The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1901-06-28

Two hundred, perhaps more, drown
ed or crushed to death.
Four or five thousand people home
less and destitute.
Mills, mine buildings, storehouses,
stores and dwellings by hundreds
washed away.
Property loss aggregating 100000.
Miles of railroad tracks, with cars and
engines, carried away by the torrent.
Bluefield, w. Va, June 24.-This sec
ton has been visited by flood, the ex-
tent of which in all probability will
equal or exceed that of Johnstown in
1898, so far as the loss OF property is
concerned. Sunday a heavy downpour
of rain, accompanied by a severe cleo
trical storm which incI eased in vol
ume, continued for several hours. The
storm continued throughout the entire
day and night, and at 10 a. M, while
the storm has abated the lowering
clouds threaten another terrific down
pour at any moment.
Many miles of the Norfolk & Western
railroad track, bridges and telegraph
lines are entirely destroyed and COM
munication is entirely cut off west of
Elkhorn so that it is impossible to
learn the full extent of the loss of life
and property, but officials of the coal
companies, located in the district, have
sent out messengers to Elkhorn, the
terminus of both telegraphic and rail
road communication and have received
a report that a conservative estimate as
to the loss of life will easily reach 200.
Some of the drowned are among the
most prominent citizens of the coal
fields.
The Pocahontas coal field is located
in basin with high mountain ranges
on either side, Elkhorn creek flowing
through the center of the basin, which
ranges from one-fourth to one mile in
width. From Tennis, w. Va, to Vivian
yards, W. Va, a distance of 10 miles,
miners cabins, coal companies com
missaries and coke plants line the ba-
sin. Elkhorn creek, fed by numerous
small streams coming from the noun
tain side, rises rapidly.
that the entire basin between the two
mountain ranges was flooded and be-
fore the terror stricken people realized
what was upon them, they were car
ried down by the flood, which swept
everything in its path. The little town
of Keystone, with a population of about
1000, seems the greatest .ufferer, prac-
1Ixr i've l.ofv nod
away. The town is located near its
center. 1t was to a great extent the
headquarters from which the mining
population purchased supplies and was
also the only place in the field where
whiskey could be purchased.
At this place there were some IL to
Is saloons all of which were washed
away.
A great number of the coal and coke
plants throughout the Pocahontas dis
trict 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, anything like a cor
4
impossible. but from the best informa-
ton obtainable at p. m. Sunday the
loss to the property will easily reach
$2,OOO,OOO
Lindgraff, the beautiful home of Gen
eral Ord, is reported gone, but his fam
lily is said to be safe.
Passenger train No. 4 Of the Norfolk
e. Western reached Vivian about $3.50
a. m, met the flood and was unable to
proceed further. The waters reached
such a depth that the coaches had to be
abandoned, the passengers being rescu-
ed by means of ropes strung from the
windows of coaches to the tops of re-
naming coke ovens. some distance
away. Between Elkhorn and Vivian
yards, Va distance of 10 miles, 100 cars
are said to be washed from the tracks
and many of them carried down the
stream.
A rough estimate places the number
of bridges washed away between Blue
field and Vivian yards, a distance of 2S
miles, at from 10 to 20, and from pres
ent indications it will be impossible to
run trains through to Vivian and
points west of there for eight on ten
days. This will render it impossible to
get relief into the stricken districts
and with those who escaped with their
lives, homeless and without food, indie
scribable suffering is inevitable.
On the Clinch valley branch of the
Norfolk & Western railroad between
this city and Norton, communication
/ is entirelY severad west OF TazeMalI Va