Iron County register., 1901-06-27
SWEPT BY l CIOUDBURST
A Flood in the Pocahontas Coal
Field in West Virginia Ri
valing Johnstown
HUNDREDS OF HUMAN LIVES WIPED OUT.
Damage to Property Roughly Estimated
at Two Million Dollars Details, How
ever, Are Meager, Owing to the De-
struction of Railways and Prostration
of the Wires,

Washington, June 24.-The follow
ing dispatches have been received BY
the Washington Post regarding The
reported loss of life by the flood in
West Virginia:
"Bluefie1d. ". Va, June %.
''Flood in Pocahontas coal field
equalling that of Johnstown. Two
hundred drowned. Impossible to es-
innate the loss of property"
Roanoke, Va, June %.
"Cloud-burst in Focahontas division
of the Norfolk & Western this morn
ing. Keystone, Ellzhorn, Vivian ard
other towns wiped cut. Railroad dis
patches say 500 lives lost. One house
left in Keystone. Twenty-Five to thir-
ty miles of railroad tracks destroyed"
Bluefield, w. Va, June 23.-This en-
tire section has just been visited Ly
flood, the extent of which in all
probability will equal or exceed that
of Johnstown in 1889, so far as the
loss of property is concerned.
Early yesterday morning, shortly
after midnight, a heavy downpour of
rain began, accompanied by a severe
electric storm which violently in
creased in volume and continued for
several hours. This continued
throughout the entire day and night,
and at 10 a. m, while the storm Lad
abated, lowering clouds would Judi
cate a terrible downpour at any mo-
ment.
Many miles of the Norfolk & West
ern track, bridges and telegraph lines
are entirely destroyed and communI.
cation is entirely cut off west of Elk
horn, so that it is impossible to learn
the full extent of the loss of life and
property, but officials of the coal op-
erations located in the stricken dis
trict, have sent out messengers to
Elkhorn, the terminus of both tcle-
graphic and railroad communications,
and have received report that con-
servative estimates of the loss of life
will easily reach goo. Some of the
drowned are among the most promi-
rent citizens of the coal fields.
The Pocahontas coal field is To-
Gated in basin with high mountain
ranges on either side, Elkhorn creek
flowing through the center of the
bases, which range from one-fourth
to one mile wide.
From Ennis, W. Va, to Vivian Yard,
w. Va, distance of ten miles, min
rers' cabins, coal company commits
saries and coke plants line this basin.
Elilhorn creek, being fed by numer-
mountain side, rises very rapidly, and
this waterspout came so suddenly
that the entire basin between the two
mountain ranges was flooded, and be-
fore the terror-stricken people real
iZed what was upon them, they were
carried down by the flood, which
swept everything in its path. The lit
tie town of Keystone, with a popula-
ton of about two thousand, seems the
greatest sufferer, practically the en-
tire town being washed away. This
town was the principal one in the
Pocahontas coal fields, and is located
near its center. 1t was to great eX-
tent headquarters from which the
mining population purchased supplies
and was also the only place in the
field where whisky could be pur-
chased. At this place there were soms
twelve to fifteen saloons, all of which
were washed away. The report comes
that the mining population is now
occupying the banks of streams be-
low catching the merchandise and
barrels of whisky and beer as they
float down.
A great number of the coal aad
coke plants throughout the Pocahon-
tas railroad district was practically
destroyed and are in some instances
totally washed away. Owing to the
very high water which flooded the
region and prevented communication,
like correct estimate OF
the loss Of property is impossible, but
from the best information obtains1-
Die at p m. Sunday, the loss to prop
erty will easily reach $2,oOO,O00.
at Landgraaf, the beautiful homo |
Of General Manager Ord is reported |
gone, but his family is said to le
safe.
A rough estimate places the num-
Der of bridges washed away between
Bluefield and Vivian Yard, distance |
Of from fifteen to twenty miles, at rs, |
and from present indications it will |
be impossible to get trains through |
Vivian and points west of here under |
\ week or ten days. This will render |
t impossible to get relief in the
stricken district, and with all those |
who escaped with their lives, home
nd 1INnl Isl
is inevitable.
Passenger train No. of the Nor |
folk & Western railway reached Vi
Ran about $3.50 a. m, met the Hood |
and was unable to proceed further.
The waters reached such depth that |
.he coaches had to be abandoned, the |
passengers being rescued by means of /
ropes strung from the windows of |
coaches to the tops of remaining /
coke ovens, some distance away. Be-
,ween Elkhorn and Vivian Yard, a
distance of ten miles, 100 cars are
said to have been washed from the
racks and many of them were car
RED down the stream.
On the Clinch Valley branch of the
Norfolk & Western railway, between
his city and Norton, Va, communi-
,ation is entirely severed west OF
razeweu, w. Va. Reports from that
point are of great loss of life and
property throughout that entire sec
Jon.
At Shakerag, negro settlement on
~. >,,@~I-ir&c r& Tsa~axuaIJ fhn xuatnS |