The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-06-28
sICKENING TALE FROM FLOOD
WRECKED REGIONS.
WATERS ExHuME THE DEAD
Cemetery on River Bank Yields
Its Occupants to Raging
Torrents.

1IOduOhS, W. Vd, JuAc HO-1 u"
sons coming in from the flood strick-
en- district in West Virginia place
the number of drowned at 60 persons, !
but have no definite or detailed in
formation on which to base the esti-
mate. There has been some Interrupt
ton today to the wires between
Roanoke and Bluefield and only one
wire has been in use since morning.
A telegram from Bluefield this af-
ternoon says there are no important
developments there today. Repair
work is going ahead with vigor.
Bluefield is a great shipping point
Tor the P~ocahontas coal coming east.
1t is said there that the coal fields
will not be able to ship any coal for
the next 80 days. The coal trade
will suffer almost incalculable loss
as a result of the washed out track
aud damages to machinery.
A gentleman arriving in this city
from the stricken section, gives as
explanation of the report first circu-
lated that great masses of human
bodies were to be seen floating
around in the water, that there is a
graveyard between North Fork and
Keystone, which towns are about a
mile apart, and at which point the
storm was very severe. This grave
yard is near the bank of the river.
When the flood came the graves gave
up their dead and added greatly to
the number of bodies seen.
A short telegram was received
here late this afternoon from Elk
horn. This is some miles west of
Ennis, which place was the farthest
town west of Bluefield that has been
communicated with up to this morn
ing. The message gave no informa-
ton whatever.
j. J. Frances, a Roanoke man, who
is in Keystone, installing a water
plant and who was first reported
dead, has written his wife telling her
he is safe and sound. He has the
following to say about the disaster:
"A big food visited the town last
Friday night. Everybody had to go
up IN the mountain. Men, women
and children drowned in the
streets and houses were floating
down stream with people in them.
All our crowd are safe. We are en-
tirely cut off from the outside world
There is now no water in the town
Another letter today from Key
stone says between 10 and Is people
we're drowned and 40 houses washed
away at that place. The people are
hard at work clearing up the town
and repairing damaged buildings.
A report received here that the
father, mother, one sister, two broth
ers and sister-in-law, with two chill
dren, of J. w. Crotty Of the Norfolk
& Western railroad were drowned,
was a mistake. Crotty is now in the
coal fields and t~elegraphed today
that they all were safe.
Tazewell, Va, also suffered from
the cloud burst. The public house
of Paris Vandyke, four miles west OF
Tazewell, in a gorge of the mountain
was washed away. Vandyke heard
the oar of water and started home
form the field. When a short dis
lance from the house he saw the
water rushing down the mountain
sides, tearing up and twisting of
great trees as if shrubs, the water
1eaping many feet and travelling with
frightful speed. Vandyke rushed fol
the house to warn his family, but the
water overlook him and swept the
house and all it's inmates away. Two
children Z years old, were instantly
killed, their brains being dashed out
against rocks and timbers. The
bodies were washed to the lowlands
A little girl, holding a young sister
in her arms was carried 200 yards
Another member Of the family diei
yesterday afternoon and Vandyke is
still unconscious and cannot live.
At Cedar Bluffs, 16 miles west 81
Tazewell, II dwellings were sweep
away but no lives were lost.
At Pounding Mill, four lives were
lost. Knobe, a small town sever
miles west, was almost completely
destroyed. Ravens, two miles west
was badly damaged and many bust
ness houses were destroyed. TIT
damage done to the county roads viii
not be less than $4,000.
Notice was posted in the boiler de
partment o fthe Norfolk & Western
railroad this morning that the shops
will be closed at 10 o'clock today un