The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-07-03
THE WEST VIRGINIA STORM
An Eye Witness Describes the
Destruction of Keystone Min

OIL w 1lhSSS OSSN1lpSS thS
Destruction of Keystone Min
ing Town.
The following story is told by an
eyewitness of the great flood in West
Virginia:
Keystone is the metropolis Of the
Elkhorn mining country. 1t has but
one narrow street, and because of
limited space many buildings were
built on piles or walls over the Elk
horn, or close up against the noun
tains. The town follows the mcander-
ings of the stream for II mile.
On Friday at | o'clock tie storm
struck the mountain, and ton six hours
rain descended IN torrents. AT day
break the thousands of people along
the Elkhorn and its tributaries rca lied
what IL great food was upon them, but
they little suspected the disaster soou
TO follow. by a. IN. the narrow
valley was Il raging, sCethmg, angry
torrent. Houses, barns, bridges, fills,
livestock and human beings were swept
away by the mighty current and dashed
on the rocks or trees below.
C! wGs an eyewitness Of the disaster
tional hotel This hotel faces the
mountain, with narrow spot between
it and the building on the mountain
side of the street. Az the first vain
lny many of the inhabitants took rc
fuSe OH the mountain side OvcrloOkin.
the town and river. More than 100
| people, however, remained in the town
| to look after the women and children
who did not escape early. The b:r'~r
leading TO the depot was soon sw,p!
away; then the angry waters ruShui
! through the street in the town and W.
| found hundlc eds cut OIL from the mou '
tain retreat and the hotel was mat"
fast to the telephone poles by mc. !,
of line. Hundreds OF lives were
saved. But in attempting To cross
the muddy, surying waters which
swept like an avalanche down tins
street many lost their hold, and in plain
sight of friends were carried on into
the river and drowned. Houses punu
ed and danced IN the mighty stream,
with screaming women aud children
on the roofs. Horses, cattle and Other
animals went down in dr. YES and SIN.
gly struggling for lie.
The Norfolk and Western railroad
hll at this place gave way and more
than mile of track now lies in the
bed of the river, while large lills on
either side are all gone; in fact, it j.
hard to tell how many miles of track
and how many bridges have been swept
away. The destruction is disastrous
and it may be many days and weeks
before trains can be run. The loss ol
life cannot be estimated from here
Eight lives were lost here. Six bodies
have been recovered at Eckman, tw
miles below here. Several were
drowned at Shawnee and a good part
OF the town swept away.
"All the women were conveyed from
The hotel to the mountain side b,
means of the life line. Then the mcI
leit, az the place was unsafe. Whcl
1t came my turn seized the line anc
plunged in the muddy current. In al
instant my feet were swept from under
me and it was the fight of my life [,
reach the house on the south side OI
street. The distance was not grca
and the water not more than three fee,
deep, but the current was almost
irresistible, and even cows and horses
were swept past me as clung to tn,
rope, which was the only hope
Friendly hands pulled me out more
dead than alive. The hotel is still
standing"
SENSATIONAL INCIDENTS OF TIE
FLOOD.
Bluclicld is the great shipping point
lor the PocahontaS coal coming cast
1t is said there that the coal fields will
not be able to ship out any coal for .hc
next thirty day. 1t is, s,thought at Blue.
held that the loss of life will be in the
ncighborhood of sixty. The coal trade
Will suffer almost incalculabe loss as q
result OF the washed out tracks and
damage to their machinery. a gen.
| tleman from the stricken section uiycs
an explanation of the report first cir.
culated, that great masses of human
| bodies were to be seen floating around
| III the water. 1t seems that there is q
| grave yard between NorllfOrk Jun c.
| tlon and Keystone, which towns are
about IA mile apart, and at which puln,
the storm was very severe. This grave
yard is near the bank of lle river
which caused the great destruction.
when the flood came the graves gave
up their dead and added greatly to The
bodies seen.
Tazewell, Va, also suffered from
The cloudburst. The house of Paris