The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-05-27

boulders of granite. still remalnglng in
the Canal bed, turned the Canal current
against the same section. Now, this
section was really an island which had
been adopted as the river wall OF the
Canal. 1t had a group oftall pine trees
upon it and was the site Of the new
water-works. 1t had braved all former
freshcts and made high enbanknaent,
three times as broad at the top as the
Charleston Battery. But not being rip
raped, and being infringed ufon by
two previous streams. it soon began to
melt away.
at $50 this morning the first breach
was made and the waters Of the river
and Canal met. The hculders in the
Canal still turned the current upon the
lower section whereon the water-Works
were located, and gradually the bank
was eaten away, the red clay dropping
in huge masses into the boiling water as
the island was undermined. When the
representative of the News and Courier
reached the spot shortly after noon. the
break in the Canal bank was a hundred
feet wide and the island was melting up
like loaf sugar in a bubbl:ng tea cup.
By noon dozens Of hacks and buggles
had concentrated upon the Geiger mill
hill overlooking the island, and one or
two hundred people were watching its
rapid dislntegration. Messrs. Hennies
and Boucher, photographers, had a
camera Oh the hill and took several good
views of the picturesque scene. Ladies
in numbers occupied the carriages and
took mental impressions. Alderman
w. B. Lowrance: chairman of the water
works committee Of the city council.
climbed partly over the Canal Oh the
water mains and swan from the point
where they were submerged. He reach
ed the island, made reconnaissance
and returned with news that the works
were doomed. Cheers greeted him
when he emerged FROM the water. A
dozen big pine trees on the island had
been washed down. Only three were
left and those were deep in the water.
Bets were made as when the water
works would go.
At llO p. NJ. the island had been
dissolved as far down as the porch of
the upper building containing the engine
and part Of the porch was swept away.
By /. 40 p. M. the roof Of the porch fell
in. l.55 the main door of the building
was burst by the force of the water and
the structure began to settle. Five
minutes later, the current having caught
the outward wall, the building toppled
over and went down with crash.
The roof had cupola, and as it sailed
maiestcally down stream with this
cupola rising from its centre and the
smoke-stack of the engine still project
ing from the top at an angle OF fortY-hye
degrees, it bore marked resemblance
to a turreted monitor with a big pivot.
Gun on deck. In this shape it bore down
ON the Congaree bridge, and the people
from the commanding emiuence. watch
ed for the collision. Luckily the mon-
itor had no ram. The turret struck the
bridge and was knocked to pieces: and
The disabled craft went jolting harmless
ly down the Congaree. The sensation
was over and the crowd thinned out.
During the entire afternoon the hacks
were very busy conveying slght-seers to
the Canal bank. The second house con-
tainiug some pumping machinery, was
reached later in the day. and was lodged
bodily against some sunken trees i'll the
stream. A third structure, the last on
the island, was this evening partly pro-
tected by concrete reservoir, but will
probably disappear by monring with the
rest of the island. The destruction of
the water-works is a great blow in the
city. They cannot be replaced for
100000. and besides the valuable and
convenient site they occupied is being
obliterated. The old water-works, lpon
which Columbia must now rely, cannot
furnish more than third of the water
now consumed in The city, and here we
are at the beginning of the heated term
with a water famine in prospect.
The status of the Canal is this: There
are five crevasses. one at the upper ter
minus of the earth work, another oppo-
site Cemetery Hill. the water-works
crevasse, a fourth at the great waste
weir, and the last opposite the Peniten-
tiary wall at point where the old water
wheel used to be. They are constantly
widening, and none seem to be less
than a hundred feet wide. The newer
earthwork on the inner side of the river
wall is washing out very fast. The
riprap on the river front is holding out,
but as far down as the waste weir :hcrc
is no telling what will be left besides
those rocks.
The city bridge across the Canal at
the watcr-works is gone. 1t cost about
five hundred dollars. The bridge over
the Canal opposite the penitentiary has
also been washed away. The prclimi-
nary rock work for the river wall exten-
ding about two hundred yards above
Cemetery Hill, is safe and solid. Its
presence is marked by broad streak Of
foam. Engineer Lee, who accompanied
the Reporter along the Canal. estimated