The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-27
DEATH LIST EXCEEDS 100 Result zOf Recent West | Vgginia Flood. PROPER gyLoss ENORMOUS The Devas Sated District Was
 Very Thlckly Settled. Most of Those Killed Were Women
 and Children-First Authentic News Received from the Scene of the Calamity.

Williamson, W. Va, June 26.-Therc is no longer any doubt that the list ot the dead, as the result of the recent flood, will exceed 100. A party reached here this afternoon from the upper end of the flood district bringing the first authentic information received from the scene of disaster. The party ecn- sisted of Judge E. s. Doolittle of Hunt- inRton, Judge Flournoy of Charleston and Elias Hatfield. Deputy Shertn Sf Mingo County These men left Vivian Sunday morning. and their journey to this city has been perilous one. Jucke Dooltttie started to wade Laurel Creek and came near being drowned, floating some distance before being rescued. Judge Flournoy and MT. Hatfield gave the rescuers $25 to carry them across the stream safely.
 Judge Doohttle said to the Associated Press correspondent tonight that wOids could not describe the scene of devas- tation between Vivian and Davy. It was a tidal wave from cloudburSt and swept everything before 1t. In It's track everything is gone. including coke ovens and pillars of stone. At Vivian the water came roaring down the mountain sides in monster waves and peonle who attempted to f1ee to the hills for safety were washed back and carried away by the raging current of the Elkhorn.
 The section visited by the flood was thickly settled. but as the population consists chiefly of miners who were al
 work, the large majority Of the dead are women and children. and thrilling stories of rescue are told. At Eckman. a mother climbed a huge pillar to railway tresle holding to her breast her child. Her home was washed away, but the mother and child were saved. Fifteen persons are said to have been drownel at Eckmar.
 Al Keystone, the loss of life was great. Probably thirty persons per- ished there. In one instance nersonS fled to an island and climbed small trees, only to be swept away fifteen minutes later by the tide, which was filled with debris of every kind.
 Judge Doolittle was on the Norfolk and Western train No. 4, at Vivian when the flood tide overlook 1t. He was in a sleeper, and on awakening discovered water rushing through the center aisIes and all was confusion. He climbed, as did many others, from window.
 It took eleven hours to dig the debris away from the train after the hood tide had passed. Passenger train No. II was also lost at Eckman. being com pletely carried away with box cars, houses, etc. More than 200 cars, many of which were loaded with merchan- disc, were washed away at that point. On Dry Fork, the loss of life is great Rodies are scattered all along the stream, many of which will never be identified Seven saloons at Keystone were washed away, four lives being lost in one of them. Dr. Hatfield's home at this point was not washed away as formerly reported, and his family is safe.
 At Brooks, the loss of property is also severe, but only three lives are said to have been lost there. The region from Ennis to Davy, forty-three miles. | is completely in ruins. Hundreds or mine mules can be seen in heaps inter-
 mingled with human bodies. Coal ope-
 rators and mill men have lost unknown | amounts. Near Davy a horse was | found lodged in a drift with human
 body dangling to 1t. the mans foot
 having hung in the stirrup of the sad dle.
 A report has just reached here that fifteen bodies are lodged lin a drift at Hatfield tunnel, twenty miles east of | this city. Parties have gone to the
 scene with the hope of recovering them.
 Near Burke, a man saw his brother sinking in the flood. and plunged in to rescue him. Both were drowned. c. L. Clifford. train dispatcher for the Norfolk and Western. walked from Ennis to Davy forty-three miles. and
 now has control of the telegraph lines
 at the latter place. He says on his | journey he saw five dead bodies at Eckman, seven at Keystone. and fif- l Aoo,, ,oa4tarad prounieoIougIV along the
 shorNs.
 It Is believed that the loss of life
 along the little streams emptying into
 the Keystone has been great. These
 streams have not yet been explord. It
 is stated here tonight that eight large
 steel bridges were washed away on Elk
 Horn alone. It Is not thought that
 trains will be running east of Welch
 for two or three weeks. It will take
 this long to build temporary trestles.
 Five construction trains left here
 last night and will pick up on the way
 every man possible to assist in railway
 repairs. MT. Hatfield says that tenn
 porary telegraph wire has been strung on stakes for a few miles above Welch and in many cases necks of beer bot ties were used as insulators.
 Twenty barrels of whiskey were caught in the Tug river at Welch. A report has reached here that most of the negro miners are today on pro- tracted spree and street fights are nu-
 merous.
 It is difficult for the authorities to
 handle the situation. Much theft is re-
 ported in the devastated districts. The
 loss of property by the flood on the Elh Horn and Tug Rivers is roughly esti-
 mated at from five to eight million dol | iars.