Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-24
WEST VIRGINIA FLOOD
Damage Not So Great as at First
Reported.
LOSS OF LIFE PROBABLY ABOUT 100
TeIegraphic and Railroad Commu-
nication With District Interrupted.
MINERS WORST SUFFERERS

ROANOKE. Va. June 24-Norfolk and
Western officials here say that owing to
wires being down and no direct communi-
cations they are unable TO estimate the
damage caused by the food in coal fields
They do not believe the damage to prop
srty will amount to slf0,reO at first
ported Estimates of $40 lives lost are now
thought to be too great.
Passengers From Flooded District.
The passenger train from the west over
the Norfolk and Western railroad. which
vas due here at 11.15 pm. yesterday
did not reach Roanoke until 80 o'clock
this morning. When the train came
in there were many people at the sta
tinn who had waited anxiously all night
for the belatsd news from the devas-
tatrd coal fields of West Virginia
Among those who came in on this train
and who had been in the storm were
prominent business man of Roanoke. sew
raj railroad men and a woman and two
children. They came direct to Roanoke
from Vivian. and were compelled to walk
i distance of eleven miles from that place
the small town of Ennis where they
we're enabled To get train for this city.
These passengers declare that the num-
her Of deaths has been exaggerated, in
tn'ir opinion. and feel confident that not
more than 100 people have lost their lives,
though they cannot say with any certainty
To the number. The mountain district
.yiug back from the railroads probably
nave suffered heavily. and the exact loss of
life will not be known for several days.
railroad man who has been working at
Vivian told the Associated Press CORE
spnndent that the rain started last Friday
night and continued for some time in mod
Grafton. but shortly after midnight the
heavens seemed to open and poured forth
great volumes of water When the cloud
burst over the town of Vivian there was
passenger train standing in the railroad
yards.
Forty Passengers Aboard.
About forty passengers, of whom three
were women. We're in the cars. The water
-Jse rapidly. and soon was over the trucks
Of the cars. Houses and cars were being
washed about before the eyes of the fright
ned passengers Ropes were thrown to
ne cars and the male passengers caught
hem and wdtyi through the water which
Vas now waist deep. to places of safety
around the coke ovens on the adjoining
all.
The women were too much frightened to
get into the water and Were placed on the
-,hier Of the engine where they Were safe.
pther portions of the railroad yards were
mashed out and hundred box cars were
wrecked. The house in which the section
master at Vivian lived was washed aWay
y young son of the section master rode on
IrIftwood for four miles. and was then
cued. \ coiored section hand who was in
the section masters house when the flood
waters struck the building was drowned
The rain ceased falling about 8 o'clock
saturday morning. There has been no rain
since that hour. and the streams are grad
udly falling. a big furniture store and
large clothing house We're washed away at
Vivian, also We're about q dozen small
dwellings which We're situated in the lower
portion of the village. Two dead bodies,
both coi0red men, were seen at Eckman.
and three colo-ed and one white corpse at
Empire Two iron bridges We're washed
away at Vivian and another at North
Fork junction and three persons are re-
ported TO have been drowned near the lat
Ter place.
Damage to Bridges and TrestIes.
All the bridges and trestle work has been
washed away the Simmons river branch
,: the Norfolk and Western system. All
telegraph lines are down and tracks are
badly washed out on this division. The
people who came from Vivian did not come
through the town Of Keystone. but only
around it They state. however, that the
eamage done there is nothing like great
Was at first reported. They think that
not more than A dozen houses were washed
away They cannot say how many, if any.
lives Were lost at Keystone OF the ten
miles of railroad between the towns of
Vivian and Ennis il is stated there is not
one hundred yards of track in one place,
and it is thought this division will not be
repaired for a fortnight. Fifty people
walked over this washed out territory Sun
day TO get from Vivian IL Ennis.
The damage done all over the coal fields
is immense, but every one seems to have
been too greatly excited and too anxious to
get away to take time to inquire into the
affairs of their neighbors- 1t is certain,
however that much valuable machinery
has been washed away. Many of the
wrecked cars along the Elkhorn valley have
been washed down the river and probably
will be a total loss East OF Ennis the train
had little trouble getting through to Blue
field Two bridges are gone between Vivian
and WEIGH At Shawnee the Shawnee Coal
Company lost all their mine mules. which
were in the stable when the storm swept
down on them.
\ report from keystone has it that mob
Of negroes there refuse to work for 50 a
day. but are lOafiDg around and watching
their chance to steal from the debris. An
other report says that the number of dead
there is seventeen. and that of this number
ten have been buried. Newspaper men
have gone To the coal fields to get reliable
Information. and ii is expected that some
thing definite will be known within the next
twenty-fOur hours.
RICHMOND. Va. June GA special to
the Dispatch from reliable correspondent
at Blu-field says all news SO far is based
largely on rumor: that facts cannot yet
be obtained. and 1t is probable the reports
are exaggerated.
HUNTINGTON. w. Va. June 24-Gov
White is here making arrangements to get
tents and provisions for the flooded dis
trict along the Norfolk and Western rail-
road
Governor White fears the death list will
exceed 900.
MONTGOMERY. W. Va. June 24-No
lives are known to have been lost here in
yesterdays great storm. Much damage
was caused 10 mine property. Many tipples
We're destroyed and various other struc-
lures ABOUT the mines were damaged. The
loss probably will exceed $1,000
Railroad Situation Improving.
The railroad situation in the flooded dis
trict of West Virginia is reported to be
somewhat better this morning At the Of
fees Of the Chesapeake and Ohio railway
in this city. it was stated that their trains
for Washington started through the food
Id