The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-17
Warn Residents of River
Towns When West Vir-
ginia Dam Breaks
GREATEST DAMAGE TO
RAILROAD PROPERTY
Many Thrilling Rescucs Made--Latest
Reports to Effect Waters Are
Rapidly Receding - People
Returning 10 Homes

! Cumberland. Md, January l6.-Residents
of river towns affected by the flood from
the broken dam at Dobbin, w. Va are
preparing to fight any effort to repair
or reconstruct the dam.
AT a meeting of protest tonight at the
town hall at Blaine W. Va, it was de-
cidee to petition the West Virginia iegis-
lature to refuse the paper company per-
mission to rebuild the dam. All the other
river towns will be invited TO join the
! movement.
The pain is to present a petition signed
| by thousands of persons whose lives were
endangered by the breaking of the dam,
| Residents at Piedmont have promised
| their cooperation.
| Cumberland. Md. January i6,--That the
| breaking of the dam of the West vir-
| ginia Pulp and Paper company at Dob
| bin, W. Va, which sent wall of water
rushing down the Potomac river valley.
resulted in no loss of life and compara-
lively small property damage is attributed
F., to the signal brigade of telephone girls
organized by the residents of the river
towns and TO the fact that the retaining
wall at the dam gave way in sections,
| allowing only part of the water to run
down the gorge at a time
Warning of the impending disaster was
| carried to Schell. W. Va. the first town
| reached by the flood, by j. q. IIanlinc, a
| farmer from the mountains. who galloped
| into town at o'clock yesterday morning.
| THE dam has gone get to the hills.
| Then he aroused A. f. Taylor, the local
| telegraph operator, who rushed TO his
t.fFF
| stuck to his post until the waters rose to
| Within foot of him.
| Telegraph and telephone linemen who
! worked throughout the night restored
| communication along the valley at dawn,
| when a message was sent out that 1t
| would be safe for residents in the low
| lands to return to their homes.
| Engineers of the West Virginia public
| service commission began an inyestiga-
| tion into the breaking of the dam More
than 20 feet of the 1910 feet of retaining
wall was carried away and about 30 feet
Is cracked and crumbling. The break
was caused by the undermining BY water
OF the foundation. Suics gates were
J | frozen and could not be opened.
| The valley is getting itself together and
counting the damage from the flood. AL
though thousands of persons were inn
perilled no lives were lost far as has
been asceytained
MANY lnr1liing heScueS
Il There We're reports of many thrilling
rescues 1t is believed that the prompt
action OF the pulp and paper company's
employees In sending out warning of i'm
pending danger throughout the valley en-
abled all in the danger zone to escape.
1t will be several days before anything
like accurate estimate of the damage to
property can be obtained but officials
here fix it at about s200,0oo
With telephone and telegraph communi-
cation re-established definite estimates of
the loss probably soon may be had.
The greatest damage was to railroad
property.
No Damage at Piedmont
No damage was done b. the rising wa
ters at Piedmont, w. Va, the largest
place in the line of the flood. and the peo-
pie there who had lied to higher ground
, returned to their homes early in the
, night.
Hundreds of laborers are at work re-
, storing the washed out tracks and ems
, bS nlxments of the Western Maryland rail-
way, which suffered severe damage to its
West Virginia division.
1t is expected that traffic will be re-
! sImed on that stretch of road tomorrow.
The Potomac at Cumberland did not rise
: more than four feet.
Waters Rapidly Receding
Latest reports today from small towns
I between here and Schell, IS miles from
the dam, say the waters are rapidly re-
ceding. There is yet no communica-
tion between ScheIl and the dam. and I.
has not been definitely established
whether any lives were lost in that sec
ton.
The dam Is said to be a total loss at
S25000o. More than 100000 worth of logs
belonging to the West virginia Pulp and
| PHrer company could not be arrested in
their flight and were lost Rough esti-
mates place the property damage a $780,
600
Numerous stories of herosm are be-
ginning to tricke in.
One unknown horseman galloped from
the dam to Harrison and got hundreds ont
of the way. When the water and ice
came into the Blaine telephone station the
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