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SUPPLEMENT
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RILE
I
OIL CITY'S AWFUL
HOLOCAUST.
FLOOD i'II HOE
Sixty Persons Reported. Dead
and scores Injured.
An Awful Experience that
None Will Forget in
a Lifetime.
The mont appalling calamity in the his
tory of Oil City fell upon it Sunday, re
sulting; in the destruction of life and prop
erty' to an extent which as yet can only
be approximated. Thus far alxiut fifty
lives are known to have been lost.
At 11:30 a. m. a large pro
portion 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 ojiief cause of
the rise of the latter being due to a cloud
burst above Titusville Saturday night.
At the hour mentioned an ominous cov
ering of oil made its appearance
on the crest of the flood
flowing down the Oil Creek Valley and
the danger foreboding waves of gas from
distillate and benzine could bo seen
above the surface of the strom.
PEOPLE BEGAN TO FALL CACK
from the bridge and the creek, but they
had hardly begun to do so when an ex
plosion was heard up the stream, which
was radidly followed by two others and
quick as a flash of lightning the creek for
a distance of two miles was filled with
an awful mass of roaring flames and
bellows of sjnoke that rolled high above
the crook and river hills. No en can
picture the scene then witnessed one
that will always live in the memory of
those who saw it. Oil City, it may le
stated for strangers who read this, is
bounded on all sides by steep hills. Oil
Creek comes down the valley from the
north and just before its confluence here
with the Allegheny is crossed by a bridge
to the portion of the city embraced in the
Third Ward, which lies along the west
bank of the creek and the north bank of
the river. Nearly all that portion of the
town was on fire within a few minutes
from the timo of the explosion and no
one knows as yet bow many of the inlial
itonts are ashes in the ruins of their
homes.
A Blizzard representative stood at the
time of the first explosion at the east end
of the Creek bridge mentioned. Almost
as quickly as the words can be written
fully Ave thousand people in that portion
of the town were wild with- terror and
rushing to the hills. Men forgot that
they were men and scores of tliem, to
gether with women and children, were
knocked down and trampled uioii Imth
by horses and people in the mod flight
for places of safety. Just as
THIS FRANTIC MASS OF HUMANITY.
Had started up Centre street the
second explosion occurred, knocking
many people down shuttering the win
dows iu the main part of town and al
most transforming day to night with the
immeuso expanse of smoke preceding
the second burst of flame. Many thought
TUB lAY OF JUDGMENT HAD COME.
ahd many prayers were heard mingling
with the moans and lamentations of the
fle-iug multitude. The heac was intense
and the wierd .and awful spectacle pre
sented to the punio stricken stricken
people was that cloud-burst of tire Ixir
dered and overcapped by a great canopy
of dense black smoke, was falling upon
the city. It was no wonder that
PEOPLE WEPT AND FAINTED,
and, leaviug everything behind them,
ran or were helped awsy to the hills.
And after they were out of danger and
before, came the anxiety and susiense as
to relutivts and friends who had been
along the creek watching the flood when
the avalanrhe of llimo came. They
have siuce continued the search for the
niittting ones, and tlie city to-day, like
last ulght, is full of '.he searchers.
TUB FLOOD IN THE VALLEY
bad inundated the upi-r portion of
town, Hooding fiom fifty to seventy-five
houses along North Sentca street. The
IHOdI of their jimmies rutched places of
safety by the uho of boats or by swim
ming and wading, but a number of them
were yet in the uper stories or in the
water when the fire came and
TIIKIU FATR WAS QUICKLY SEALED.
Some of them were seen to jump into
the water to escape death in the flames.
From the remnants of the only buildings
remaining in this waste after the flood
thirteen persons were removed in a boat,
three of them severely burned but
alive. The distillute and benzine on
the creek came from a tank lifted by the
flood and is supposed to have been ignited
by a spark from some wells on the west
bank of the creek, above the Lake Shore
tunnel. '
THE FIRE SHOT UP TUB CREEK
as well as down, and several tanks were
soon on fire at a number of the refineries
up the creek. The damage to proerty
by fire alone can not be even approx
imated. The Bellevue Hotel, Petroleum
House, the Oil City Barrel Factory, the
new building of the Oil City Tube Works,
the big furniture and undertaking es
tablishment of Paul & Sons and about
150 dwelling houses have been totally
destroyed.
The bare description of the scene wit
nessed when the Are started would more
than fill every inch of space in the Bliz
zard and not approach the requirements
of the description. In writing at all the
mind reverts at once to
THAT AWFUL SIGHT
that Niagara of fire, that veritable rush
ing hell of flame and smoke. May the
Oil Creek Valley or any other valley
never be filled again with such an aval
anch of destruction; may the Grim
Reaper never ride again on such waves
of death anywhere on earth. Frenzy,
fright, prayer and unmeasurable grief;
HOPE, ANGUISH, DESPAIR AND DEATH,
the living and the dead. O, the pity of
itt the pity of it all I No wondtr that
people fell everywhere upon their knees
and prayed to the Almighty to save
them, and that those who did so were
not confined to the members of churches.
That the main portion of the city was
not wiped out was due to the splendid
work of the firemen and the fact that
the wind was blowing from the east.
Chas. Frank, his father and Marion
Crowther, who live a couple of miles out
the Dempsey town road, were on the nar
row stretch of land above the Lake Shore
tunnel when the explosion occurred and
began a
REMARKABLE FLIGHT FOR LIFE
which they succeed in winning. Mr.
Crowther had an arm broken and was
otherwise injured, but all of them suc
ceeded in reaching the mouth of the
tunnel and running into it, just as the
groat wall of flume closed upon it. They
reached the other end of the. tunnel in
safety.
Let us not touch upon the horrible de
tails so long as they may be avoided,
but describe the progress of the flames.
That part of the city lying north of the
Boiler Works along Seneca street and
between that street and the W. N. Y. &
P. tracks, which portion of the city had
been inundated by the flood, was the
first to go. It embraced nearly if not
fully one hundred residences, and they
were quickly
BURNED TO THE WATER'S EDGE,
and the flood was leaping over their
ruins. Once again let us defer the hor
rible details to be recorded.
Sweeping down to the Centre street
bridge across Oil Creek, the flumes be
gan to cut their terrible swath of destruc
tion through the Third Ward. The
Bellevve barns wore the first to burn,
quickly followed by the hotel, Paul &
Sons' furniture and undertaking estab
lishment, the Petroleum House and the
twenty buildings lying between the
Creek bridge and the alley below the
Petroleum House. A quarter of a mile
lietow the flame swung in from the river
and burned the Oil City Coal & Lumtier
Co.'s mill, the Chautauqua & Sandy
Lake Ice Co.'s building, the Diebolt resi
dence and C. Koess' tenement house.
Above the Creek bridge, lcsides the
residences in the inundated district as
noted above the Oil City Barrel factory,
the new buildings of the Oil City Tube
Works and the intermediate buildings in
that section were destroyed. A train
had leon run out on the Nypano bridge
to hold it down. Six of the cars were
burned and the bridge badly damaged.
The Creek bridge was saved by the
HARD WORK OF TU FIRE DEPARTMENT,
ami the Ore was kept to the west side of
the creek, though it twice leaped over
and caught the lelfry of Trinity Church
and the Derrick ollice. The latter was
not damaged except by water but the
building had to be abandoned temporar
ily, and this morning's Derrick wan ac
cordingly issued from the Blizzard
olhVe.
After the first wild rush to places of
safely on the part of the ma-ises w.is
over, came the reaction, and the thoughts
of self were supplanted by
THOUGHTS OF OTHERS.
Everywhere the question was asked,
'How many do you think are deud'r" In
most c.u-es theie rame back the fitting
answer, "(iod only knows." And that
answer is still the fUl ng one to be given.
If the 1oj of bf o doo not reach i. early a
hundred it will be less than now antici
pated. Following ii the
LIST OF THE DEAD.
Select Councilman John B. Beinliold,
proprietor of the Bellevue Hotel. While
Mr. Beinbold s family, all but two of
whom were at home, hurried away to a
place of safety, he ran to the barn to un
tie the horses. His body was found
about 5 o'clock in the ruins of the barn.
He had one leg buned off, but was lying
under a heavy piece of timber and had
evidently been knocked senseless by the
same. He had been partly burned in
the body when the timber fell and was
but little disfigured.
Among the first bodies reported found
were four at the south end of the W. N.
Y. & P. creek bridge. Three of them
were finally identified as those of H. W.
Shafer, of Franklin, operator in the
office of Cornwall & Reed and the Postal
office; a book agent named Bristol; Chas.
Miller, a machinist in the National
Transit shop. They bad been watching
the flood at that point, were literally
roasted as quick as a flash and dropped
almost together in a heap.
Daniel Sullivan, aged forty-five, for
merly an engineer on the W. N. Y. &
P., was found dead on a pile of boards
in Wick's lumber yard. lie was unmar
ried and lived with his parents. Mra,
John Roach and little child were burnod
and drowned at their home on North
Seneca street. The husband and father
saw them die and his efforts to save
them are expected to result in the loss of
his own life. Grant Terwilliger, who
was heroically working to save women
and children, was drowned, as was also
his brother Will. They dived into the
water as the flash came did not appear
again. Both were married and leave
families.
E. V. R. Planke, here on a business
trip from Carthage, N. Y., was among
those in the vicinity of the creek rail
road bridge and was burned to a crisp.
The bodies of Councilmen Bartholo
mew Lyons, his wife and fourteen-year
old boy, when found in the ruins of their
home presented a touching spectacle.
The wife held the boy to her breast and
the arms of the husband were about both
the wife and child.
Mrs. Edward Mills, of 30 Seneca street,
was found in the evening with her two
children burned almost beyond recogni
tion. A. F. Moran, of Rochester, N, Y.,aged
alxut thirty years, was found drowced
on Seneca street.
James Rogers, of the Clapp farm,
started to float down in a boat from one
of the refineres and was lost. Win.
White, of Clapp farm, was in the boat
with him and was also lost. He leaves
a wife and five children.
Edward Keating, a W. N. Y. & P. sec
tion boss, was dreadfully burned, and
after running to his home on Palace
Hill, dropped dead.
Willis Stewart, of Siverlyville, one of
heroes of the rescuing party, who was
caught in the fearful flames also per
ished. Harry Holmes, of Jamestown, N. Y.,
a young barber about twenty years of
ago, employed in John Uhlander's shop,
was drowned on Seneca street.
Farther up the body of Walter Mo
ri lot son, of Rouseville, was found.
F. xpress Messenger John O'Leary and
his aged mother were found dead to
gether and the sight presented was both
frightful and touching. The eon had
evidently made a vain endeavor to save
the mother and had then knelt by her
bedside in prayer. When found ho was
still kneeling there burned in the fright
ful manner indicated in the report ulxive
of the bodies at the Mayor's office.
The body of H. D. Dougherty, of the
Summit, was found at 8 o'clock this
morning. The only manner in which it
could le identified was by a fragment
found of the shirt he wore. His .wife
hud made the shirt and to her fell the
sad lot of making the identification
through remembrance of the way she
had made the button holes.
William Eakin, aged fifty-live years,
and his two sons, Frank and Ed Eakin,
both married, lost their lives at the
father's home, on Seneca street. They
sent their mother and sister over the
teuiorary bridgo and remained liehlud
to pile the furniture out of the water.
They were caught in the Humes and lout.
The bodies of all were found and identi
fied this morning.
The body of Sheridan Wick who is sup
posed to have jumed into the water to
escape death by fire, was found this
morning near the Wick Lumber yards
and taken to the Mayor's ollice.
Ed. Mills has been found frightfully
burned. Three other children are yet to
be found.
A little nine year-old girl named Edith
Freeman, whose parents live on Seneca
street, was found in the ruins of the
house this forenoon,
8. P. Hieek, who made a strong fight
for life, died at 10:110 o'clock this morn
ing. One of the bodies found at the railroad
bridgo immediately after the fire was
identified this morning as that of Attor
ney J. L. Dur worth.
Thus far forty-two Knlics have leen
found.
The Coroner and jury are now viewing
the ruming.
There were several
TEMPORARY MORUUKS,
and the sight presented t each seemed
more horrible than the other. At the
City Hall was a sight to cause the most
stolid heart to sicken and the strongest
frame to tremble at the siiectacle that
met the gaze. Lying side by side were
the charred remains of ten of the victims
stretched out along the wide hall on the
ground floor.
ONE LOOK AT THE AWFUL WORK
was enough to gratify the curosity of the
morbid sight-seers. Silent in death,
burnt beyond the semblance of human
beings were forms that with the rising
of tho morning's sun were full of life,
ambition and hope. At night their
souls were in the beyond. At the farther
end of tho hall lay all that was once a
happy family. Bartholomew Lyons,
wife and Bon, all terribly burned. Next
to them lay Mrs. Mills and her twin
daughters. The former was only slight
ly burned but the latter two
were burned to a crisp. Only the
bodies were left and the blacked
ahd criip arms were clasped about one
another; showing that they were in one
another's embrace when the summons
came. Mr. Mills only came to thisjeountry
from England a little more thau a year
Bgo. Four months ago the remainder of
the family arrived, and now all have
been swept, as with a breath, from the
face of the earth. Walter McPher
Bon and Grant Terwilliger. lay
side by side, the former ouly
slightly burned but the latter beyond
recognition. Tho left hand was burned
off and the stub of the arm was raised
imploringly toward Heaven. Mrs.
O'Leary and her son John, an express
messenger on the Valley road, laid side
by side. The former was a frightful
sight but the latter was even more
shocking to behold. Nothing butthechar
red trunk remains. The head,
arms aud legs were charred
entirely consumed and all that remained
presents more the appearance of a pice
of burnt wood than what was only a few
hours before a human form.
WHERE THE FIRE STARTED.
Two Blizzard men were standing n
the south stone pier of the oreek railroad
bridge when the gas commenced coming
down the stream. It seemed to hung
over the water like a haze, a kind of a
transparent shimmer, such as is some
times caused by the suu on a hot sum
mer duy. The air was soon im
pregnated with it and the
odor became so strong that
the spectators commenced feeling dizzy.
J. L. Dorsworth, II. W. Shaffer and
some others who were killed were stand
ing by the side of the BLIZZARD meu
when they concluded it was time to
move away from a deadly enemy which
could not be seen. Mr. Dorsworth
was standing . with his hands
on his hips, looking up the stream when
the Blizzard men left him. The news
paper men crossed the foot bridge and
had just started down Shamrock street,
when, glancing across the creek, to
where Livsey's wells, on the west bank
of the creek, by tho side of tho Luke
Shore Railroad truck, a flush was seen.
THE GAS HAD IUITKD
IiihtuncoiiHiy it flashed across the creek,
ahd in half the time it fakes to write it,
everything between the startilig point
and W. N. .Y. & P. trucks, east
of the Barrel Works was in a
sheet of flame. The BLI.ZAltD men
started up the hill and had gone iwrlmps
fifty feet when the explosions occurred.
AN RNOINKKR'S EXPERIENCE.
Bigler Carr, the engineer of the engine
standing near the (-reek railroad bridge,
near tho barrel works, says: "I noticed
aliazo rising on the water and fearing it
might be gas, told the engineer of the
siH-ciul which was standing near, to gi t
out of there as quick as ho could so to
let me out. My engine was standing on
the switch near the end of the Creek
bridge. The speciul pulled down towurd
the depot, and 1 got in tho cub and tried
to run it out of the switch, going to
wards the bridge. 1 wus then some 75 feet
from the bridge. I hud scarcely pulled
lever when there was a fluidi and 1 saw a
flight Maine dart through the cab. It
scorched me about the neck and hands.
I sprang olf the engine, and ran down
the track, and was about three car lehgths
from the engine when the cxplodoa
took place. There was a hissing sound
all around me, and little tl.isliet of
flames."
One of the men who work in the Union
Refinery was near at the same lime, and
recognising the danger from I he gas
arising from the creek, had just started
to tell Carr to pull away, when hn saw
him jump on the engine. He says that
at the same moment apparently there wits
a flush of flame under the engine,
which seemed to shoot out into
the staves ut the barrel works, throwing
them high in the uir. There was an in
terval, of, it seemed to him a minute lie
fore the explosion look place on the
creek.
WORSE AND WORSE,
One Hundred Lives Lost in
Titusville.
THE SCENE FROM THE SOUTH SIDE.
The spectators at the south end of Pe
troleum bridge were startled by a muf
fled report as of an explosion, followed
in quick succession by at least four
others that seemed to effect earth and
air alike. The shocks accompanying
nearly took the jieople off their feet.
Then came a wall of rolling clouds of
smoke and flamedown Oil creek that in
a few seconds ascended in the uir to a
height of hundreds of feet, taking its
direction with the current along tho
river front of the Third Ward, shutting
out effectually from view the North and
West sides of the city.
The explosions were distinct and
seemed to cover a distanco of about a
thousand feet apart. The apjiearance of
these clouds of smoke and flame ditlered
from that of the ordinary oil fire both in
extent and intensity of heat, presenting
a phenomena rarely if ever before wit
nessed. The air was hot and inflamma
ble to the highest degree, and the ob
server felt as if one was in the circle of
gases charged with the pungent odor of
of benzine aud oil that was liuble to
to hurl him into space at any moment.
Musses of
FLAMES SPREAD OVER WATERS
to the center of the river, setting fire to
almost everything couibustable along the
banks of the West Side. Then, what in
all probability was due to the east wind
prevailed, occurred the most phenomenal
incident of the day. At about Lincoln
street, the heavy masses of smoke
and flame swept over, high above
the South Side and the hill,
leaving below it tho hot air with a hn.o
that shut off tha apace between First and
r-iont street from view - opinion
of the writer this was a Providential
interposition. Hud this mass of flame
and smoke, combined with the highly
inflammable condition of the atmosphere,
struck the South Side at a lower level
nothing but blackened desolation would
have resulted. When the shocks oc
curred the congregations of the dif
ferent churches were on the way
to their homes. Like a flash
came the cry, "Run to the hills," and tiie
only hesitation doing this was on tho
the part of those too weak from fright.
Men, women and children praying,
screaming as they ran and scrambling
along, presented
A SCENE NEVER BEFORE WITNESSF.D.
Those who were iu the houses left sud
denly, caring only for the safety of their
lives from what appeared to bo the final
Day of Judgement. It was'lute in the
evening before the scattered families
were guthered togethered again and re
lieved the anxiety of many an agonized
heart. No such sigh of awful grandeur
was ever presented to our people, and it
is hoped never will be again.
GENERAL RELIEF WORK.
A meeting of the Oil City Relief Ass o
ciution, in whose hands the direction of
the work bus been put, met at 0 o'clock
this morning, at the office of Noah F,
Clurk and proceed with tho arrange
ments for extending assistance and col
lecting funds for that purosc. For
each ward committee mcinlicr us ap
pointed at Sunday evening's meeting, a
paper was drawn up to lie circulated for
subscriptions. The Association decided
to assume the expense of fitting up a
temporary building iu the Paul block,
on Seneca street. Tho ladies represent
ing the Relief Association committees in
the several words held a meeting ut il.UO
o'clock at the office of Geo. P. Hukill.
Euch of the three members of the com
mittee in each ward was apiiointcd,
willi at many more of the ladies of the
city as will do so, to solicit supplies of all
kinds to lie left at Relief headquarters,
No. 210 Centre street. Splendid work is
licing done the whole city to-day is a
city of charily and sorrow. Many mes
sages making contribution ami extend
ing condolence. Following are some of
the messages which have come to the
Relief headquarters:
FROM CAPTAIN VANDKHIIRIKT.
Pittsburgh, l'a., June 6.
J, R. Campliell:
Your terrible disaster apulls me, and I
can't give expression to my feelings for
you. Please iustiuct Relief Committee
to draw on me at once for $500,
J. J. VANDEIUIItlKT.
FROM J. 1. BUCIIANON.
Pittsburgh, Pa., June 6.
J. R. Campliell:
Am d is t rested for Oil Cily. Please con
trihule (100 for me to relief fund and
draw on me at once for same.
J. I. Buchanan.
FROM JAMES II. SCOTT.
PlTTSHVROH, June (i.
1 desire to secure fullest information
regarding condition and necessities in
order to make statement at public m. et
ing at 2 p. m. James B. Scott.
Mr. Scott is chairman for Western
Pennsylvania of the State Hoard of
Charities.
GEO. B. II ill.
Pittsburgh, Tu., Juno ti.
John M. Reed:
Accept my sympathy, loth iersonally
and to your peoplo in general, in the
great calamity which has befallen your
city. You can authorize the committee
to draw on me for $100.
Geo. B. Hill.
FROM MERCER HOSPITAL.
Mercer, Pa., June ft,
To the Mayor: State College Hospital
at this pluco can give host possible nurs
ing and medical attention to twentv of
your injured gratuitously.
C. W. Whistler,
President of Board.
FROM JOHN EATON.
Pittsburgh, Pa., Juno 0.
Kenton Chickering:
W hat assistance is needed in way of
money, provisions, hospital service or
any other? Our citizens havo only got
to be told to do liberally. Will leave for
un city noon train. John Eaton.
Mr. Eaton is President of the Oil Well
8upply Company.
FROM WEST PENN HOSPITAL.
Pittsburgh, Pa., June 0.
Kenton Chickering:
The acuomndtion of the Western Perm -sylvania
Hospital and the Pittsburgh
Hospital for children are gludly ex
tended to your people by authority.
F. Lemoynf.
"more to follow."
Pittsburgh, Pa., Juno fi.
Amos StefTee, Pres., Oil City Oil Kx
change: Get deposit of $")00 dollars at Oil Cily
Trust Co., sent by Pittsburgh Stock
Metal Exchange and its members for
relief of sufferers. More to follow.
Jas. S. McKelvy, President.
Telegram from Mayor Gourley, of
Pittsburgh, says:
"Will call public meeting at 2 i. i
A, V. R. R wl" - uii supplies
f - -
Telegram to Gen. Wiley from Gov. Pal
tison: -
Let me know full particulars. Will
issue proclamation. -1
We are pleaded to report that it is nut
likely to be necessury to need tho extra
hospital service loi..!ered, and replies
havo been sent to that effect, but the
tenders of assistance are none the less
appreciated.
T1STUSVILLE TRIBULATIONS.
It U Now Thought that Ons Hundred
Lives Were Lost.
Titusville, Pa., June 6 Never in tho
history of Titusville has such a tct ue of
desolation presented itself as was un
folded to the gaze this morning. As I
entered the main thoroughfare, the first
sight witnessed was four men currying
the deud body of a mun on a stretcher.
Within fifteen minutes the Right became
so common that it ceased to occasion sur
prise. At the present writing it is esti
mated that fully 100 persons huve been
either drowned or burned to death. Tho
money loss will run from $,l,r00,0)0 to
$3,000,000. An idea or the extent or ter
ritory covered by the flood und fire can be
obtained when it is stated that over two
miles were destroyed. This incudes
railroads, factories, refineries, private
families, etc. As near as can lie ascer
tained the following is the list of dead
recovered, as well as the nunuM of miss
ing: Fred lteid, butcher; Mrs. Mary
II all n uiul children Mamie, llerlie, Peter
and Clara; the only surviving mcinlicr
of the family is Frank llalin, a son who
wus brought from Gruiid Valley by his
uncle yesterday; Mrs. FrodCuiuplicll and
two children;two children of Jos.Spiegi I,
from Wurren; Frank Whuleii, wife and
daughter, their son, a small lad whocs
caped with several severe burns saw
llieiii drown. Mrs. John Quinn and two
daughters, Nellie und Mamie; Mrs. Fur
man, colored; Mrs. A. Jacobs und child;
Miss Delhi Rice; Mr. Knglesky and son;
unknown man, occupation picture frumn
peddler; Mrs. J. Hinghenlieinier and
seven children; one child who was at
the time uway from home survives.
Fred I.ucrs aud wife known to be among
tho deud.
Following are the names of ! lie miss
ing: Mr. Kullio and son, of Meclianio
street. They were seen by Mis. Kulbo
Moating with the current and were lust
sight of below. Mr-t. Henry Hi ice, Miss
Fur in in, colored; Mrs. Fred lteid, l.illio
and Frank Foster, Mrs. ( Ismail and two
children; Mrs. John Osinun, Mrs. ('. P,
Caspersoii fell from the rear end of a
wagon and disupiicurcd; her lusty was
found this morning;Johu McFaddenund
Mary McFuddcn. It is certain that Mary
McFadden is dead.
George Stephens, a prominent mer
chant here, says the fire was caused by a
spark from a p:tsing train on the W, N.
Y. & P. K. It., which set fire to oil in a
tank alongside the lu e. The water had
V