were carried down with the flood. Five persons, all males, were seen to perish while grasping a piece of timber, Just as the thousands of spectators who were looking on with bate! breath, unable to render the slightest assist «nce, were lod to believe that the sufferers would reach la: a neighboring tank of burning oil exploded in closs proximity, and in a moment the men were enveloped in flames, and death came speedily to relieve their sufferings. Their bodies were at ouce swallowed in the raging waters, Immediately a streak of flame fully 200 feet high pierced the inky and threw a glaring light te angry waters, At once the ery rang Oil Refluery Company larkness heard the vast fi . : was that pande~ monium seem break loose and ter ror reigned persons rushed mel] igh streets, tumbling her from win on the sar- appalling sight, it ws of the upper f the in thes Sooded iets appeared women and children dressed mostly in night clothes, and all pite~ Quy appealing for aid Citnging to the driftwood other debris as they were borne the stream were scores of hb their white and terror stricken desperate struggles and cries f bining to create impress gotta Crescent sounded, water tance panse of men, faces and r aid com- ver to be for. yn the time the ¢ another alarm was creek, spilled by the ate! some dis n, had taken fire, and the ex. ra number of acres square was all a sod and the sky was tilled with dense and pitchy clouds of smoke aris ing from the smouldering ruins of refineries, eouper shops, furniture factories, radiator works, hots, railroad warehouses, cars and dwellings The illuminating gas works, the electric light plant, the water works ars all under water, while the natural gas mains had been turned off at O11 City This leaves Titusville without water, fuel, or light, at least from mirces from which these Becessitios have been accustomed to come, Parents and children stool by without the power to aid one another's struggles against the c'utches of the flood until even. tually they went down to rise no more. As sad and as sickening scones as o2cured in the valley of the Conemaugh three years ago were repeated, while thousands looked on unable to avert them One father is a maniac over the loss of iis whole family, a wile and seven children, one a babe three days old A brother was rescuad from = burning building, where he was foreed to leave a sister, her husband, ai. two children to perish, Fully onethird of the business and resh dence portion of Titusville is in ruins, The terrible flood rushed through the streets. Brave men with ropes waists breasted the terrible current rescuing the unfortunates who patiently awaited their return. A little four-yearold boy, just brought to shore from the wreck of a hand some residence, was placa! in the hands of friends. When asked whera his parents were be replied with a sob, “Papa and mamma bol’ drowned.” Oll Creek was swollen to 5300 times its natural sigs and reached from one hiliside to the other, presenting an appalling picture. Fioating swiftly by on ita bosom were all as n ADK the = Clinging to various objects, such as Apift. wood, of boards, timbers and any other object they could lay hands on, were fCores human beings, their white and ter. roratricken countenances, desperats strug | glen, and plaintive, soul-plercing orfes for ald all combining to create impressions in the mindsof the beholder: never to be otten undertaking establishments of Da. vidson and MoNitt huve heen turned into swept | had | had | converted all the small streams into raging | torrents, so that when the cloudburst came | the streams were soon beyond their boun- | tied about their | * crisps, entirely without the least semblance) of the human form. One woman, with a babe closely claspel to her breast, was burnt to a crisp, Another woman found burned bad a prematurely. born babe by her side, No sooner was the true state of affairs apparent to the citizens than a meeting was called and over 82500 in cash contributed for the immediate relief of the sufferers. Committees wera chosen and ths Rous Armory turned into a vast hospital and sleeping and eating house, No less than 100 i homeless psople were cared for, The loss in the country by washouts and loss of bridges will be enormous, There is nota county or township bridge for many miles that is not washed away, and the roads in every direction are nearly impassable, The above harrowing scenes were re- peated on an even more dreadful scale at Oll City, eighteen miles below Titusville, as told by the following dispatches from the ill. fated city: At11:30 o'clock in the forenoon a large proportion of the population of the city was distributed along the banks and bridges of the Allegheny River and Oil Creek watching the rise of the flood in both streams, the I pone of the rise of the latter being dus to the cloudburst above Titusville, which resulted