1908 - N. & W. Bridges Are Washed Away

[NW Mailing List]

Roanoke Times - April 2, 1908

N. & W. BRIDGES ARE WASHED AWAY

Great Damage By Floods in West Virginia - Over 1000 Men on Duty

   Elkhorn, W. Va., April, 1. - The greatest flood in the history of 
the Tug river and Elkhorn valleys, with the exception of that caused 
by the cloudburst of seven years ago, when 100 lives were lost, now 
prevails. In the past thirty-six hours the rainfall registered three 
inches and the Elkhorn, Tug, Bluestone and other streams in Virginia 
and West Virginia are out of their banks.
   Tonight along the Elkhorn many hundreds of families are camping 
along the mountain sides, their homes inundated.
   Three lives were reported lost at Northfork, W. Va., and two at 
Keystone. Bridges were washed away along the Norfolk and Western and 
for twenty-four hours traffic has been suspended. The river is out of 
the banks, and box and coal cars and small buildings are carried away 
by the torrent which has caused the bridges to be swept from their 
foundations, and it is said the damage will be great. More than a 
thousand extra laborers are on duty along the Norfolk and Western at 
repair work, but it will likely be 36 hours before traffic is resumed 
through the coal fields of this section.
   The Virginian Railway, the new line which H. H. Rogers is building 
from the coal fields to Tidewater at Norfolk, was unable to run 
trains and the Chesapeake & Ohio railway experienced great delay 
today on account of the flood.
   The waters of the Tug, Big Sandy, Guyandotte and Widemouth are 
above high water mark, but are receding tonight.


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- Ron Davis, Roger Link