County superintendent Cole-man J. Gainer has moved his family
into the Hagan Barr property in Grantsville. We are indeed glad to welcome this
most estimable family and hope that their residence here will be permanent.
The many friends of S.W. McClung are glad to see him back among
his friends in the hills of Calhoun. He returned Wednesday and will remain a
couple or three weeks. Mrs. McClung and baby did not come with him. Snowden is
looking well and is confident he is getting well.
A 37-year record of continuous service was broken last Wednesday
when, for the first time since 1923, gas was off in all sections of Grantsville.
Gas was off in the main part of the town about two and one-half
hours, and about three hours in South Grantsville. Workmen for Godfrey L. Cabot,
Inc., were making some changes in the equipment when the interruption occurred.
It was all quite unexpected.
It became necessary to check every place in town to see that all
appliances were turned off before service could be restored. If this had not
been necessary, gas could have been back on within minutes, said Thurl Proudfoot,
Cabot’s district superintendent. No chances were taken of explosion or fire.
By Sunday evening, Nov. 10, it was official, West Virginia was
listed as a disaster state and Calhoun was one of 29 counties named by Gov. Arch
Moore as victims of devastating floods.
The flood waters did not crest until late on the evening of
Tuesday, Nov. 5. It took another 24 hours before the raging waters of the Little
Kanawha River and feeder streams and creeks subsided to something approaching
normal levels. Even as silted and debris-laden waters receded, homeowners,
businessmen and school personnel were trying to salvage their belongings and
assess the extent of the damage.
Comparisons were made with the flood of 1967. Eighteen years
ago, the waters rose halfway up Court St. in Grantsville and entered Western
Auto. The level of this flood was about 18 to 20 inches lower. In 1967, the Red
Cross counted 228 homes, 23 trailers and 24 business places damaged by water.
This year’s unofficial count listed 287 residences, at least 13
businesses, two rooms in the high school and all of Brooksville Elementary as
suffering water damages. A preliminary estimate put the damage at between $6-8
million.
Run off from creeks and streams occurred in Philips Run,
Sycamore and Yellow Creek. Major damage was along the Little Kanawha in the
Grantsville area to past Big Bend. The school bus garage was deep in water. At
the high school, the art room and the pre-vocational training room took water.
On Rt. 5, State Police evacuated their building on Monday evening,
and set up at Baker’s Mart, and later in the town police building.