Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1852-1852, 1852-09-07
UnprecedentedsF dsFiOod-Terribfe. De-
struction of Property.

most terrible public calamities, from the sudden
rising of the waters on Friday and Saturday last,
that has ever befallen this or any other country,
in modern times On Monday and Tuesday OF last
s week, the various water courses throughout tills
country were considerably swollen from the ral'is
i that had fallen out for several days previous, ana
preat fears of food were then entertained.
. But Wednesday and Thursday were compara-
tiyelv fair days. and 1t was fondly hoped that
tho Auoust storm, which has occurred annually
for some years, had passed by; but on Thursday
avenino. at o'clock, the rain commenced falling
AGAIN in torrents, and continued with little inter
mission throughout the night, and during all the
;. next day. until or o'clock in the evening.
- During the evening of Friday, the rain which
descended with a rapidity surprising anything
ever before witnessed in this country, was accom-
panied by heavy northeast wind, which very
generally prostrated the upland corn, and must
/. have done great damage to the growing crops,
independent of the food. When it ceased rain
ing, although it'was expected the waters would
be high, no one dreamed, on account of the COM
paratively short time the rain had been falling,
1 that 80 terrible calamity was to follow, as al
most immediately burst upon them; and our
citizens generally, retired to rest still gratied
the prospect of returning and bountiful pros
peritv. to be aroused in the morning with the
heart-rending intelligence that the substance
g which they had been for years accumulating,
with great toll, had been totally swept away and
destroyed.
4 is estimated that at least one-half of the
entire crop of Anderson District is totally de-
stroyed. Large portions of the crop growing on
: upland is entirely swept away in the flats and
y small hoows, and even that on the hills serious
!, " injured by the wind. So the fences surround
3 ing the uplands were swept off, wherever hol-
! low, fat, or ravine OF any magnitude occurred
But the disaster of the low ground crops, which
i were very extensive, and finer than was ever
grown in the District, is complete A large por-
tion of these crops. together with the entire low
ground fencing, was entirely swept off-a slill
. larper portion washed down and embedded in
the sand and mud ; and even the corn that was
left standing was covered with water so long, that
2 It is said to have soured almost invariably, and
must be very near total loss. There cannot
be we would suppose, less than two hundred
! thousand bushels of corn totally destroyed in
Anderson District, whilst the cotton and other
( crops are seriously injured. The prospect on
Thursday was that the District would make an
exceedingly large surplus crop; on Saturday the
: impression was almost universal that supply
cannot be sathered.-Anderson Aduocate, Sep
tender l.
The RECENT FREsHETs, THE CRoPs, &,c.-The
freshets resulting from the rains of Friday and
Friday night last, of which accounts continue to
reach us from every section of the State. have
been felt very injuriously in this District also.
The Broad and Catawba Rivers, and the several
large creeks that course through the District, are
represented to have been higher than was ever
before known The crops on the bottom lands
of the large streams have been injured, and to
Z a great extent, entirely destroyed. Rich fields
: of corn and cotton that promised more abun-
dainty than ever before, have been completely
inundated. Very considerable damage has also
been felt in the destruction of bridges, dams,
= &c. but we think, not to the extent reported
elsewhere.
z The prospects of upland crops, particularly Of
cotton. are also much changed by reason of the
continued rains and cold nights. Very little
progress has been made in the curing of fodder,
although the season is now pretty well advanced.
Few have succeeded in properly curing any por-
q stion of the crop, whilst the most of that has
/. been pulled Is 1nucn QaHlaSeu or "HoiiJ iost'
Since Saturday evening we have had clear and
Z pleasant weather; and it is hoped that the sea-
son will prove more favorable for the maturing
and gathering of the ecrops.-Chester Standard.
UNION DIsrmcT.-The Journal says: "It is
painful to think even upon the sweeping destruc-
ton. Not less than ten thousand acres Of bot
tom land, in this district, have been submerged.
The loss is incalculable but may safely put down
at three hundred thousand dollars. Every
bridge in the district, we believe, with perhaps
one exception, has been swept away, while al
most every saw mill and several very valuable
-four mills have met with similar fate. Thous-
ands of bushels of wheat, and hundreds of bar
rels Of -four, have been swept off in the wreck.
Yet, with our losses, we have abundant reason
to be thankful. The uplands give promise of an
abundance and although cakes may not be as
plenty as blackberries, we trust that old Union
may have enough and some to spare"
81 SpARrANBURG D1sTRIcT.-The Spartan says
Any attempt at description would be vain.-
Suffice it to'say, that this has been the greatest
and most destructive flood with which this
section of the country has ever been vsted.-
Lawson's Fork river was ten feet higher than
ever known before; and we presume this was the
case with Rivers and Greeks generally. Thus, it
may be seen at once, that the loss of property
~ nrod,oo ,,,net nacassarv he proot,r than