Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-07-17
B IN
NORTH CAROLINA
Five Persons Are Dead,
Three Having Been
Drowned
GIVING WAY OF DAVIS
Heavy Rains. Also Cause Floods in
Virginia and Tennessee, Tying up
Traffic

Asheville, N. c., July 1f-Five
known dead and property damage es-
timated at $1O,OOO,OO0 resulted from
a cloudburst and flood over Western
North Carolina early yesterday.
The known dead are:
Capt. j. C. Lipe; Miss Nellie Lipe;
Mrs. Leo Mulhall and Lonnie, Trexler,
unidentified negro.
/ Capt. Lipe, Miss Lipe and Mrs.
! Mulhall were drowned in the cap
tain's house at Biltmore.
The flood waters invaded the Van
derbilt estate, Biltmore, and it was
first reported that Miss Mabel Fos-
ter and Miss Charlotte Walker, nurses
/ had been drowned in the Biltmore
hospital, but later advices say they
were saved.
The floods extend through a great
portion of Western North Carolina,
Reports late yesterday were that two
dams at Hendersonville, N. c., and
the big dam at Lake Toxaway had
broken, but still later account said
the toxaway dam was still holding,
though in danger.
Railway traffic is this section is at
standstill as the result of slides
and washouts, and telegraph service
is badly crippled. Several trains are
reported. maroored. 1"s-.-
Bristol. Va, July 17--Storms
sweeping over the Blue Ridge Sat-
urday night, and yesterday let loose
floods of water that put streams and
rivers on the rampage as they had not
been in 80 years. Elizabethton, Tenn.
and other towns and villages were
threatened, while various railroads
have sustained washouts and slides,
completely blocking traffic.
| All local trains on the Radford di-
vision of the Norfolk and Western
Railway were annulled yesterday, ira
vel being made dependent upon
through trains, but these were unable
to pass Radford, where the waters of
New river threatened the steel bridgs
and covered the tracks around the
river bed to depth of 10 feet.
Bridges and trestles were wash
ed out on the Tennessee division of
the Virginia and Southwestern, and
I:relief trains carrying bridge timbers
were sent out. Traffic is said to be
similarly tied up on the Virginia
Carolina Railway, the East Tennessee
and Western North Carolina and
Carolina, Clinchheld and Ohio roads.
| Various streams rose from Is to 30
feet. The Knoxville Salisbury divi-
sion of the Southern Railway is said
to have serious washouts.
East Radford, Va, July 17-Swol-
len by the heavy rains of the past
few days, New River rose 36 feet at
this place yesterday and last. night
this city was in total darkness. The
Norfolk and Western track. at Wal
ton, two miles from here, is six feet
under water, and along the river from
this city to Bluefeld the track is
submerged. All trains on this line
have been annulled. One train was
operated to Bristol yesterday after
noon, but there is no connection with
West Virginia points. except on the
Norfolk and Western.
The heaviest loser in this Sec
tion is the Virginia Iron, Coal and
Coke Company, the furnace of which
corporation was placed in operation
month ago. The plant was flood
ed yesterday, the damage to engines
boilers, dynamos and other apparatus
being estimated at 100000. The
plant will be out of operation for at
least 80 days.
|. On the Virginia Railway, which par
allels the Norfolk and Western,
tracks were inundated, and in one
place 500 feet of ties were washed
away. All trains of that road have
also been annulled. =
The transmission line of the Appa-
lachian Power Company has been
washed away, and several towns de-