1907 - Abingdon

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Roanoke Times - June 16, 1907

Abingdon, Va.m June 15 - Special. The heaviest rainfall for years visited
this section yesterday afternoon and last night. Streams already swollen to
some extent by the recent rains were raised to a point away beyond their
capacity and much damage has been done to crops in the lowlands and to
railroads throughout this section.
   The Virginia-Carolina Railway is reported to have lost entirely two
bridges across White Top Creek, near the foot of White Top Mountain some 25
miles from here, with several others badly out of line and damaged
considerably.
   The Larweo Railway and the Douglas Logging Road are each badly torn up
with several bridges entirely gone. So far no lives have been lost but
escape is miraculous when it is understood that the volumes of broken
timber, sawlogs and a mountain of water swept down the ravines in which the
logging camps were located just after dark carrying before it everything,
even the large mountain boulders, weighing a thousand pounds or more. The
men at the logging camps were forced to leave their shanties and seek
refuge on the mountain side until the waters abated at one of the camps
this morning abated at one of the camps this morning it was stated that
within 15 minutes after one of the small mountain streams known as Straight
Branch begun to raise a volume of water some 30 or 40 feet wide and about
20 feet came down the narrow ravine carrying with it all manner of debris
gathered from the mountain sides with added fury for every yard it moved.

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Notes:
   The last run-on sentence is as printed in article.

   Note sure of the spelling of the "Larweo Railway" The last two letter
later are hard to determine from the newsprint. Could be Larwee or Larwea?

- Ron Davis, Roger Link