The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1886-05-28
Tho Rams and Floods.

The Ne1s and Courier truly says. /" We have
deuge in South Carolina" Il began raining
on the morning of the 18th and lasted, with
very little cessation, until the evening Of the
2lst Tho rain fell in terrific torrents at times.
and again it fell very slowly. On Thursday
morning the news came from Herbert that every
thing in the bottom lands was overfowed, and
that the trestle was greatly damaged. Very
little information could be gotten from the sur
rounding country until Saturday OH account of
the swollen condition Of the streams, but we
have gathered up from different sources the
damage done in some parts Of the country.
Nearly every bridge in the county is either gone
or greatly injured. Two spans Of the bridge
over the Forest at Murphy's Mill is gone, and
about one hundred feet Of The mill race was
washed away, with about one hundred bushels
of cotton seed.
Two spans of Miuter' bridge on Tiger river
is gone, and the Gist bridge, also on the Tiger
is entirely gone.
The Harris bridge is gone, and also Thou-
| son s bridge, both on the Forest
The damage to the Shelton trestle over Broad
river is immense. All the trestlinp on the
Fairfield side is gone, and some Of the trestle
on the dry land is swept away The water in
the bottoms under the trestle was thought to he
at least twenty or thirty feet deep.
The mill at Herbert Was nearly submerged
The bridge at Grindall Shoals on the Pacoet
| stood the storm and is all right
A good deal of cattle have been lost, aud
| hogs are reported to have been swept away in
| abundance.
D. 7. Black lost $4,000 brick by the rain.
The damage to the crops cannot be estimated
| One farmer near this place says that the rain
has almost ruined him, aud that two thousand
dollars will not cover his losses. Nearly if not
all the grain planted on the larger watercourses
has been entirely swept away. In many places
the soil has been washed away and only the
clay remains Holes and gullies have been
made in the very midst Of bottom lands, and
the upland cotton and corn is also injured badly
| In some places on the upland oil the seed is
gone. The damage to the land in many places
Is irreparable, the entire soil being washed up
1t is estimated that it will cost the county at
least twenty thousand dollars (S2o,OOO) to re-
pair the damaged bridges aud to rebuilt the
| DrluHeS on inc inherent streams,
| The roads are in some places in bad condi-
tion, having been washed into gullies.
| The oldest inhabitants differ in opinion to
this freshet. Some say it surpasses the great
freshet of 1852, while others say the water
courses arc not so high as they were in 1852.
The trains on this road cannot be run through
to Columbia inside OF three or four weeks on
account of the condition of the railroad. This
| will cause great deal Of trouble it will ne
| cessitatc the mails from below being brought
| from Columbia by way of Charlotte, N. c., and
| Of course they will reach here day late.
A correspondent from Pinckney says "On
Saturday last at p. m. q tornado struck this
place and swept everything before it. Its track,
five OF six hundred yards wide, destroyed the
young cotton, and on J. a. Chambers place it
| unroOfed four cabins, but the over
| how OF ne streams <hdy bes1uuIuc1g T. mSfc- de-
structive.'
| "H.," writing from Jonesville, says th at the
loss in and around Jonesville township is very
great; that the crops will have to be replanted
to great extent, and that the damage to the
bottom land in some places has diminished its
| value great deal Other reports have como in
| equally as gloomy as the above. OF course it
| is impossible to ascertain all the damage done
| throughout the country, but we have incorpo-
| rated the most Of it in this article. Breaks oc-
| Cured on tho Airline r. r., on the c. and G.
| R. r., the S., U. and c. Il. r. and on other
| roads in the upper part of the State.
The damage to the Columbia Canal and to the
| Columbia Waterworks is reported to be very
great. The canal was filled with water and was
| six feet above working level. 1t is supposed
that the damage to the canal and water works
will exceed $40 900, which is pretty heavy on
| the city Of Columbia. small steamer belong
Jog to Captain Chlds is reported as lost Re-
ports from the lower part of the State say that
all the lowland is submerged in water, and the
| train on the s. c. II. X. had to be stopped on
account of some trestes thought to be in danger. =.
About six miles Of the road bed of the c. and G..
| Il. r. between Aston and Columbia is said to
be washed away, and also some Of the trestles
on that road will have to be repaired.
Thus it will be seen that South Carolina and
especially the upper portion of the State, has
been visited with food which will be ranked
among those of 1852 aud 1861. This freshet
has caused q very large amount of harm, and
the damage cannot be estimated. Our farmers,
we feel sure, will not be borne down by this
terrible calamity, but will take courage and do
all they can for their own benefit and for the
benefit Of others. Truly, the ways Of an all
wise Providence is mysterious and past finding
| out.
High License.
| In the June number Of the Homeletc Repieu