The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-05-23
a Terrible Scene OF Death a.a Desola-

A correspondent OF the New York
Herald telegraphs as follows from
Northampton: =.
ST Is impossible to conceiye the
tetrific.fofoe OF the food except from
the efeots.s Mill River was in many
parts walled stream. but the huge
pieces of rock which. formed its en-
bsnkment we're oompletelyswepta
In eome places, the banks looked like
a rocky shore. the massive stones
being thrown about SO indiscrimi.
nately. In other places, rocks and
trees torn from the enrth, and debris
from the mills which were torn down
by the floods are MI there is of the
Tivor side. Even long pieces OF cloth
from the cotton mills are 80 inter oven
with debris of every kind, that they
seem natural part of natures handi
work. The roads have Disappeared
with the banks. and in many places to-
day vehicles pass where yesterday
flowed tho stream, while now the
| river runs in what was formerly the
| road.
The appearance of the shattered
buildings still standing was of such q
| diversified character as almost to baf-
| fle description. a huge chimney some
times Indicated the site OF great mill
Some of the large mills of the valley
have left no sign Of their existence.
Many houses and shops were com
pleteIy shattered to pieces and scat.
tered to no one knows where. Such
complete devastation is not more re-
marknble than tho partial destruction
OF buildings. Some houses we're CON-
pletely riddied by the flood, leaving
only the framework. The founda.
tions and walls of others were swept
awaY, lowing the frame structure very
much awry. Some were half swept
off. Some were carried down the
stream and stranded. Some were
turned over on their sides, and I saw
one which stood on it's roof. The
wrecks are of every description, but
the frame buildings were not so com
pletely dem olished 'as those of other
materials. When brick or stone
house felt the force of the food, it was
almost certain to yield completely.
AT loast three of the villages-Wil-
linmsburg, Haydensville and Leeds-
ure paralyzed beyond the hope of re-
covery. 1t matters little how much
total IL tho hand which fed til o inhabit-
ants Of what was yesterday happy
village. To-day it is desolntion, aud
tomorrow it Will be worse, for it will
ba hopelsssnoss. When tho dead are
buried. when the extent OF the bercave-
ments is fully understood, when the
scene of desolation becomes familiar,
will come the reaction. and with the
reaction, perhaps. despair. I saw an
old man this morning, while his neigh
bors wero busy examining the heaps
Of debris along the course Of the food
for the dead bodies, engaged in gather
ing buttons on u string. Equally aim
less must be tho future of these peo-
pie, unless capital flows into the valley
again, almost as rapidly as it was swept
away.
The devastation at Leeds is indie
scribable. Only three houses on the
East side Of the river remain in their
original positions. The water 6rst
struck the Nonotuck silk dam, a solid
structure, and ploughed through it ns
if it had been bank of sand. The
dunn was bailt twenty five years ago,
aud had twenty-six foot fall in tho
centre. 1t originally cost $50. 900. and
was refaced few years ago. The
stone wall OF the mill facing the
stream was nearly swept away. The
mill was damaged but slightly. but
york will not be resumed on it for
months, thus throwing many hands
out of employment. The silk mill
boarding house was totally wrecked.
All the inmates escaped except Capt
| Vaughn and Miss Woodward, both of
whom lost their lives by returning for
some vnluables. The old wooden mill,
occupied in part MS saw mill, was
next crnshnd by the seething waters.
The food in it's course took Selectman
w. f. Quigley's house down the cur.
rent few rods, leaving only the old
l. part ou the site. In this l. part,
Mrs. Qliglcy, two daughters and Miss
Marble. were sitting. having just CON.
pletod breakfast. They flew into the
upper story and SO escaped. It was
while they were standing here that the
NUN part Of the house parted from
their tower of safety, leaving them
with thin partition to fence out the
surging sea. The village chapel fol.
lowed the way to destruction, and also
two or three double houses. The cur.
rent had now nearly reached George
Z. Warmers button factory, which was
totally ruined.
It was singular to see how buildings
were absolutely pulverized in going
down the stream. Iar0e houses we're