The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-06-26
Loss OF LIFE NOW
ESTIMATED AT FIFTY
News of West Virginia Flood
Coming in Slowly.
CLEARING AWAY DEBRIS
BODIES BEING FOUND AND MISS
ING PEOPLE SHOWING UP.

Bluefeld w Va. June 25.-The West
Virginia flood situation has not many
new developments, but it is authen-
ticalIy stated that the loss oil. life has
been greatly over-estimated, although
the loss OF property can hardly be es-
timated- The most conservative .esti-
mates place the loss of life at fifty.
greater part of whom are coIored min
efS and their families. A great many
more are missing and are supposed to
I nave been swept away There are
great piles Of debris and it will take
many days to find all the bodies.
Inc Norfolk & Western Railway
/ company viii lose at conservative es-
1 innate $500 600, not taking into consid-
Grafton the delay TO traffic, etc. Their
| double track is practically washed
away for a distance of six miles and
at least $500 men are at work day and
night repairing road bed and removing
drlrU- 1t will be four days before any
traffic can be moved.
The loss to the coal opera tors will
reach about $400, 600. The property lost
by private parties is very heavy and
may reach the $1,000, 600 mark The
wires are deluged with press matter
and hundreds OF messages are received
hourly from anxious friends in all
parts Of the United States inquiring
about relatives and friends. Until traf-
[ nc is resumed and all communication
opened it viii be impossible to esti-
Z
either the loss of life or to property.
All owe this section there is great
rehet expressed at the announcement
that the loss of life is not so great as
at hrst believed. Many of the missing
who were mourned as dead by their
friends have turned up. Six bodies
were found yesterday, but they were
discOlOred and swollen beyond recOgni-
ton. It is now highly probable that
very few of the dead whose bodies
are found at the last hour VIII ever
be identified.
Clearing Up the Wreckage.
The Norfolk & Western Railroad
company continues to make every eff
I tort to hasten the opening of commu-
nlcauOn between the devastated dis
trict and the outside world. Laborers
are going in a continual stream and
many hundreds more could be used
The work Of repairing and clearing
away the debris goes on night and day
/ a thoroughly equipped electric light in
stalled on three cars having been pro
Vlded for night work.
Wrecking trains, completely manned,
continue TO arrive. They have been
: sent by connecting lines to aid in clear
ing the right of way and rebuilding
the track. carload of covered wire
like that used by the army. has been
/ received, and is being laid on the
ground 10 complete the broken lines
Of telegraph wires. 1t is expected that
I
inside of fOrty-eight hours.
General E. J. BOggs, private secre-
. tary to Governor W hite, and Adjutant
General HundsOn are here looking into
/ the necessities for a relief movement.
1t seems to be the general opinion that
there viii be no necessity for calling
out the state guard, as the railroad and
coal companies have sufficient systems
/ Of policing the devastated district
great many of the coal mines will have
/ their damages repaired and be ready
/ for shipments some time before the
railroad is in sufficient repair to handle
/ the output.
I The people of the storm-swept sec
J ton appear terrorized and their excite
ment is so intense that they are really
helpless as far as work is concerned.
In this section of severe thunder
storms, each fash of lightning and
peal of thunder is enough to cause a
panic. The dead, as fast as found. are
! being hastily buried and many times
the spot is not marked.
Property Loss is Great.
! General Boggs. and colonel Hudson Of
I Governor w hlte's staff visited The sec
ascertain II the destitute needed help
3 from the state. They were informed that
( Keystone could care for the destitute
Many newspaper correspondents went
into the center Of the devastated district
/ today, and IL was evident that the facts
/ We're not exaggerated, so far as property
/ loss is concerned.
From Ennis down the loss was me
worst cars We're WrSnched 20 pieces
and piled up in ruins The track for
several hundred yards vas washed about,
houses were overturned and MANY had
been demolished. The tracks were dam
aged. and many coke ovens were ruined.
At NOrthfOrk Junction the double
steel bridge was washed away and the
/ SiXty-pOuDd rails of 10th tracks were
snapped like threads. Thousands IF tons
of dI1ft wood, remnants of houses, logs
trees, etc, were piled in ruin. The o0dies
OF. many persons drowned on the north
fork are supposed to be imbedGed in the
debris. The two iron bridges between
NorthtOrk and Keystone were utterly
ruined and the rails bent like haTpinS
Five bodies lay with the coffin lies
washed out and exposed to the gaze OF
the curious al this point. They had
been buried on the river bank but Were
washed OUT
Keystone, the town Of 1900 inha5it-
ants, was torn to pieces. Thirty build
ings were deluged and greatly damaged.
The contents Of many other houses were
seriously damaged. The railroad bed was
washed out to a depth of twenty-five
feet The loss to Keystone was immense. /
Inc huge drift west % town cannot be
described IL had a house, with q tree
driven into the door. on its top. Many
dead bodies are supposed 10 be confined
in this immense pile Of debris
William j. Bryan has telegraphad the
Y NJ Q. A that he will deliver a lee
ture at Pocahontas on, the night OF July
Z the proceeds TO De given Tor the relief
OF the destitute.