The Savannah morning news., 1901-06-26
NEWS OF THE FLOOD
LOSS OF LIFE NOT so GREAT, BUT
DAMAGE Is IMMENSE.
GRAVES GIVE UP THEIR DEAD.
CONDITIONS IN THE STORM DIS
TRICT SKETCHED.


and Telegraph Communication
Practically Suspended-PeopIe Be
Iieved to Be Suffering for Food
and Necessaries in the Flooded
District.
Roanoke, Va, June 25.-News from the
Acod-strcken district in West Virginia
is still very scarce. but through persons
coming in from the coal fields the stua-
tion is getting down to cold facts There
has been some interruption to-day to the
wires between Roanoke and Bluefield and
only one wire has been in use since morn
ing. this remaining wire being duplexed
all day, the railroad dividing it with the
Western Union offices as far as Lynch
burg and west to Bluefeld. A telegram
from Bluefield this afternon says there
are no important developments there to-
day, Repair work is going ahead with a
rush and vigor. Bluefield is the great
shipping point for the Pocahontas coal
coming east. 1t is said there that the
coal fields will not be able to ship out
any coal for the next thirty days. 1t is
thought at Bluefeld that the loss of life
will be in the neighborhood of sixty
Graves Gave Up Their Dead.
The coal trade will suffer almost meal
cu,able loss as result of the washed
out tracks and damage to the machinery.
A gentleman arriving in this city to-day
from the stricken section gives an ex-
planation for, the report first circulated
that great numbers of human bodies were
TO be seen floating around in the water.
1t seems that there is a graveyard be-
tween North Fork Junction and Key
stone, which towns are about "a mile
apart and at which point the storm was
very severe. This graveyard is near the
bank of the river which caused the great
destruction. When the flood came the
graves gave UP their dead and added
greatly to the bodies seen.
The Norfolk and Western officials
thought this morning that they would be
able to have their Clinch Valley line open
this evening. They say the Thacker coal
field lines are already open and that
they will be able to get a train through
to Columbus tomorrow. These repairs
will only be of a temporary nature, how
ever and it will -neeessarilyr- be many
weeks before the ira cks and roadbeds can
be placed in their former condition.
short telegram was received here late
this Afternoon from Elkhorn. This is some
miles west of Ennis, which place was the
farthest town west of Bluefield that had
been communicated with up to this morn
ing. The message gave no information
whatever.
Provisions Short at Keystone.
Mr.. ]. B. Frances. a Roanoke man, who
IS IN keystone installing water plant
written his wife telling her he is safe.
He has the following to say about the
disaster:
"A big flood visited the town last Fri
day night. Everybody had to go up on
the mountain. Men. women and children
were drowned in the streets, and houses
went floating down with people in them.
All our crowd are safe We are entirely
cut off from the outside world and provi-
sions are getting very short. There is now
no water in the town."
Another letter to-day from keystone
says between ten and fifteen people were
drowned and forty houses washed away
at that place. The people are hard at
work cleaning up the town and repairing
damaged buildings.
The report received here yesterday that
the father, mother, one sister, two broth
ers and a sister-in-law, with two children,
eN Railroad were drowned, was a mis-
take. Mr.. Crotty is now in the coal
fields and telegraphed to-day that they
were all safe
The Van Dyke Horror.
Tazewell, Va, also suffered from the
cloudburst. The house of Paris Van
Dyke, four miles west of Tazewell, in
a gorge of the mountains, was washed
away. Van Dyke heard the roar of water
and started home from the field. When
short distance from the house he saw
the water rushing down the mountain
side, tearing up and twisting off great
trees as If shrubs, the water leaping for
" feet high and travelling with frightful
speed. Van Dyke rushed for the house
to warn his family, but the water over
took him and swept the house and all
Its inmates away. Two children, and
years old were instantly killed, their
brains being dashed out against the
rocks and timbers. The bodies were wash
ed to lowlands. A little girl IL years old,
holding a young sister in her arms, was
carried 200 yards. The sisters tossed on
the waters and when rescued were un-
conscious. Another member of the fam
lly died yesterday afternoon and Mrs.
Van Dyke is still unconscious and can
hot live.
At Cedar Bluff. sixteen miles west Of
AdzeWell, seventeen dwellings were swept
away, but no lives were lost. At Pound
ing Mill four lives were lost. Knobe,
small town seven miles west was almost
completely destroyed Ravens, two miles
west was badly damaged and many bus
lpess houses were destroyed. The damage
70 county roads will not be less than
$4,000
Shops Closed Down.
notice was posted in the boiler de-
pertinent of the Norfolk and Western
road In Roanoke this morning announcing
mat the shops would be closed at u
Clock to-day until further notice. The
ouIletin stated that the shut down was
OF account Of the destruction by the flood
ana the result that no traffic was passing
over the road. The notice stated that the
snops would probably resume work in
eN'ee or four days. There are about 1000
men employed in the Norfolk and West
'n shops here. but not oil OF them will
We affected. All the men are out except
suihcient number to keep up repairs
~ the road Is doing no coal business,
nnloh is its chief traffic, few trains are
on 'he road.
The Losses Mt keystone.
Below is list Of the losses so far
can be ascertained at Keystone:
. - llarman, general merchandise. ST.
~ airs Iozmon, groceries. $500; r. W.
'ouaker. groceries. 5000: Henry g. Gar
general merchandise. 5000: I. 8.
,Dl'' eonfeotloner. 500: samuel Katsen,