Waterbury Democrat., 1901-06-24

were in the cars. The water rose rap- idly and soon was over the trucks or the cars Houses and cars were being washed about before the eyes of the frightened passengers. Ropes were thrown to the cars and the male pas sengers caught them and waded through the water which was not waist deep to places of safety around the coke ovens on the adjoining hill. The ladies were too much frightened to get into the water and were placed on the tender of the engine, where they were safe. Other portions of the railroad yards were washed out and hundred box cars were wrecked The house in which the sectionmaster at Vivian lived, was washed away A young son of the sectionmaster rode on driftwood for four miles and was then lodged in q tree from which he was rescued A colored section hand who was in the sectionmaster's house when the flood waters struck the building, was drowned.
 The rain ceased falling about 9 o'clock Saturday morning. There has been no rain since that hour, and the streams are gradually falling. big furniture store and a large clothing house were washed away at Vivian as also were about dozen small dwell ings which were situated in the lower portion of the village. Two dead bodies, both of colored men, were seen at Echman and three colored and one white corpse at Empire. Two iron bridges were washed away at Vivian and another at North Fork Junction and three persons are reported to have been drowned near the latter place. All the bridges and trestlework has been washed away on the Simmons branch of the Norfolk and Western system. All telegraphic 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 Key stone, but only around it. They state, however, that the damage done there is nothing like as great as at first re- ported. 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 it is stat ed there is not one hundred yards of track in one place and it is thought this division will not be repaired for fortnight. Fifty people walked over this washed-out territory Sunday to get from Vivian to Ennis.
 The damage done all over the coal fields is immense, but everyone seems to have been too greatly excited and too anxious to get away to take time to inquire into the affairs of their neighbors. It 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 prob ably will be a total loss. East of En- his, the train had little trouble getting through to Bluefeld. Two bridges are gone between Vivian and Welch. At Shawnee the Shawne Coal company lost all their mine mules which were in the stable when the storm swept down on them. A report from Keystone has it that a mob of negroes there refuse to work for two dollars day, but are loafing 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 it is expected that something definite will be known within the next twenty -four hours.