The Iola register., 1901-06-28
BRIGHTER
REPORTS
The ElkhOrn Flood not so
bad as was Thought
The Death List Will Prob
ably be Something Less
than One Hundred
PROPERTY LOSS ENORMOUS
impossible to get Detailed
Information
One Courier has Crossed the
Mountains on Foot is the
Only Report

Roanoke, w. Va, June 24.-The
following short statement tonight by
one of the general officers OF the Nor
folk g. Western railroad summarizing
the flood situation in the light of the
latest dispatches, was given to the
Associated Press:
Restoration of the telegraphic line
develops that the damage by food
through the coal fields was exagger-
ated. The loss of life will not exceed
sixty or seventy-fve, and the damage
to property including repairs to the
railroad and coal operations, will not
exceed $500, 900. 1t is expected the
railway viii get line opened through
tomorrow or next day.
There has been very little news re-
ceived here to-day from the flood.
One train came in this noon, but not
much information could be gained
from the passengers. All day long
today Roanokers who have friends
and relatives in the coalfields and the
coal operators here who have large
financial interests in the devastated
strip, have been lingering around the
railroad station, awaiting the arrival
of the belated train. These people,
making inquiries concerning relatives
and property. have been besieging the
railroad land commercial telegarphic
office since early this morning. The
wires all being down west of Bluefield,
save one wire which goes through to
Ennis, but is being used as a train
wire, prevented the public from gain
ing any additional particulars. How
many are dead is not definitely known
and it necessarily will be several
days before the exact number can be
given out as official, but the various
reports in circulation are that all the
way from 80 to 200 persons have been
drowned. 1t is probably safe to as
sumo that the former figure is more
nearly correct than the latter.
The damage to property will amount
to hundreds of thousands. of dollars.
Miles of railroad; track :are washed
out and many gulches have been
created.
The devastated section covers an
area of about twenty. milesIIwest OF
Bluefeld. 1t is narrow valley, not
much wider than broad street in
some places.
Coal mines are scattered all along
the road. Keystone, the town re-
ported to have been so greatly dam
aged, and which waslat first believed
to be wiped out of existence, is vii
lage of between 2, 900 and 5000 people
and is built along the narrow valley
and on the sides of the bluffs. There
is creek which runs through The
town, over which most of the house:
are built on piles and rocks. This
creek runs in Il zigzag way through
the narrow village and has II gradua
fall. The mountains on either sid'
loom up for hundreds OF feet and th'
town is so narrow in places that one il
obliged to go into the middle of it tt
see the sky. Persons familiar with tn
situation Of the town say that itlwcult
be death trap if the flood was a
heavy as reported, yet they reasol
that, as the food occurred in the da.
time, there was no reason why man.
should have been caught in the onrusl
of the waters.
All reports agree that between 20
and 300 houses were swept away in tn
Elkhorn valley, but of course not al
the occupants were drowned. Th
railroad people are rushing materia
and supplies to the Elkhorn. On
hundred and fifty laborers came i
over the Roanoke Il Southern to-da
on an extra train and went west an
nearly all the work trains on the roa
have been sent to the Elkhorn vicinity
COURIER CROSSES THE MOUNTAINS
BY scripps-McRas Press Association.
Ennis, w. Va, June 25.-A courie
from Keystone has arrived afoc
across the mountains and he says tn
loss of life will not exceed sixty
Thousands escaped by taking warnin
from the constantly swellin
Elkhorn and fleeing to the mountai
side. More than one hundred remain
ed in town to watch the property an
help the women. When the flood wa
at its height horses and cattle wei
washed by in droves and mixed wit
the wrecks OF houses, barns, tree