in the loss of many lives in that city, AT the Time mentionad an ominous covers ing of ofl made its appearance on ths crest of the flood pouring down the Oil Creek Valley, and the dangerous foreboding waves of gas from distillate and benzine could be seen above the surface of the stream, which at the bridge, is about 100 yards wide, le began slowly to fall back from ridge and the creek, Hardly had they begun to do so when an explosion was heard up the stream, which was rapidly followal by two others and quick as a flash of lightaing the creck for a Deeded two miles was filled with an aw- ful mass of roaring flames and billows of smoke that rolled high above the creek and river hills, Oil City is bounded on all sides by steep hills. Oil Creek comes down ths valley from the north, and just before its junction hers with the Alleghcuy is crossed by a bridge to the ortio: of the city embracel the hid Ward, which lies along the west bank of the creek and the north bank of the river. Almost all that of the town was on fire within min- utes from the time of the explosion, and at the time this dispatch was sent no oue knew how many of the inhabitants were Ij dead in the ruins of their homes, An eye witness at the time of the first ex- plosion stood at the east end of bridge. Almost as quickly as the words can bo writ- ten fully 5000 persons in that town ware on the streets, wil rushing to the hills, were men, and so chiidren were kn upon both by horses and flight for safety, Just as this trantic thronz had started up Centre street a second explosion occurred, knocking many people down, shattaring tho windows in the main part of the town, and almost trans rming the day to night with an immense covering of smoke. Hundreds thought the day of padpment had come, and many prayers were heard mingle! with moans and lamentations, Toe heat was in- tense, and the awful spectacle preseatsd to the panic stricken people was that of a cloud- burst of fire, bordered and ov wreapped by a great canopy of dense black maoke, It was no wonder that people wapt and fainted, leaving everything behind them, and ran or were helpel to the hills after they were out « danger, and anxiety andl suspen friends 3 Peo the threo portion inundat h ling from fifty h Seneca street, xd places of safet od by bean mgine on the Lake Shore road, be tunnel at the northern part fire shot up the creek as wel several tanks were set on creek. The Bellevae Hotel, the Petr | House, the Oil City barrel factory, the building of the Oil ¢ ity tabe works, the bi furniture and undertaking establishment , G0. Paul & Sons, and probably 100 othe {| dwelling houses have been totally destroyed Meadville, Penn., was swept by the worst flood in its history. A midday rain of great volume swelled every stream bank full and the storm which followed in the evening ight he flood, In Meadville, Mill Rua overflowed its banks and swept whole business ortion of the y, demolishing =» | or more buildings and entailing a total loss of $150. 00, of which 850.0% is to # streets. The cannot bo esti loss throughout the country mated now, bridges were washed away in every direction, leaving soarcely passable roads in the couatry, The iamage to grow. ing crops is heavy The most destructive rainstorm that has over visital Corry, Penn., and vicinity be gan in the afternoon at 3 o'clock. It was like a heavy cloudburst, and by 9 o'clock the budness portion the town was under water. The worst was reached at 11 o/clock when First avenur, Main street the railroa yards ani Centre street wore like roaring rivers, the water being from one to three feet deep, and all emptying into the flats in the eastern portion of the city, Sidewalks are carried away and the roa ls in places gallied from four to six feet deep Nearly every basement in the business part if the city was flooded and also many of the stores, The loss on stock to merchants is heavy It is safe to say that the loss throughout the city will reach $30.00, The storm was general throughout that locality, Ihe property loss will reach far into the millions, At Titusville the los Is estimated at $1,500,000: Oil City, $1,500,000; Corry, £00,000; Meadville, $150.00), and surround ing country prooably a million more. Of the devastated cities Titusville has a popu'ation of 10,000 aad Oil City 12.000. Oil Creek rises In the north part of Crawlord County and flows In a general southerly direction to Titusville, an! from thera almost dus north to the Allegheny River at Oil City. Just below Titusville it Is joined by East Oil or Pine Creek. Between Titusville and Ol City there are nine little hamlets where ofl wells have been sunk which have attained the dignity of PostofMoss. Altogether these hamlets have a povulation of about 2000, The sigh. teen miles between Titusville and Oil City probably represent a population of from 40,000 to 45,000, Later Detalls, Tha