Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-06-29
HUNDREDS OF
LIVES LOST
CIoudburst and Floods in the Vir-
ginias Cause Great Loss OF
Life.
RIVALS The IOHNSI0WR FLOOD
At Least 500 Persons Drowned,
and Death List May Be
Much Larger.
OVER A SCORE or TOWNS SUFFER
Disastrous Flood Svocps Through villages
wrscking Houses and
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of Railway
Track washed Away.
OVER A SCORE or TOWNS SUFfEF

Roanoke. Va, June 25.-Passengers
on a train from the west report that
about 800 people were drowned Satur-
day evening along the Elkhorn diVl-
sion OF the Norfolk and Western rail-
road and that miles of track ana
bridges were washed out. The passeh-
gers on the train were transferred yes
terday by ropes from the train to the
mountain side neal Vivian. w. Va. All
wires are down over the devastated
section and no other particulars are
obtainable. Those drowned are said 90
include the most prominent people Oh
the section affected. rho general man
ager OF the Norfolk and Western rail-
road left here for the scene yesterday
| afternoon. 1t will probably be several
days before the road IL open.
TazewelI. Va, June 24.-The train
master OF the Norfolk and western
railroad walked the track betweeh
Vivian and Norfolk, n distance or
twelve miles. He discovered thirty
bodies floating In the river.
Washington, June 2i.-The following
dispatches have been received by the
Washington Post regarding the re-
ported loss Of life by the flood In west
Virginia:
"Blueneld, w. Voa., Tune 24.-Flood
In Pocahontas coal field equalinS that
OF Johnstown. Two hundred drowned.
Impossible to estimate the loss OF prop
erty."
Roanoke. Va, June 2~4.-Cloudburst
Pocahontas division Norfolk and West
ern yesterday morning. Keystone, Elk
horn, Vivian and other towns wiped
out. Railroad dispatches say that 800
lives lost. One house left In Keystone,
twenty-five TO thirty miles railroad
track destroyed"
Enormous Property LoEs.
Blueheld, w. Va, June 2.-This en-
tire section has just been visited by n
food which In all probability VIII
equal or exceed that OF Jamestown IN
1889 SO far rs the loss OF property Is
concerned.
Early saturday morning, shortly af-
ter Midnight, n heavy downpour Of rain
began, accompanied by a severe electric
| storm which violently increased In vol
ume and continued throughout the en-
tire day and night.
Many miles Of the Norfolk and West
orn railroad track, bridges and tele-
graph lines are entirely destroyed, ana
| communications entirely cut off west
OF Elkhorn, so that II is impossible TO
learn the full extent of the loss Of life
anr property, but officials OF the coal
| operations located In the stricken ds-
| trict have sent out messengers to Elk
horn, the terminus of both Geographic
| and railroad communications, and have
received a report that conservative esti-
mates as 10 the loss Of life VIII easily
reach 200. Some OF the drowned are
among the most prominent citizens OF
the coal tlelds.
The P~ocahontas coal fields 10 located
In "A basin, with high mountain ranges
on either side or ElkhOrn creek, flowing
through the center OF the basin, which
ranges from one-fourth to one mile In
width. From Ennis, w. Na,, to Vivian
Yard, w. Va, n distance Of ton miles,
miners cabins, coal company commits
saries and coke plants line this basin.
Elkhorn creek. being fed by numerous
email streams coming from the noun
tain side, rises very rapidly, and this
1 WdiciS pOul NuAAit ~ oIdlNlll1 Nlld I'll
entire basin between the two mountain
ranges was flooded. and before the ter
ror stricken people realized what was
upon them they were carried down by
the flood, which swept everything In
It's path. The little town OF Keysonc,
with Il population OF about 1000, seems
the greatest sufferer, practical
~ the entire town being washed
away. This town is the principal one
o., NhA DaAAlA,t.a aAa R.1ln ,N1 ta
located near It's center. 1t was to q
great extent headquarters from which
the mining population purchased sap
plies, and was also the only place In
the field where whisky could he pur-
chased. At this place there some twelve
TO fifteen saloons, all Of which were
washed away. The report One that
the mining population are now occupy
ing the banks Of the streams below,
catching the merchandise and rarrels
OF whisky and beer as they iloat down,
May Reach So, ,oOo.
A great number OF the coal and coke
! plants throughout the Pocahontas val
ley are reported practically destroyed.
and are in some instances entirely
washed away. Owing TO the very high
water which has flooded the region
and prevented communication, any
thing like a correct estimate Of the loss
OF property Is impossible, but from the
best information o~btainable at 2 p. IN.
Sunday the loss OF property viii easily
! reach ST. 00, 900.
At Landgraf, the beautiful home of
General Manager Ord, is reported gone,
but his family is said to be safe.
Passenger train No. 4, OF the Norfolk
and Western railroad, reached Vivian
about $3.50 a. m, met the Hood and wHs
unable to proceed further. The waters
reached such a depth that the coaches
had to be abandoned, the passengers
rescued by means Of ropes strung from
the windows Of coaches to the tops Of
remaining coke ovens some distance
away. Between Elkhorn n Vivian
Yard, O distance Of ten miles, 100 cars
are said to be washed from the tracks,
and many of them were carried down
the streams.
A rough estimate places the number
OF bridges washed away between Blue