Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-06-24
SIXTY OR EIGHTY
Residents of Keystone Were Drown
ed-Boi1ers, Locomotives and Cars
Swept Away.

Residents of Keystone Were Drown-
Swept Away.
BLUEFIGLD, w. Va, June 23.-De-
tails of the great pocahontas fed flooc
are hard to obtain, owing to the mac
feasibility OF the mining district, where
the fury and havoc of the angry waters
caused the most appalling loss of life
and property.
At Keystone the water began to rise
at o'clock Sunday morning, and by
II o'clock the food had spent it's fury,
and at least two-thirds of the little city
had been washed away or demolished.
1t Is known that sixteen residents of the
north side of the stream lost their lives,
and at least fifty of those living on the
south, Or town side, were drowned.
At Burke, a suburb of keystone,
number are missing and eight are re-
ported dead.
1t is now certain that the total list
OF the dead from one end of the Elk
horn valley to the other, will reach two
hundred. A full list CT the names of
the victims cannot be ascertained at
TINS time Hundreds are missing, hav-
ing taken refuge in the mountains to
escape the fury of the flood. The list
OF the dead SO far recovered and identi-
f1ed that it has been possible to OBJ
tain at this time are:
John Lewis and Martha Morgan,
white; Sam Poindexter, Bette Brown,
John Ballard, Annie Smith, Laura Nc
Coy, Nellie Smith, colored, all of Key
stone; Ivan Solisky, white, and a col
ored family named Harton, consisting
OF mother and four children at Algoma.
AT least three hundred mine mules
were drowned. But little damage is
done to the mines proper, as the drift
mouths were high up the mountain
sides. Several mines, however are re-
ported flooded, but it is impossible to
ascertain the extent of the damage. On
the North Fork branch of the Norfolk
q Western. which is five and one-half
miles long, there was no loss of life. as
far as known, but hundreds were rem
dered homeless and tonight are camp
ed In the mountains. The damage to
property on this branch is very heavy.
Only one of the ten collieries located
on this branch escaped, the Ashland it
being located at the head of the stream.
The Mcdowell Coal Company lost twelve
residences. The Roanoke Company lost
their boiler houses and the one hundred
horsepower boilers were swept four
miles down the stream. The Louisville
Nompany's store is wreck and the
stock of goods total loss.
AL Rolge, large number of miners
houses were swept away as well as the
handsome residence OF the co.n.au,
physician. twenty-five houses are Jam
med together in one large mass OF Drok-
en- timbers and debris.
AT the Gillian company's colliery. the
powder house and fourteen houses are
demolished.
At Indian Ridge, the company store
was considerably damaged and the
stock lost. The residence of Captain
=. Botsford, the manager, is wrecked
also.
The North Fork track is nearly all
washed away, all the trestles being gone
except one. In the Elkhorn valley it is
estimated that the loss to the railroad
and coal interests will exceed two mil
lion dollars. Out of twelve miles of
main line double track, only one mile
remains and all the bridges are gone.
Some OF the bridges were of the heaviest
masonry and slrou, but they could not
resist the force of the flood The Gro
ger company, one of the largest opera
tors lost a thousand horse power cleo
trio plant and many buildings and coke
ovens. Their loss is said to be fifty
thousand dollars. The Houston COM
pany is damaged some $4,000. The
Tierney interest. consisting OF four col
lieries, will lose $4,000 There are oy-
err twenty collieries whose damage is
great. Many miles of their tracks lead
ing to coke ovens and mines are gone.
In some instances mine locomo-
tives and cars have been
cars have been swept for miles down
the stream. Fifteen hundred laborers
have been rushed to the scene to work
on repairs, and it is expected that tele-
graphic communication will be estab-
lished by tomorrow afternoon.
Later advices from the Clinch valley
division confirm the. reported drowning
of ten persons