low of life and destruction of prop erty in OU Creek Valley, Penn, were far greater than was stated in the first reports At Of] City sixty-seven bodies were re covered in one day, and it was believed that not less tha 15) persons perished by flood and fire At Ditusville filty«five bodies were found la the ruins and there Was ovary reason to believe that many wers washed away ani will be recoversd when the water recedes The latest estimate of the total loss of lie the number at 450, Calls for taaneial help are made by both cities, and » Jretous response Las already been received, Several hundred thousand dollars at least will be neoded, One-third of Titusville has been destroyed by the combined horrors of fire and flood, gad 41,0000 will not cover the property nse and fire up \ l * he Ryd Creek Vallecy Ls pions in | portion | frretia lb THE NEWS EPITOMIZED, Eastern and Middle States, Ex-SecreTany Braixe passed around New York City on his way to Maine, where he will spend the summer. Tue burial of the victims of the Ol) Creek Valley horror was bozun at Of City and Titusville, The catastrophe was largely due to the same cause as brought about the Johnstown flood, Tue flagship Philadelohia, of the North Atlantic Station, with Rear- Admiral Gher. ardi on board, arrived at New York after a cruise of seven months and four days during which she covered 16,000 miles Heavy damage was done by elou iLurste and landslides along the New ork Central lailrond and in the interior of New York State, Biosey DiLLox, ths venerable President of the Union Pacific Railroad, who had been ill for two months died a few days ago in New York City. He was eighty years of age, having been born in Northampton, a village of Montgomery County, N, Y., ia 1812 Buwraro, N. Y.. was visited by the big. gest rainstorm of which 1t has any roo Much damage was done Tre Coroner's Jury at Port Jervis Y decided that the colorel man Lew was hanged by a person or persons (5 it, Uaknown South and West, A cLovpRURST between Harold and Blunt in Bouth Dakota floode! a 1 of n wd Wash country, dolug damage to crops Northwestern Rall t inrge secti ing out a stretch of the road track. Mr«. K. M., Foots and children, while returning from a visit, were Irowned in ting to oros with their tean rae attem| Rert that RXS from th Hermann, nal Oregon slee Hepul Congressic Dyistri } » Tue rst M vention to dential n Lhe in very strong terms, ita Asal an didate venation gold people Cago uninstro ALexasven WarrLey in Albemarie y ¢ 1 for the Washington, ent Foreign, ' | warmly edian, is worth over a f Servia, has dram. experiences NATALIY, atrimoniai 8 Graxt has « tHe summer at xX occluded to spend of Cranston's, West most Point, RKropyarp KirLixa's contribute London Times are paid for at $100 a letter Justice Laxman is Washington at an early hour marketing es 10 the the rate of frequently seen in foing the fam Uy Queex Vicronmia ally reconciled te with wh of England, is gradu her various royal re Las not being stives tn she been on good LARK Russery, the popular novelist, ponceived the ides of writing a story mpris board ship for insabore ination ned on the Italian of a Ministry Avour He i» Mexon Grovasx: Premier, is th youngest head that Itaiy has had sinoe ( barely fifty years of age Covopore Eianipag T. Geany wne in New York that will in magnificence any private resi reared on Manhattan Islan L1OLITTI will SUT Ae. lence ver has YY PAs with him ear tru npet Id Gexenat LoxasTrery infirm with asvascing that al iveraat carried on thr aid |} ugn wm Canpixar Maxx: erty snough to pay his funeral These amounted to £1101 and to meet them A subsoription was started among bis rela tives ana intlmate friends not leave prog FXO Wosex in Washington are represented as being wud with envy at the magnificent wardrobe of the Chinese Minister, He never appears at any public entertainment twice In the same costume, and his silk an! satin garments are valued at $13), 00 Evisox received a feo of $40,000 for his opinion as an slectrical expert when he was employed by the company organise | to bore the Niagara power funnel to examine the ground, study con ditions and plans, and give an opinion as the feasibility and practioat |’. ity of the work Tur United States Marine Band will son lose the service of John Philip Sousa as lea | er. He will, in about sizty days take charge of a musical organization at Chieag, At a salary of $0000 per year, Mr, Mou has for twelve years sorved the band and tue public of Washington with great merit, — re ————————, 1 Sraxar. Tariey Frao, Hunteviile, Ala, the worl FIFTY-SECOND CONGRESS, In the Senate, 110TH DAY. ~The Diplomatic and Consular Appropriation bill wax passed, Tha bill was subjected to several amen iments, among them the inereasing of the salaries of the Cousul-General at London, Paris Havana and Rio de Janeiro fron "8 ¥)) wo £0000 111th DAY. ~The session