The Savannah morning news., 1901-06-25
R0AN0KE'S FLOOD STORY.
CONTINUED from First Page.l

bluffs. There is a creek which runs
through the town. over which most of
the. houses are built on piles and rock
work This creek runs in a zigzag way
through the narrow village and has
gradual fail The mountains on either side
loom up for hundreds of feet and the town
is so narrow in places that one is obliged
TO go into the middle of it to see the sky.
Those familiar with the situation of the
town know that it woald be death trap
II the flood was heavy as reported. Yet,
they reason that occurring in the day
time there was no reason why but few
people should have been caught in the
onrush of the maddened waters. All re-
ports agree that between 200 and 300
houses were swept away in the Elkhorn
valley, but it does not follow necessarily
that the occupants were drowned.
The railroad folks are rushing material
and supplies to the Elkhorn. One hum
dred and fifty laborers came in over the
Roanoke ana Southern to-day on an ex-
ira train and went west. and nearly all
the work trains on the road have been
sent to the Elkhorn vicinity.
A Firemnn's sad Message.
j. w Crotty, a fireman on the Norfolk
and Western road, who resides in this
city, received a message yesterday from
Bluefield that his father, mother, one sis
ter, two brothers and a sister-in-law, with
her two children, were lost in the flood
Saturday at Keystone Mr.. Crotty's peo-
pie lived in the center of the town.
neighbor of the Crottys, who escaped
the flood. informed Mr.-Crotty at Blue
field Saturday that he saw the Crotty
house move off in the waters.
The Western Union Telegraph Com
- kl.,,N H..
situation, so far as getting news from
the territory west of Bluefeld, is I'M
changed, and they have nothing new TO
give out
The story of a witness.
Mr.. E. H. Stewart a well known fur
niture dealer of this city, was in the
midst Of all the storm and travelled on
foot nearly the whole of the district flood
ed. Mr.. Stewart had been to jamestown,
N. Y. on business and was returning via
Columbus. When his train reached Wv
ian w. Va. about o'clock Saturday
morning, water already covered a large
portion of the yard, and the trainmen
knew that no further progress could be
made. The train was placed at the high
est point on the yard. Rain was coming
down in torrents, and while in the train
Mr.. Stewart saw about thirty cars wash
ed from the yard and carried away by
the ruSnlng torrents, large trees upIOOltu
near by, while houses, bridges and furni-
ture went whirling by in the water. AS
the flood increased the rushing water
cut a channel on the other side of the
train, leaving it between two streams.
Then II was decided TO lake out those
passengers who wished to leave the train,
and rope was attached to the platform
of one OF the cars and to a tree on the
bank Among the passengers was
1a.1xr who nrffh ig1ta m
of several men was gotten safely to the
banks A number of men mad narrow es-
capes from drowning in making the trip
There was slet-up in the rain and the
food subsidized at noon and at l o'clock
Mr.. Stewart and another passenger left
the train and started to the next sta
ton. Keystone. five miles distant. Much
of the track and several bridges had been
washed away and the trip was made with
great difficulty. a portion on the track
and the balance on the bluffs along the
route. Mr., Stewart says he saw num-
Der of corpses along the route but does
not think more than forty people were
drowned. When he reached Keystone,
about o'clock, he found that a number
of buildings had been washed away, and
IT was estimated that along abe whole
route of the storm between 200 and 300
houses had been carried away, but the
occupants of many escaped to the hills.
He saw one very large building go down
with the flood. but most of them were
small The coal companies lost heavily
on bridges and supplies. At Ennis the
depot was washed away and yesterday
when ne left, the safe had not been found.
He walked from Keystone to Ennis yes
terday and was taken from there to Blue
field, arriving in Roanoke to-day.
Mr.. Stewards statement can be relied
on as being truthful story of the flood
and the most complete statement so far
given out.
water Came in a Wave.
An official telegram from Ennis says
the water came in wave and so sudden
ly that people could not get out of the
way of it. The water rose to a hight
OF six feet in thirty minutes.
The Associated Press was given the
following short statement tonight by one
of the general officers of the Norfolk
aud Western Railroad:
Restoration Of telegraph line develops
that the damage by food through coal
fields was exaggerated. The loss of life
will not exceed sixty or seventy-five. and
tke damage to property. including repairs
TO the railroad and coal operations. will
not exceed $4,000. 1t is expected The
railway will get the line opened through
tomorrow or next day"
About go Drowned in North Forks.
Roanoke Va, juno ga telegram this
afternoon from Ennis. W. Va, from Cen
e9al Manager johnson of Norfolk and
Western Railroad gives the following sit
uation:
The best information is that about six
~ people were drowned in the North
Fork OF the Elkhorn river Property loss
is about S300,00O The Norfolk and Western
Railroad suffered severe damage to its
tracks and trestles. Expect TO be open for
traffic some time Wednesday IL we have
no more storms"
Latest Report Says Twenty Lost.
Radford. Va, June A.-The latest news
received from the hood-swept region OF
West Virginia states that the number Of
lives lost Is twenty instead OF several
hundred as at hrst reported Sixty miles
of track was washed away. besides IL
engines ana as many trains. Thousands
Of dollars worth Of property was destroy
Cd belonging TO the lumber and mining
companies. Telegraph lines are down, and
u Is impossible 20 get accurate reports.