Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-07-04
PROPERTY LOSS is IMMENSE.
Late Reports from the West Virginia
Devastated Regions Tend to En-
nance It's Horror.

lager, W. Va, June 26.-This morn
ing the Associated Press correspondent
reached this point, which Is in the CEN
trail part Of the northern section OF the
scene Of Saturdays flood. Dry Fork
here enters the Tug river. The greatest
destruction prevails, and the loss of life
here is even greater than at first re-
ported. The correspondent reached here
after walking and riding along the Tug
river from Williamson. a distance of
60 miles, being the first newspaper man
to reach the Dry Fork section. Beyond
here, for a distance Of 80 miles. the
railroad track is almost completely
washed away. All the telegraph wires
are down, and nothing definite is known
regarding the loss of life and property
through that region.
Over One Hundred Dead.
A number of persons have walked
through from that region, but the
stories are so vastly different that 1t is
difficult to place an estimate on the
number of the dead. 1t Is safe to say,
however, that 100 will not be far amiss
The inhabitants are desolate-in fact,
hundreds are starving. There iS no
way Of securing provisions on the Dry
Forks of the Tug river, save on mule
back. This afternoon 20 pack mules
loaded with provisions started across
the mountains to Bradshaw, village
Is miles away, where it is said many
families have had no food since Satur-
day.
The water came down Dry Forks as
mighty wave, 20 feet high. At the in
tersection of the Tug river it met an
other huge volume, and the noise as the
trees, houses, bridges and debris of all
descriptions crashed together could be
heard miles. The Tug river rose 80 feet
in two hours. Bridges were swept away,
as we'll as 20 or more two-story build
ings, including the postoffce.
Four Men Go Down With Bridge
On the island the saloons of Pink
Storms and Walter Ransom were swept
away. j. W. kliness, a lumberman
saw four men run to the Dry Fork
bridge, when it was swept away, all be-
ing drowned. No report has yet reached
here from the extreme upper water of
Dry Fork, a settlement thickly in
habitated by small farmers.
Some of the Victims.
1t is feared that the loss of life has
been great there. At Bradshaw, Albert
McCoy's storehouse was washed away,
also a large commissary belonging to
the William Ritter Lumber company
and nine dwellings. Among those who
were drowned on Dry Forks were Tom
c. Beavers, a lumberman: Mrs. Frank
Samuels and two children; Geo. Orig
ger, Mrs. White. wife of a merchant,
and two colored men. At Panther. a
large county bridge, number of cabins
and two large commissaries were swept
away.
The lager Southern railroad. in
course of construction, lost ten miles of
track and Is miles OF roadbed. Forty
box cars were also carried away.
Graves Washed Out.
The graveyard below Eckman was
half cut away by the, tide, leaving ex
posed many skeletons. Just below
WEIGH bridge was swept away with
six people. How many persisted is not
known. Four miles east the body of
man was found in the forks of a
tree.
The wires are all down east and west
save one railroad wire. 1t will be sew
eral DAYS before the full details of the
flood in the region 20 miles east of here
are known.