was short. attendance on both sides was small. Altar the reporting of the Anti-Oastion bill. which was lald on the table pending reference, Mr Dolph addressed Senate on a bill pro- viding for the irrigation of arid lan is anf for the protection of forests and utilizitio 1 I pastures 11218 Dav. ~During the hour and a half the Benate was in session it with out discussion, the Urgency Def lency bill, appropriating nearly XX), (AH referred the Legislative Agri- cultural Appropriations Ap propriations the Committee on Territorie | admit Arizona ani New Mexico, heari Mr. Morgan, of Alabama, and Mr. Jous { kansas, The the passed, £5 and bills tw Committee Ar wile pescas : ives nake inci In the House, 1251 DAY. ~The House passed the Post office Appropriation bil were (rittere] away is tering ag a motion made by Mr, Haten Anti-Option bill, The 1 successiul, and Mr arnment, I'he Hoass forty Naval Several urs ainst Lo take up his ers were Hoally ibuseat Hatca was for i move an ad) 130rn Day prion bill by 168 w and Harbor and bills were Logisiative, Appropriation Ihe House pass $50,000 to pur for a statue t i I passed KX ne | AAS BN re wile Cron vote « admission t Mexioo wi Zim AH Pass LTH Presay! dural ex the sor Exp th om 10 sew iad irission and on single As exe le Tux Californi ¢ # preparing a notable exhibit f Besides honey and bees, the exhibit will in inde pressed flowers of all the different meas the bards and in f boss, models Tux ngs n Hea b sopers wl noveities iistinctive 0 Calif { beeswax aod ft Jaxes Durpor, missdon, mia, « mndat of the British roval eo tly passed a vacation Vetice, and in that ancient and historie « found great interest shown in the World's Fair, particularly smong the manufactur. ers of the exceptionally beautiful glassware for which the city is celebrated. In the lace and ec birod le Y industries also careful preparations are bing madd to send a splen did exhibit to the Mar Tur German loan a maguificent ¢ art to the Worla's Fa articles must be from the German Govern ment to the Government of the United Htates The German Government proposes to deliver every article to the United States Consul-Generni in Berlin as the representa tive of this Government, and will look to it for the careful tr ansportation, safes prot tion and certain return of every such article It is believed that there will be trouble in inducing the Unite] States to comply with the conditions specifie! rece! rovernment is willing to fon of ita works of it the loan of such — a — ANATION'SGREAT WEALTH it Shows Well On Paper According to the Census The United States Census Bureau sued a bulletin on the subject of assessed valuation of property in the United Niates in 180, The bulletin shows that the value of all property, excluding ralliroad property, except in certain specified States, has in creased fron $10 000 004 541 In 1890, to 834, 651 ORS 448 In 18. an increase during the decade of #7. 748.001, 922, or 45584 per cent Should it be found, upon the completion of the inquiry in relation to the true value of all property in the United States, that the sme relation ex sts in 1500, between the as poss] valuation and the real valuation as existed in 1580, the absolute wealth of the United States, according to the Bleventh Conse, may be estimated at 801 048000 00 or more than #1000 per oapita, acaioest 8514 per oanita in 185), #5 por oapita In 18C and $570 per oanita in 18%) Owing, however, to the fact that in some Btatos property is assess | at its full value and in others at only a fraction of ite value, comparison of the wealth of the Ntates is yulte tmoossible, In somes States, too, the ints of the kinds of taxable property vary greatly from thoss in others, bas fe | THE PLATFORM, The Declaration of Principles ot the Hepublican Party, The following is the full text of the plat- form adopted by the Hepublican party ob the National Convention in Minneapolis The representatives of the of the United Btates, hed convention on the shores of the Fiver Lepublicans in general M inslasi pod the everlasting bond of an ndestruce tible w hone chapter of history is the re Hepublican party, congratulate their countrymen on the majestic march of the under the banners inscribed pric. ciples of our platform of ated by victory at the polls and prosperity in our fields, workshops and mines, and make the following declaration of principles: We reaffirm the American doctrine of protection We call attention to its growth abroad We maintain that the prosperous condition of our o« wise revenue leg LT most glorious rd of t} ow Republic, Nation with 1558, vindic the untry is largely due to the ation of the R Congress We bell be pro luxurie hould be that ris into COT 1 with the products « American labor should be levied dat jus! to the di + between wages abroad at hon asnert that the pric mar tured articles of general consumption have been reduced