Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-16
Damage Caused by Breaking
of Stony River Dam Esti-
mated at s500,000.
WALL OF WATER DELUGES
UPPER POTOMAC TOWNS
West Virginia Pulp and Paper Com
pany Values Its Destroyed
Property at $175,O0O.

CUMBERLAND, Md. january 16-Re-
assured that the worst of the flood which
swept down the Stony creek and upper
Potomac valley yesterday as a result OF
the breaking of the great dam of the
West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company.
at Dobbin, w Va, is over, the hundreds
of refugees who fled to the hills upon the
first warnings began to return to their
homes early today.
The people at the tri-towns Of Piedmont,
w. Va. and westernport and Luke. Md,
had been warned early and the inhabf-
tants of the lower sections moved TO
higher ground.
The valley is getting itself together and
counting the damage from the flood. Al
though thousands of persons were i'm
per;led no lives were lost so far as has
been ascertained. There were. however.
reports of many thrilling rescues. 1t Is
believed that the prompt action OF the
pulp and paper -company's employees III
sending warning of impending danger
throughout the valley enabled all in the
danger zone to escape.
II probably will be several days before
ANYTHING like an accurate estimate Oh
the damage to property can be obtained
but officials here IiX il at about S'p,oD.
With telephone and telegraph communl-
catIor, re-rsta bUshed definite estimates of
I'm. loss soon may be had. The greatest
DAMAGE outside of the pulp company
loss was to railroad property. Inc dah-
age TO the pulp and paper company Is es-
tinIated at about S1to.oOo.
Telegraph Operator Lauded as Hero.
The telegraph operator at Schell Is De-
Ing lauded today as hero. He STUCK 10
his post until he heard the noise OF tne
onrushing waters, flashing warning IN
all directions 1t was feared he had been
lost but he turned up saIe at Soiiioe
land later in the day.
The food spent it's fury before II
reached Cumberland late last night Inc
river went UP only four feet here ana
was at no time threatening Inc rlse
carried of the ice and several thousand
people who lined the banks In expecta-
ZION of seeing food witnessed TINS
spectacle. Residents were greatly "rousht
up by the report OF the coming oi d
great swell Of water and relieI was sen
eraI when it was found that the torrent
had spread out before it reached mere
AT Piedmont last night the people VINO
were caused to leave their homes py the
fear Of the great bodyrot Waeer lelrsnen ra1,s..
ing out was not attended by great as
comfort, as the weather had greatiy moo-
Grated. The bridges at Piedmont were
not injured. 1t is understood there are
fans at some points of ice and pulp wood
and these may cause trouble. Much pulp
wood of the West Virginia Pulp and
Paper Company was carried away.
Washouts on Railway Line.
The Western Maryland railway will
not have the line repaired before Satur-
day 1t transferred passengers this
morning at the two washouts. One. two
mics east of Schell. is forty feet long
and thirty feet deep. 1t will be repaired
today. The worst is at the mouth OF
Stony river, where the track caught the
force of the avalanche Of water. This one
is sixty feet long and fifteen feet deep
The officials say the road lost no bridges
and the waShoutS represent the worst
damage General Superintendent A. r.
Merrick has his car parked at Schell and
is personally experimenting the restora-
ton of the line.
The break in the dam. it is generally
believed, was caused by the expansion of
the great coat of ice. Wednesday morn
Ing the thermometer registered six de-
grees below zero at the dam. The great
wall, but recently completed, was looked
u; on as green Since this disaster it
is thought others seeking franchises in
West Virginia for power and storage
dams will strike snags. Previous to this
objections had been registered to the
granting of several franchises.
Five Towns in Row.
On its course down the Potomac river
the flood struck the mining towns of
Gleason, Blaine. Shaw and Barnum, w.
Va. and Kitzmiller. The lower sections
of all these towns were inundated. and
while. as far as is known, no houses
have been washed away. the property
loss to the people will be considerable.
The first part of the flood reached the
Western Maryland railway near Schell,
W. Va, twenty miles below. where the
Stony river empties into the Potomac
river, about 3 o'clock in the afternoon
and that point soon had a flood stage
of fifteen feet several feet higher than
ever before in the history of Schell.
Bridges Swept Away.
water washed away the Grant county
bridge and at Schell q large foot bridge
across the Potomac river melted into the
flood like snow cast upon the tide
The railway company had taken the
precaution to weight its bridge down at
Schell, and. as at ) o'clock the water
was falling in stony river and the water
in the reservoir back of the dam had
receded to the river level at this time of
the year. no further trouble Is feared
there.
At 4:25 O'Clock in the afternoon the
water reached Piedmont and in about