The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-01-16
SCURRY TO HILLS
TO ESCAPE FLOOD
Hundreds of Refugees See Icy
Waters Sweep Through
Their Homes.
PEOPLE IN VALLEY WARNED
Property Damaged to Extent OF
About 100000 Several
Reported Killed.
PEOPLE IN VALLEY WARNED

Cumberland, Md, January 15.-Hud-
died in rude shacks and about blazing
camp fires. hundreds OF flood refugees
tonight watched and waited In West
Virginia while the Northern Branch of
the Potomac River, swollen to an Icy
flood. swept through their homes in the
towns that dot the valley below.
wall of water, starting from the
broken dam of tho West Virginia Pulp
and Paper Company, on Stoney Creek.
moved down to the Potomac, inunda ed
the town of Schell. w. Va. whore the
two streams meet. and started n flood
wave. laden with wrecltage and ice,
down the Potomac Valley.
warning OF the approaching flood
sent the residents OF small towns along
the river scurrying to safety on the
hill, where from vantage points they
peered through the darkness in an Icy
gale toward the swollen waters below.
Communication Cut Off.
Telegraph and telephone communica-
tion was cut Off by tho flood during tho
day. but was established tonight
Rumors OF several men caught In the
flood waters at Shaw, w. Va, twenty
miles from Schell, which could not be
confirmed. were tho only reports of cas-
ualties attending the Hood The food
warning emptied the town of Shaw and
sent many residents OF Blaine, Harri-
son, Kitzmiller and other small places
hurrying to the ridges. Fear that the
waters might rise still further prevent
cd many refugees from returning to
their homes.
The flood wave apparently expended
its energy in mad twenty-mile dash
down the valley of the Stoncy Creek
from the burstcd dam to Schell. This
N.itt,
habited. 1t was owned by the West
Virginia Pulp and Paper Company as
II right or way and watershed. The
big dam, which impounded lake OF
water five miles long. and which was
siXty-fivc feet wide. had been weaken
ing for several days. Last night ii
began to crumble, and farmer from
the mountain village OF Monstrum
rode down the valley warning the few
inhabitants OF the impending break
~ part of the big structure gave way
early to-day. and 1T noon tho sweep
ing waters carried away the greater
part of the face of the dam.
Wave Is Diminishing.
Below Schell the rushing water
Joined the Potomac River, and for
seventy miles the gradually diminish
ing wave rolled on. increasing the
height Of the river by from three feet
to eight feet in It's seventy mile course
between Schell and Cumberland
The Potomac was filed with ice and
this, with wreckage and log booms
torn from their moorings, added force
to the flood.
The authorities and railroad officials
to night dynamited several small
bridges in the valley which threatened
to jam the rush.
Tonight ridges along both sides OF
the rushing torrent for sevepty miles,
from the deluged town OF Schell to this
city. were dotted with camp fires and
lanterns OF refugees and miners and
lumbermon from the hills. Late In the
night tho telegraph line from Schell
brought tho reassuring news that the
water was subsiding. but refugees still
clung to temporary shacks and shell
ters above the flood
Some fear was felt tonight because
OF II wooden dam at Beryl. w. Va,
where the Savage River flows into the
Potomac. The West Virginia Pulp and
Paper Company, which has plant
covering forty acres at this point, put
a thousand men at work to strengthen
tho dam.
Officials here Tonight estimated that
property along tho path OF tho flood
had been damaged to the extent OF
about 100000. TO this was added
Continued on Second pagoJ