Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-06-24

try, and was making a clean sweep OF
the valley for miles around. Shortly
after midnight Saturday night, i. SEEM
ed as If the heavens had opened their
flood gates over the town CT Vivian, W.
Va Here passenger train was caught
in the falling flood and the lives of the
frightened passengers were saved by nc
use OF ropes which were quickly thrown
over from the coke ovens which skirtedl
the railroad yards at Vivian. The pas
sengers were glad to catch the ropes
and willing hands dragged them from
the submerging train and over the bar
ricades to a point of safety. Owing TO
the fact that the telegraph lines had
been Frustrated by the storm, thu Nor
folk G Western officials detailed mes
sengers by foot to cover the territory SIS
best they could, they returning N a
short time with reports OF terrible
destruction which had been done IN
their respective territory. One of the
messengers in walking over the devas-
tated district came back and reported
having seen
Thirty-Eight Dead Bodies.
There are supposed to be many who will
never be accounted for The loss of
life will probably reach 500 or 600 and
possibly this number will be swelled
when fuller details are obtainable
Many people in this city have relatives
in the coal regions which have been
struck by the food, but not word can
be heard from them as there is posi-
lively no way of communicating with
them. The telegraph offices, railroad
Offices, and railroad officials. and tcle-
phone Offices, are visited by many eager
people, all awaiting some message as
to the fate of their relatives or friends.
The Norfolk & Western railroad gen.
eral officers in this city are. as is sen-
orally the case when railroad property
is damaged, reticent. but they admit
that at least 200 lives have been lost,
the town of keystone destroyed and
millions of dollars worth of property
destroyed. 1t is not known how far
back into the mountains the storm ex-
tended and it will be
Days and Perhaps Weeks
before all the storm stricken country
is heard from. The food has not only
damaged the Elkhorn valley, but it Is
stated that every one of The thirty
three Flat Top coal operations or plants
has suffered to some extent. Great
damage is also reported to have re-
suited in the Cliach Valley section
which extends south from Graham, Va.
No lives, however, aro reported to have
been lost along this valley. The next
train from Bluefield which is the far
thest point west from which the trains
are running, is due here at midnight,
but the railroad officials tell the AS
ISOLATED Press correspondent at this
hour, 8: 80 p. M, that this train is now
two and half hours late and prob
ably will not reach here until after 3
a. m. The dispatchers Office says at
this hour that they nave heard moth
ing further than that stated above, and
that it is not thought there has been any
further damage by rains to-day. a mes
sage reached the Associated Press to-
night from Coaldale. w. Va, fifteen
miles west of Bluefisld, saying that there
had been an immense loss of properly
and some lives at that point. The
town of Keystone, which is said to have
been swept away all save one saloon,
is said to nave contained "a other bar
rooms
The Western Union telegraph oper-
ator at Bluefield. wired the Associated
Press correspondent az . O'Clock that
the loss OF life at the lowest estimate
is two hundred. He says there is one
wire now working through TO EMS.
eighteen miles west Of Blueneld, but
that this wire is monopolized by the
railroad people.
The railroad people say 1t will be
At Least Five Days
before their lines are open for trains.
They have been sending work trains to
the storm stricken district from all di-
rections. The loss TO the railroad will
reach half million dollars. a private
message from Bramweil, W. Va, on
Simmons creek, says there has been
great damage done there, but no loss
of life has been reported up to the
time the telegram was sent. The liz
tie town OF Vivian, al which place the
railroad yards were swept away, and a
passenger train flooded, is the shipping
point Of all west bound coal and coke.
and there is a succession or prosperous
mining towns extending all the way TO
Pocahontas, Va. Nearly every mile post
along this portion the road, marks
mining operation. At North Fork
Junction, seven miles from Vivian there
is branch road extending five and
one-half miles UP the North Fork OF
Elkhorn to several prosperous mining
plants. From Copper. eleven miles fur
ther, branch road extends through the
Bluestone district of the coal field 10
Goodwill, and another TO Bramwell. a
town OF about Geo inhabitants. This is
the home of many Of the coal oper-
ators. and their handsome residences
which added charm and attractiyeness
to the town already favored by ma
ture with beautiful situation. no doubt
have suffered greatly In the storm.
i8ramwell is the headquarters OF the
Flat Top coal land association. The
town is reputed to be
The Richest Town Per Capita
in West Virginia. Nothing has been
heard from Tazewell, Va. to-day. but
message from that place Saturday