The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-06-25
BLUEFIELD'S TALE OF WOE.
Death List Very Lnrge AMI Terrific
Damage Done.


Death List Very large AMI Terrific
Damage Done.
Blueheld, w. Va. June 2i.-Details of
the flood in the Pocahontas Flat Top
coal region fully bear out the worst fears
of the extent of the damage done. The
work of repairing railroad tracks, tele-
phone and telegraph lines is being pushed
with the vigor that the occasion demands.
thousands of people are homeless, and
1t is feared are without food, or, at the
nest, with only food enough TO last sew
eral days until railroad communica ton
is established Men are at work clear
ing away the debris, recovering the bodies
of the dead The dead are being aug
mented hourly Relief trains are running
between this city and the stricken dis
trict and everything possible is being done
to relieve TIE suffering and destitution.
The latest estimate is that it will take
ten days to repair the Norfolk and West
ern track. Information from the Tug
river district is to the effect that the
damage 10 the coal operations in that re-
gion is not great, but that the lumber
interests have suffered considerably.
over one hundred miles of track, be-
longing to the various coal operations are
pAdCAlCdlly lOldl iOSSs 4nC TdllS are
bent and twisted like wires. Even the
heavy iron girders of the collapsed rail-
road bridges were rendered useless. The
force of the flood is better understood
when 1t Is explained that by reason of a
long fill and low iron bridge the flood
was damned and a monster body of
water accumulated. probably as large a
volume as was contained in the famous
dam at Johnstown. When this obstruc-
ton gave way it let down an immense
volume of water on the villages and
mining camps below.
Negro PIunderers Shot.
DR. Hatfield, it is reported, promi-
nent physician and a kinsman of the ia
nous feudists oe this section and Ken
lucky, was compelled to shoot two negro
plunderers who were rohbing defenseiess
flood sufferers.
The negroes were George Wade and
Alex White, both desperate characters.
The recovery of bodies in the past
twenty-four hours has been slow. The
reason assigned is that the corpses of the
missing are hidden in mammoth piles of
debris Some of these piles are thirty
feet high and cover in some instances as
much as half an acre of ground and 1t is
the work of days to search through them.
1t has been suggested that the best plan
would be to burn these masses of debris,
but the friends of the dead are loud in
their denunciation of the idea. So bitter
is the feeling regarding that if it is at
tempted bloodshed will be the result.
Heavy Death Roll Here.
Up to tonight only some fifty bodies
have been recovered. yet the list of miss
ing and reported drowned is 249 1t will
probably never be known how many have
perished.
A messenger arrived who traversed the
full length of the stricken district. He
reports the destruction of property is
great deal worse than apprehended, but
that the loss of life is not as heavy
The. honna of Coal Inspector Dinsmore
in Keystone was washed away and his
three daughters. aged Z, "A and 16 with
it. They were rescued several miles fur
ther down stream.
Al Aisoma a number of miners stand
ing on high point in water waist deep
rescued twenty-three women and children
as they foated past. A number to whom
they threw ropes were so excited that
they made no effort to save themselves.
Thirty-four houses foated down and
were dashed to pieces against the sides
of the iron bridge at North Fork Junction
before that structure collapsed. The
flood left several narrow gorges through
which only the creek ana tne RAILROAD
had room to pass, choked with shattered
houses and household furniture, merchan-
disc and every imaginable article. A
saw mill belonging to Belcher Bros. was
entirely sewtp away, and no trace of it
has yet been found, except the boiler,
which was jammed into the end of
box car
Tragedies of the Flood.
johnnie Wilson, aged 10. was sent in
company with negro Jack Harlan, back
to a deserted residence to get pocket
book containing SIS. Both were washed
away, the negro drowned and the boy
lodged in a tree four miles below, from
which ho was rescued after three hours
endeaV5r
Secarll hundred yards below Eckman
am urknowh woman was found to-day,
with child clasped in her arm, both
dead and their bodies so badly swollen
and discolored that it is impossible to tell
whether they are white or black.