The Saint Paul globe., 1901-06-24
GALVESTON DISASTER DUPLIo ArEn
Later Reports Confirm the First
News of Awful Destruction.


ROANOKE. Va, June 23.-There was
a great deal of excitement and anxiety
created here today when it was reported
than an awful cloudburst had SWEPT over
the Elkhorn coal region in West
Virginia. This territory Is near the
Virginia line, and is about 125 miles west
OF Roanoke and some twenty-five miles
west of Bluehelds w. Va The region
visited by the flood is said to be devas-
tated and the Pocahontas coal fields are
reported in ruins
More than thirty miles Of the railroad
tracks of the Norfolk & Western rail-
road are gone, and reports are still COM
ing into the general offices of this sys-
tenn in this city reporting washouts on
the various sections OF lines i'm the
! Hooded districts. One of the breaks in
the track Will require at least ! 900 labor
! ers and several days work to repair t.
! The railroad yards at Vivian, a small
town in West Virginia, were completely
| destroyed, and it is reported most OF
| the town was washed away North Fork
! Junction and few other smaller towns
suffered greatly.
Saturday night is pay night in the coal
| fields, and it is supposed that the coal
miners had flocked into the towns TO do
their trading and there Is no telling how
many of them were caught in the food
| and drowned. 1t is stated that the
| greatest damage, so far as is known. is
| at keystone, w. Va, which is only one
mile distant from North Fork and about
thirty miles west of Bluehelds.
! GALVESTON HORROR DUPLICATED.
From the meager reports describing
! the force of the storm at Keystone ir
would appear that the damage rivals
that of Johnstown and is equal TO the
! Galveston horror in it's intensity so far
| as the percentage Of population lost and
| property DESTROYED
There IS no telegraphic communication
| west of Bluefield. as the telegraph lines
are swept away along with the railroad
! tracks. 1t is said by the telegraph OFF,
cials that tine lines are useless between
| kenoVa, w. Va, and BluefeId, a dis
tance of zoo miles. 1t may be several
! days before the telegraph lines VIII be
restored sufficiently between these two
points to obtain full report of damage
done in that territory. 1t is stated how
ever, that every building in the town
! of keystone was demolished or carried
away by the water save one, and that
| a barroOm which stands on a high hill
| the normal population of Keystone is
| about 1900 souls, and as last night was
Saturday night, there is no telling how
many miners had gone into the town
! to swell it's population. 1t is estimated
that 200 lives alone were lost at Key
| stone. The food seems to have extended
| over a vast area of mountain country,
and the hundreds of mountain streams
becoming swollen, only served TO swell
the Elkhorn river until It had assumed
| large proportions and carried destruc-
ton in its wake.
Railroad ties and tracks, small build
! ngs Of all descriptions, trees, telegraph
poles, huge powders and every imag-
Unable movable thing that came within
the sweep of this mighty torrent Of mad
| dened waters went down the noun
famous district in a seething, roaring
mass Of debris. Dead bodies could be
seen floating along the valley by those
who had gained a place of safety on the
high hills. All day Saturday the rain
fell in sheets, and 1t was evident that II
it did not cease there would be a food
and great destruction must result from
1t, but it was not until after darkness
had enveloped the coal regions that the
| great catastrophe was upon the coun-
try and was making a clean sweep OF
| the valley for miles around.
TRAVELLERS NARROW ESCAPE.
Shortly after midnight Saturday night
| 1t seemed as If the heavens had opened
their 1oodgates over the town Of Vivian
| w. Va Here a passenger train was
| caught in the food and che lives Of the
frightened passengers were saved by the
| use Of ropes which were quickly thrown
| over from the coke ovens which skirt
the railroad yards at vivian. The pas
sengers were glad to catch the ropes,
and willing hands dragged them from
| the submerged train and over the oven
barricades to point Of safety owing
to the fact that the telegraph lines had
been prostrated by the storm the Nor
folk & Western officials detailed mes
sengers by foot to cover the territory
as best they could, they returning in
short time with reports Of the terrible
! destruction which had been done In their
| respective territory.
One Of these messengers in walking
| over the devastated district came back
| and reported having seen thirty-eight
! deed bodies. There are supposed 20 be
many who will never be accounted for.
| The loss Of life VIII probably reach go
or 600. and possibly this number VIII be
swelled when fuller details are obtain
| able. Many people in this city have reI4
atives in the coal regions Which have
been struck by the food but not a word
can be heard from them as there 81 POSI-
| lively no way Of communicating with
them The telegraph offices. railroad Of
| fees and officials, and telephone Offices
! are besieged by many eager people seek
| ing information of their relatives and
| friends. The Norfolk & Western rail-
! road general offices IN this city are ret
icent, but they admit that at least 200
| lives have been lost. the town Of Key
stone destroyed and millions Of dollars
worth of property destroyed.
1t is not known how far back into the
mountains the storm extended and It
Will be days and perhaps weeks before
all the storm stricken country is heard
from. The flood has not only damaged
the Elkhorn valley, but II Is stated that
every one Of the thirty-three Flat Top