The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-06-10
FLOOD AND STORM.
GREAT DAMAGE DONE AROUND AL
STON BY THE FLOODS.

aye DOhc lho 4Ntiikl W A'-e 1890
Hail Destroy the Crops Left by the
Floods.
ALsTON, June las we have been
cut off from the world since the recent
food, it has been impossible to send an
accurate account of the great damage
that this section of country has sus-
tained. The people Of the State have
no idea of the serious losses that we
have suffered from the flood. None
have escaped.
At Santuc on the Spartanburg and
Union Railroad there is culVert DAM
aged. At the Shelton bridge on the
Spartanburg and Union Railroad the
trestles at each end have been taken
off or greatly damaged. 1t is very
high structure.
There was very little damage, almost
none, done to Dawkins on the Spartan
burg and Union Railroad. There are
on that road, in about eight miles,
seven or eight trestles gone or badly
damaged. The turn-table is really
turn-table turned over. There is a
trestle in Mr.. w. A. Mays field that
stands high and dry out on the land
Just as it stood in the stream. There
is nearly half mile of break in the
road Immediately above Aston. The
banks are clear gone. At nearly every
trestle that has been moved the en-
bankment has been more or less DAM
aged.
On Thursday night, May 81, went
to Mr.. Beard, the engineer, and to the
railroad agent, Mr.. Norris, and asked
them to 60 and examine the two Mar
row Gauge engines on the turnout at
Aston. When we found them the
water was tearing out the dirt under
them. Mr.. Beard blew distress
whistle that alarmed the citizens for
miles around, and brought the railroad
hands headed by r. H. Russell, the fore
man of the Narrow Gauge, and we
changed the gauge Of the turnout to
suit the engines, and MIR. Beard, with
his engine, drew them to place of
safety.
Now comes the damage done to the
Columbia and Greenville Railroad. at
Saluda River and along the bottoms to
Saluda. Old Town the damage is fear
fnl, and it is so wet and muddy that
there is no work going or at that point.
The Crim's Creek trestle just above
Peaks Station was not washed off as
reported. The railroad was in running
order from Aston to Silver street on
Sunday, May %. There were two
benders out under the end of the trestle
at the Aston bridge. One of them has
been placed back, and the other does
not prevent trains from crossing. The
tgestle Immediately below Aston, one
thousand feet long, was washed out
and the railroad transferred their pas
sengers there on May 20, and one man,
q railroad hand, got into the water in
making the last trip. Conductor
Meredith, with his train hands. made
all of the transfers that were necessary,
and after the trestle broke it left us
without communication except by the
railroad bridge to Peaks. .,...
On the morning Of May 81, 1 tore out
q plank from the counter in my ware
house and in q: few hours had bateau
launched on the east side of the rail-
road ready for any one that wanted to
communicate with the outside world.
In connection with the treStle at AL
ston, the track has been run around on
the ground and the ends of the en-
bankment cut off, giving grade OF
one hundred and sixty feet to the mile.
The rise at each end back from the
end of the bank only reaches about
three hundred feet. The first train was
run over by Engineer Thos. Beard and
Conductor Robinson. Tne trip was
made coming down the grade at a
snail's pace; but coming out it was
made with a full head of steam.
Mrs. M. L. Elkin, the proprietress of
the Aston Hotel, lost her stables and
two corn cribs and had her cotton
house badly damaged. Her land has
also suffered very much from sand. She
lost all her rails and many other things.
D. r. Elkin lost $500 in cord wood
swept away, and his other losses will
amount to at least $500 more. J. L..
Koon, understand, lost twenty-five
head of cattle. .-
There are over twenty breaks in the
Columbia and Greenville Railroad be-
tween Aston and Columbia. Six or
eight have been repaired and there are
fifteen more trestles yet unrepaired be-
tween here and Columbia. At one or
two points between here and Columbia
there is nearly one mile of track clear
gone. There are five flat cars near
Swygert's in sand pit, sunk and now
standing in water. The hand-cars can
run from here nearly to Cedar Creek,
although in many places the track is
not on firm foundation.
In ten days the temporary repairs
from Aston to Columbia will be COM
pleted SO rs to pass trains. Then comes
the Saluda bottoms, which will require
ten more days; then the Spartanburg
and Union Railroad will require fifteen
to twenty more days. 1t will require
thres months to replace the road rs it
was before.
At the time of the,high river there
was not one week's rations in the
county, and it is almost impossible to
get them from Columbia, as nearly
every one in this country was depen-
dent on the country merchants for