Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-06-28
THE FLOOD DISASTER
Information From Stricken
District Hard to Get.
NUMBER OF DEAD STILL UNKNOWN.
But 1t Is Now ThosGht That First
Reports Were Exaggerated.
Phe story of an Eye
witness.

been very little news received here from
the West Virginia flood. One train has
come, but not much new information
could be gained from the passengers. The
trains are running from B1uefields and En-
mis-, which places are just outside the ter
ritory visited by the cloudburst on last
Saturday morning.
How many are dead is not definitely
known, and it necessarily will be several
days yet before the exact number can be
given out as official, but the various re
ports i'll circulation here are that all the
way from 30 to 200 persons have been
drowned 1t is probably safe to assume
the former figures as being more nearly
correct than the latter. The damage to
property will amount to hundreds of
thousands of dollars. Miles of railroad
track are washed out, and great gulches
have been created.
The devastated section covers an area
Of about 90 miles west of Blue6eld. 1t
Is very narrow valley, not much wider
than broad street in some places Coal
mines are scattered all along the road
keystone. the town reported to have
been So greatly damaged and at first
beIeVed to have been wiped out of exist
ence, is village of between 1000 and
b,oCO people and is built along the narrow
valley and on the sides of the 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 zigzag way through the narrow
village and has gradual fall. The noun
tains on either side loom up for hundreds
Of feet. and the town is so narrow in
places that one is obliged to 20 into the
middle q it TO see the sky.
The railroad people are rushing mate
rial and supplies to the Elkhorn. One
hundred apd fifty laborers came in over
the Roanoke and Southern yesterday on
an extra train and went west, and nearly
all the work trains on the road have
been sent to the Elkhon vicinity.
MIR. +. IL. Stewart, a well known furni-
ture dealer i'll this city, was in the midst
Of all the storm and Travelled on foot
nearly the whole of the route devastated
" Stey9Et A2@ 19ssn /: Js%sst2wn, y
Columbus. When his train reached Wv
,Ia9. v. Va. Qh9U 2 o'GI2ck Saturday
morning, water already covered a large
portion of the yard, and the trainhi6n
knew that no further progress could be
made. The train was placed at the high
est point in the yard. Rain was coming
Mr.. Stewart saw about 30 cars washed
from the yard and carried away by the
rushing torrents. large trees uprooted
nearby. while houses, bridges and furni-
ture went whirlng by in the water
AS the flood increased the water cut a
channel on the other side of the train.
eaving it between two streams. Then it
was decided to take out those passengers
who wished to leave the train. and a rope
vas attached to the platform of one Of
he cars and to Il tree on the bank
Among the passengers was n lady who,
WITH the assistance of several men, was
rot safely to the bank. A number Of
men had narrow escapes from drowning
making the trip.
There was let up in the rain. and
he food subsidized about noon. and at |
rclock Mr.. Stewart and another pas
'enger left the train and started to the
text station, Keystone, five miles dis
.ant.
Several bridges and much of the track
iad been washed away, and the trip was
made with great difficulty. portion Of
he way on the track and the balance on
he bluffs along the route Mr.. Stewart
lays he saw number of corpseS along
he route. but docs not think more than
10 people were drowned. When he
cached Keystone about , o'clock. he
'ound that number of buildings had
,een washed away. and it was estimated
hat along the whole route Of the storm
between POO and 800 houses had been
carried away, hut the occupants of many
# them had escaped to the hills. lie
Jaw one very large building 20. down
With the food.
Most of the buildings, however, were
mail affairs. The coal companies losses
will be heavy
At Ennis the depot was washed away.
md when Mr. Stewart left the safe had
lot been found. He walked from Key
tone 10 Ennis and was taken from there
o Bluefeld, arriving in Roanoke yes
erday afternoon.