under the tariff not of 180 of the We erati s that all arti the Upited adn wm all img W “@ operations per 3 f Deno $ reser tae efforts mn jority of the H destroy our tariff laws ecemen, anifested by their attack and lead or denounces the Le tives to ne in 1 lead But for ti fuUpon w ensure any » condi m already extending Mnmunitie MY NOYw country, tains! in the pledging the ut at the with the Department postal gervioe ire and evidence of services and the wise and the Republican party of the laws reguiating the same The wistraction of the Nioaragoa Canal # of the highest importance 10 the Ament can people, but as a measure of National de fence and to build up and maintain Amer. ean commereos it should be controlled by the United States Government, Wa favor the admission of the remaining Territories at the earliest practioal date, hav. ing due regard to the interests of the people of the Territories and of the United States, All the Federal officers appointed for the Territories should be selected from bona fide residents thereof, and the right of seif.gov. ernment should be accorded as (ar as practi cable, We favor cession, subject to the Home stead law, of the arid public lands to the States and Territories In which they le, der (Congressional tion oh nm Ay tion, reclamation occupancy by i will secure the maximum benefits 10 the people, The Worlds Columbian Exposition is a great National undertaking and tira wich reasonable leg whould islation in ald thereof as will insure a dis of the and cha ino thereto and the attainment of re- sults commensurate with the dignity and of the Nation, with all wise and legiti mate to lessen and the evils y of 2a) Wi Saved Toe ie ne o . OL t consistent { the Postoffios and th {hr ewt | We vend reform in the civil consistent enfores rr NLR! the wn ment bY Nation, we pledge anew to the veteran soldiers of the Republic a watehful care and recognition of their just claims upon » grateful people We commend thy able patriotic and thoroughly American administration of President Harrison, Under it the eountry has enjoyed remarkable prosperity, and the dignity and honor of the Nation, at home and abroal, have been faithfully main. tained, and we offer the record of pledges kept as n guarantee of faithiul performance in the futur: THE NATIONAL GAME, Tue Twelve-Club League is a financial sucoess Bosrox has not Jost a handed pitcher this year, not proving yarns tr left ZAMS 10 A MW Mac K and Ca called 1} the Pittsburgs, battery, lostom, has pitched EAIAe® 11) sucCeswon, Tavion, of best all roun CLARKSO? f shutout the | players iz s busd . CINCY AT play eedin iY ucky ud ing and inning-gaines grea IT is a signifi that the inging up the rear re afraid He sa ite the latter are lAague noant ra re F THE ILEAGUE ¢ Por s— I — TWO NEW STATZS, Bilis Admitting; Arizona and New Mexico Ihe House Passes UDO TIT A YEO WA Y A LEVEE GI x, Eighty Square Milos of Fertile Land Under Water ve n the Mississiprd hae 18 pressure of incy: much of it ur Ihe crevasse occurred at a Bar twenty-four miles A and the water poured through the break in a solid volume 200 feet wide and twenty fest sep, oar; before 2 be rush { beard for os and rapidly revasse, life people bad break for several days fise to the Liufls ata ying every water the thing was urrent N ws of ax re widened the occurred, as the s tt) tir ting been ADG Ww ed wo womeul'y warning repa ASTRAKHAN SHEEP. | They Are From Persia and Have Wondertal Fortv.poand Tails she sp, based by pure Beale, United States Minister to Pavia, Mr and consigned to Secretary Rusk. of the Agree cultural Department at Washington, arrived Nitteon astiakban | at New York on the steamship Helvetia, The fistinguishing features of thes: sheep are their tails, which practioally was the sheep Toe average weight of each of the sixteen Imported tails is forty pounds NBecretary Rusk is going to try to domesti cate the astrakhans in America. They give milk from which a strong Intoxioating quor is made, the lambs furnish astrakhuan fur, and tieir tails yield meat and fat, MORE THAN 300 VICTIMS, An OMcial Report on the Great Mine Disaster, An official report has besn made of the ‘econt diesster in the Birkenberg siiver mine, war Preibram, Austria, According %o this report, there were 807 men at work in the mine at the time of the flsastor, of whom only 475 wers resousd. he bodies of Sof the 55) men who Jost their lives have bean rec rverad, leaving only twenty eight bodies still In the mine Two hundred and ninety two wonea wers loft widows by the fire, and 002 children sander fourteen years of age were made atheros, Primitive, Dr. Herzog recently discovered ina library at Aarau, Switzerland, a copy of the first edition of Holbelin's “Dance of Death.” The same volume includes woodcuts of the same artist, {llustrating scenes from the Hible.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers