Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1901-06-26
Hundreds Of Lives Lost and
Thousands Made Homeless
in the West Virginia
Coal Fields.
MANY TOWNS ARE WIPED OUT
lhe Victims Were Caught in Noun
lain Basin by CIoudburst
Without Warning.

The Floods Swept Away Kcystone. n
Town of 1000 Inhabitants A Dozen
Towns In the Narrow. Mountain
Lined Valley of the EIkhorn Suffered
Severely - Nearly II Score of CoIIieries
Were Wrecked Miles of Iailroad
Tracks Were DESTROYED - Propertv
Loss VIII Reach Into the Millions
a Cioudburst Caused the Floods -
Acute Suffering OF tin. Survivors,
Blueileld. W. Va. Hundreds of
lives were lost and millions of dollars
worth of property destroyed as the
result OF tremendous cloudburst
which swept away whole towns in its
path OF devastation through the east
ern part Of Mcdowell County. the
.southernmost part OF West Virginia.
near the Virginia State line.
Thousands have been rendered home
less. One town, keystone. OF 2OOO in
habitants, was completely wiped out.
only the remains of one building with
standing the rush of the waters.
thirty miles of track and between
nfteen and twenty bridges of the Nor
folk and Western road were de-
stroyed. 1t was several days before
food supplies could he sent TO all
parts of the devastated region and
homeless survivors suffered gmep
hardship.
Most of the sufferers are coal min
ers, their wives and children. en-
nlONn1 I'm fha
1he Hood was caused by 4 cloudburst
and thirty hours of rain.
y tremendous rainstorm followed by
cloudburSt set in early Saturday
morning, and after lapse of n few
hours in the afternoon started again
with fresh violence and continued ,ln
I'll 10 n. m. Sunday.
The valley. or basin. in which the
Pocahontas coal field is located was
the worst sufferer. because of its pc
culiar formation. On two sides II is
walled by high mountains. Through
the centre OF the basin runs Elkhorn
Creek. fed by innumerable streams
running down the sides of the noun
tains
The basin is long and narrow. Its
width varies from Il quarter of n mile
to mile. From Ennis to Vivian
Yard. w. Va. distance of ten miles
miners cabins. coal company commits
saries and coke plants line the basin.
Near the center of the long basin
and In the heart of the Pocahontas
coal field was the town of keystone
Smaller villages and settlements are
scattered over the whole length of the
basin. Elkhorn. n railroad and tele-
graph station, is ut the eastern end
of the basin on comparatively high
ground. Everything west of Elkhorn.
I'm the district is submerged i'm the
food.
The cloudburst and many hours of
continuous rain turned each of the
many little streams flowing down the
mountain ranges into formidable tor
rents. They poured great quantities
of water into Elkhorn Creek, and II
began To rise without almost incredi-
bic rapiditY 1t flowed over its banks
and soon covered the entire floor of the
basin from mountain wall to mountain
wall.
Nothing like 1t had ever been seen
Or heard of before. and the inhabi-
tants of the basin were taken by sur
prise. SO quickly did the food come
that scores of them did not attempt
10 seek safety by climbing up the
sides of the mountains urtil it was too
late.
Hundreds of miners were in KEY
stone and North Fork. n small place
about a mile from the latter. when the
1ood swept down upon the two places
Saturday night.
Saturday is pay day Mt the mines.
and the miners go to the little town
ON Saturday night to purchase sup
plies. Many of them take their wives
and children. keystone was the ONLY
town in the PocahontaS district where
liquor was sold. and it had between
twelve and fifteen saloons, besides n
great many supply stores.
When the flood came scores of min
eN started back for their cabins. miles
away, up and down the basin. \ great
number OF these and their wives and
children We're caught in the torrent
and drowned.
y pathetic story is told OF Hunga-
rian family at Keystone The father
was M work in the mines. and when
the alarm was given did not reach
the drift mouth until the town was
partly inundated. He made his way
TO the cabin where his wife and new
born babe were lying helpless. He
tried TO rescue both. and after a bad
tie -"''" the waters, logs and debris