The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-06-28

sixty people were drowned in h NORTH
fork Of the Elkhorn. The property Loss
lis about 100000. The Norfolk and
Western railroad suffered severe dam.
Iage to its tracks and trestles. 1 expect
Ito be open for traffic some time Wed.
lnesday IL we have no more storms.
Roanoke. Va, June PA message
from Charleston, w. Va, says:
Colonel John Hewitt. attorney al
IBramwell, has been directed by the
secretary of state, in the absence of the
governor, to take full charge of the sit
~luation in the flooded district. A com
lpany Of national guards has been or
Idered to assist. More troops will be sent
las o as possible. Supplies have been
lopening railroad communication, relief
wagons will be sent overland"
New York, June 24.-word was re-
1ceived by Henry Fink. president Of the
Norfolk and Western railroad. from
General Manager /. E. Johnson, of the
System. to the effect that the total loss
lof life by the West Virginia floods
would amount to about sixty. Con-
siderable damage has been done to a
number of mines, but some OF the more
important were only slightly damaged
and would begin loading coal tomor-
ROW.
The dispatch added that the food Of
water was enormous in some places.
lat the town of Ennis, the rise had
Iamounted to six feet in thirty minutes.
The rapidity Of the approach of the
flood. the dispatch says. was respon-
Isible for the fact that so many lives
were lost.
Mr.. Johnson reported that the Nor
folk branch Of the Norfolk and West
lern was nearly all washed away and
THAT it would lake a considerable time
Ito repair it.
Roanoke, Va, June 24.-There has
been very little news received here to-
Iday from the West Virginia flood. One
train came in this afternoon, blu very
little new information could be gained
from the passengers. The trains are
running from Bluefield and Ennis, which
places are just outside the territory
visited by the cloudburst on last Sat
urday morning. All day long today
|Roanokers who have riendS and rela-
Itives in the coal fields, n the coal
operators who have large financial in
in the devastated strip a W.
been lounging around the railroad sta
|tion awaiting h arrival of h belat-
led train. These people, making inquir-
lies of relatives and property, have been
|besieging the railroad and commercial
telegraph offices since early this morn
ling. The wires all being down west of
tBluefield, save one wire which goes
through to Ennis but is being used as
Ia train wire, prevents the public
from gaining any additional particu-
liars. How many are dead is not def
|nitedly known and it will necessarily
lbe several days yet before the exact
number can be given out as official,
but the various reports in circulation
here are that all the way from so to 200
have been drowned. 1t is probably safe
Ito assume the first figures as being
more nearly correct than the last. The
to property will certainly
to hundreds of thousands of
dollars. Miles of railroad track are
washed out and great gulcheS have
been created. The devastated section
an area Of about twenty miles
west of Bluefield. 1t is a very narrow
VALLEY, not much wider thant a broad
street in some places.
Coal mines are scattered all along the
road. keystone, the town reported
Ito have been so greatly damaged, and
lat first believed to have been wiped out
of existence, is a village of between
2, 500 and 5000 population and is built
along the narrow valley and on the
Isides of the bluffs. There is a creek
which runs through the town, over
(which most of the houses were built on
piles and rockwork. This creek runs in
"a zigZag way through the narrow viii
lage and has a gradual fall. The noun
'tains on either side loom up for hum
.dreds of feet and the town is sc mar
in places that is obliged to go
into the middle of it to see the sky.
Those familiar with the situation of the
town know that it would be a death
trap If the flood was as heavy as re-
ported.
The railroad people are rushing ma
and supplies to the Elkhorn.
One hundred and fifty laborers came
in over the Roanoke and Southern to-
day on an extra train n e west
and nearly all the work trains on the
road have been sen to the Elkhorn
vicinity.
]. w. Crotty. a fireman on the Nor
ok and Western road, who resides in
this city, received a message yesterday
from Bluefield that his father, mother,
one sister. two brothers, and sister-in-
with her two children We're lost in
the floods Saturday at Keystone. Mr..
Crotty's people lived in the center of
the town.
The Western Union Telegraph Off
Gals in this city say tonight that the
situation, SO far as getting news from
territory west of Bluefield is con
cerned. is unchanged. and they have
nothing new to give out.
E. H Stewart a we'll known furniture
dealer OF this city. was in the midst OF
all the storm n travelled on foot near
ly the whole OF the route devastated.
Mr.. Stewart had beer I o jamestown,
n. Y. On business and was returning
via Columbus. When the train reached
Vivian, w. Va. about 9 o'clock Satur-
day morning. water already covered a
portion of the yard and the rain
men knew that no further progress
could be made. The train was placed
at the highest point on the yard.
Rain was coming down in torrents,
and while in h train Mr.. Stewart saw
about thirty car washed from the
yard and carried away by the rushing
torrents. large trees uprooted near by,
while houses, bridges n furniture
whirling by in the water.
There vas a let up in the rain n
food subsidized about loon and at l
o'clock Mr.. Stewart and another pas
senger left the train and started to the
station, Keystone. five miles distant
Much of the track and several bridges
had been washed away and the trip
was made with great difficulty a nor