The Lewiston teller. (Lewiston, Idaho) 1900-1905, 1901-06-27
FLOODS N WEST VIRGINIA
HUNDREDS WERE DROWNED.
Thoussrds Are Homelssa snd D~ssftuts
Mime Buildings. Mills and DIV. ltngs
Are swept Away Rsilways Track Are
Gone-Loss 10 EnOrmOus.

WAmc DuuOsuBss mIAsS onO OWe Nm8o
Are swept Away Rsilways Track Are
Comedies IL lcnormous.
Two hundred. perhaps more, drown
ed or crushed to death.
Four or i've thousand people home
less and destitute.
Mills, mine buildings. storehouses.
stores and dwellings by hundreds
washed away.
Property loss aggregating $4,000, 900.
Miles Of railroad tracks,, with cars and
engines. carried away by the torrent.
Bluefeld, w. Va. June 24.-This Sec
ton has been visited by flood, the ex-
tent of which in all probability will
equal or exceed that Of Johnstown in
1893. SO far a. the loss Of property ia
concerned. Sunday heavy downpour
Of rain. accompanied by a severe cleo
trical storm which incI eased III vol
ume. continued for several hours. The
storm continued throughout the entire
day and night. and at 10 q. M. while
the storm has abated, the lowering
clouds threaten another terrific down
pour at any moment.
Many miles Of the Norfolk Z Western
railroad track. bridges and telegraph
lines are entirely destroyed and COM
munication 10 entirely cut OF west Of
Elkhorn 90 that it IL impossible to
learn the full extent Of the loss Of life
and property, but ohicials Of the coal
companies. located in the district, have
sent out messengers to Elkhorn. the
terminus Of both telegraphic and rail
road communication and have received
q report that q conservative estimate a.
to the loss Of life will easily reach 200.
some Of the drowned are among the
most prominent citizens Of the coal
fields
The Pocahontas coal field Is located
In . basin with high mountain ranges
on either side, Elkhorn creek flowing
through the center Of the basin, which
ranges from one-fourth to one mile In
width. From Tennis. w. Va. to Vivian
yards, w. Va. distance Of 10 miles,
miners' cabins, coal companies' com.
missaries and coke plants line the ba-
sin. Elkhorn creek. fed by numerous
small streams coming from the noun.
tain side, rises rapidly.
This waterspout came SO suddenly
that the entire basin between the two
mountain ranges was flooded and be-
fore the terror stricken people realized
what was upon them, they were car
ried down by the food. which swept
everything in Its path. The little town
Of Keystone, with population Of about
1000, seems the greatest ,ufferer, prac'
tically the entire town being washed
away. The town Is located near Its
center. 1t was to great extent the
headquarters from which the mining
population purchased supplies and was
+, also the only place in the field where
whiskey could be purchased.
At this place there we're some - to
Is saloons all Of which were washed
away.
A great number Of the coal and coke
plants throughout the Pocahontas dis
trict are reported practically destroyed
and are in some instances entirely
| washed away.
Owing to the very high water which
has flooded the region and prevented
! communication. anything like cor
rect estimate of the loss IT property h
/, impossible, but from the best informa
tlon obtainable at 2 p. m. Sunday the
loss to the property will easily reach
| $2.O00.00
Lindgraff. the beautiful home Of Gen
eral Ord. 10 reported gone. but his fam
lily is said to be safe.
Passenger train No. of the Norfolk
I Z Western reached Vivian about $3.50
a. m, met the food and was unable to
proceed further. The waters reached
such depth that the coaches had to b
abandoned, the passengers being rescu
ed by means Of ropes strung from the
windows Of coaches to the tops Of re
naming coke ovens. some distances
away. Between Elkhorn and Vivian
yards. a distance OF 10 miles, 100 cars
are said to be washed from the tracks
and many Of them carried down the
/ stream.
A rough estimate places the number
of bridges washed away between Blue
field and Vivian yards. distance of 42t
miles. at from Is to 20, and from pres
emit indications 1t will be impossible u
run trains through to Vivian and
points west of there for eight on ten
| days. This will render 1t impossible tt
| get relief into the stricken districts
and with those who escaped with theil
lives. homeless and without food. indie
scribable suffering is inevitable.
On the Cltnch valley branch of the
Norfolk & Western railroad, between
| this city and Norton, communication