River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-06-27
Heavy Downpour of Rain for
Hours mandates Entire
Coal Regions.
Scores Are Known to Have Been
Drowned and Estimates Vary
from 100 to 1000.
Disaster Second Only to Those at Johns
town, Pa, and Galveston, Tex.
Keystone Wiped Out.
wind and Rain Cause Much Damage
at Lincoln. Iu.-Pittsburgh
Swept by IA storm.

Buefeld, W. Va, June 25.-rhis en-
| tire section has just been visited by
food, the extent of which in all prob
ability will equal or exceed that of
| Juhustown in 1889, so far as the loss
of property is concerned Early Sun
| DAY morning, shortly after midnight,
heavy downpour of rain began, ac-
companied by severe electric storm,
which violently increased in volume
and continuing for several hours.
These continued throughout the en-
tire day and night and while the
storm has abated the lowering clouds
would Indicate another terrific down
pour at any moment.
Estimated Loss of Life 200.
| Many miles Of the Norfolk & West
ern railroad track, bridges and tele-
graph lines are entirely destroyed and
communication is entirely cut off west
| Of Elkhorn. so that it is impossible TO
/ learn the full extent Of the loss OF life
and property, but officials of the coal
! operations. located in the stricken dis
trict, have sent out messengers to Elk
| horn. the terminus of both Geographic
and railroad communications, and
have received a report that a conser-
yative estimate as TO the loss of life
will easily reach 200. Some of the
drowned are among the most promi-
nent citizens of the coal fields.
Town washed Away.
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 Ennis, w. Va, to
/ Vivian yard. w. Va. distance of ten
miles. miners cabins, coal com
pany's commissaries and coke plants
| line this basin Flkhorn creek be-
| ing fed by numerous small streams
coming from the mountain side rises
very rapidly, and this waterspout
came so suddenly that the entire basin
! between the two mountain ranges was
/ flooded. and before the terror-strick
en- people realized what was upon
food, which swept everything in its
path. The little town of Keystone,
/ with a population of about 1000, seems
the greatest sufferer. practically the
entire town being washed away. This
town is the principal one in the Poca-
hontas coal fields and is located near
its center II was to a great extent
| headquarters from which the mining
/ population purchased supplies and was
| also the only place in the field where
/ whisky could be purchased. At this
| place there were some 12 TO IS saloons,
| all of which were washed away. The
report comes that the mining popula-
| ton are now occupying the banks of
/ the streams below, catching the mer-
/ chaudise and barrels of whisky and
beer a they float down.
A rough estimate places the number
/ of bridges washed away between Blue
field and Vivian yard, distance Of 2s
miles al from - to 20, aud from pres
/ emit indications ii will be impossible
/ to get trains through to Vivian and
points west of there under week or
ten days. This viii render it impossi-
bic to get relief into the stricken dis
4 trict, and with those who escaped with
their lives, homeless and without food,
indescrjbable suffering s inevitable.
Rivals JohnstoNvn.
From he meager reports describing
/ the force Of the storm at Keystone it
| would appear that the damage rivals
| that Of Johnstown and is equal to the
! Galveston horror in its intensity, so
far as the percentage OF population
lost and property destroyed.
II is stated that every building in
the town Of keystone was demolished
or carried away by the water, save one.
and that barroom which stands on
a high hil The normal population of
| keystone is about 1000 souls. and as il
was Saturday night there is no telling
how many miners had gone into the
town tn swell its population II is es-
timated tina; 200 lives alone were lost
at keystone.
News from seat Of storm.
Roanoke Va, June % The pas
senger train from the west over the
Norfolk u Western railroad. which is
due here al 1888 p. m, did not reach
! Roanoke until half-past five o'clock
Monday morning When the train
came in there were many people at
the station who had waited anxiously
all night for the belated news carrier
frem the devastated coal fields Of
West Virginia. Among those who
came iu on this train, and who had
been in the storm, was a prominent
business man Of Roanoke, several
railroad men and a woman and two
children They came direct TO Boau.
oke from Vivian. az were compelled
to walk distance of IL miles from