Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1901-07-03
THE lSTORM:S WORK.
Latest Reports Say Deaths Will
Exceed One Hundred.
Property Los. IN Flood District Will
70" Total $s,ooo,ooo to 5000, 600. i:
Pittsburgh Swept by
Severe storm.

Williamson, w. Va, June 27.-There
is no longer any doubt but the list of
dead the result of the recent food
will exceed 100. Parties reached here
Wednesday evening from the upper
end of the flooded district bringing
the first authentic information re-
! ceived from the scene of the disa ster.
The party just arrived consisted of
Judge E. S. Doolittle, of Huntington;
Judge Tourney, of Charleston, and
Elias Hatfield, deputy sheriff of Min
go county: These gentlemen left
Vivian Sunday morning, and their jour-
ney to this city has been a perilous
| one.
Judge Doolittle said tina words could
not describe the scene of devastation
| between Vivian and Davy. 1t was a
tidal wave from cloudburst and
swept everything before it. In the
track of it's course everything is gone,
including coke ovens and pillars of
stone. At Vivian the water came roar
ing down the mountain sides in mon
ster waves and people who attempted
| to flee to the hills for safety were
washed back and carried away by the
raging current of the Elkhorn.
Most Victims Women and Children.
The section visited by the food was
thickly settled, but as the popula ton
consists chiefly of miners who were
at work at the time the large majority
| OF the dead are women and children,
and thrilling stories of rescue are told.
At one point a mother climbed huge
pillar of railway trestle, holding to
her breast her only child. Her home
was washed away, but the mother and
child were saved. Fifteen people are
| said to have been drowned at Eckman.
At Keystone the loss of life was great.
Probably 80 persons persisted there.
Mothers and babes were swept away
by the raging current, strong men bat
| tied for their lives, but without avail
in many instances. In one instance
parties fled to an island and climbed
small trees, only to be swept away IS
minutes later by the tide, which was
filled with debris of every kind.
Property Loss Enormous.
The loss of property by the flood on
the Elkhorn and the Tug rivers is now
roughly estimated at from IS 600, 900
to $S,000,000. 1t is stated here that
eight large steel bridges were washed
away on Elkhorn alone. 1t is not
thought that trains will be running
east of Welch for two or three Weeks
1t will take this long to build tenn
porary trestles.
At Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh, Pa, June 27.-The
storm which struck Pittsburgh and
vicinity Wednesday afternoon was
short in durat ion, but terrific in pow
er and disastrous in effect. The
lightning and thunder was practic-
ally continuous for about 80 minutes,
the wind attained a velocity of 80
miles an hour, and rain fell at the
rate, of three inches an hour. The
temperature fell "a degrees within
an hour. One woman was killed in
stantly by lightning, and several
other persons may die from the same
cause, numberless houses and
churches were struck by lightning
and several picnic parties we're pam
ic-stricken.
Victims of Lightning.
At Homestead. Mrs.. Alice Lester,
aged "a, was struck by lightning and
instantly killed. Miss Grace Jackson,
aged 10, of Homestead, was struck
and her recovery is doubtful Rich
ard Rucker, also of Homestead, was
frightfully burned by the electrical
fluid, and will hardly recover. Rev.
John Saulton and Clay Fands were
badly shocked, but will recover.
From all surrounding towns re-
ports are coming telling of the wide
spread damage done by the storm,
all the, reports uniting in saying it
was the severest known in years.
More Cloudbursts.
Cumberland, Md, June 27.-As series
of cloudbursts Tuesday at midnight
devastated the New Creek valley,
south of Keyser, W. Va. The river
rose over ten feet in half an hour.
Many farm buildings were destroyed
and the valley is strewed with car
cassees of live stock.