The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1901-07-04
TOTAL DEATHS gu,
Loss of Life in Flood Not So Heavy
As atfirst Reported.
A CEMETERY GAVE Up ITS DEAD.
Which Accounts for Many of the
Human Bodies Seen Floating on the
Water.

Roanoke. Va, Special-News OF the
situation in West Virginia is very
scarce, though some news is coming in
from the coal fields, and the situation
is getting down to cold facts. Thera
has been some interruption to the
wires between Elkhorn and Bluefeld
and only one wire has been in u.s.,
since morning, this remaining wire be-
ing dupleXed all day, the railroad di-
viding it with the Western Union folks
as far east as Lynchburg and west to
Bluefeld
A telegram from Biuefeld Tuesday
afternoon says there are no important
developments there. Repair work goes
on with a rush and vigor. Bluefe.d is
the great shipping point for Pocahon.
tas coal coming east. 1t is said there
that the coal fields will not be able to
ship out any coal for the next 80 days.
1t is thought at Bluefeld that the loss
Of life will be in the neighborhood OF
60. The coal trade will suffer almost
incalculable loss as a result Of the
wassed out tracks and damage to their
| machinery.
A gentleman arriving in this city
from the stricken section gives an ex-
planation for the report first circulated
that great masses of human bodies
were to be seen floating around in the
water. 1t seems that there is a grave
yard between North Fork Junction and
keystone, 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.
A short telegram was received late
Tuesday 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 morning. The message
gave no information whatever.
Mr.. ] B. Frances, Roanoke man
| who is in keystone, installing a water
plant, and who was first reported dead,
has written his wife telling her he is
safe and sound. He has the following
to say about the disaster: "A b:g
food visited the town last Friday
night. Everybody had to go up on the
mountain. Men, women and children
| we're 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 provisions are getting ve:y
short. There is no water in the town.
Tazewell, Va, also suffered from the
cloudburst. The house OF Paris VAN
DYKE, four miles west Of Tazewell, IN
gorge OF the mountains was wash'o
avav. VanDyke heard the roar o:
water and started home from the fed
When a short distance from the house
he saw the water rushing down tHe.
mountain sides, tearing up and tW!s'-
ING off gigantic trees as if shrubs. thr
water. leapirg forty feet high and traT-
cling with frightful speed. EanDyhe
rushed for the house to warn his 1am-
uv but the water overlook him ana
swept the house and all its inmates
away. Two children, FIVE and seven
,ears old, were instantly killed, their
brains being dashed out against the
rocks and timbers. The bodies were
washed to the low-lands. A little girl
II years old, holding a young sister ID
her arms, was carried 200 yards. Inc
sisters were tossed on the waters ana
! when rescued were unconscious. Aho,h-
er member OF the family died Monday
.f.ernoon and Mrs. VanDyke is still
unconscious and cannot live. =,
At Cedar Bluff, l6 miles west OF
Ta7ewell II dwellings we're swept
away hut no lives were lost. At Pound
fng Min, four lives were lost. knooe' a
small town seven miles west, was al
most completely DESTROYED. The dam
age to country roads will not be less
than $50 900,