The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-09-20

anchored near by. In the poats $1,000
negroes and white men whose brawny
arms showed plainly their strength. At
We approached the boat men yelled:
"Boat, sir boat."s The party halted
upon the edge of the stream and glanced
at or rather in,the direction of the foun'
tain city. Only a solid sheet of water
could be seen, but above the water topE
of houses and trees appeared with here
and there suggestion ola fence. Afte,
watching the waters for short time
every man in the crowd except Mr.. P,
Wilson, of Cincinnati, q warm friend Of
Don Bain's, of Atlanta, declined riskiDg
the voyage.
With me, Mr.. Wilson approached
boatman and / asked!
"Will you take us over ?"
SIT is dangerous, boss" answered the
man.
aMuch dauger?" asked Wilson.
eyes, good deal, answered the boat
man.
"Then I will go back to Atlanta" said
Mr.. Wilson.
This let me alone, and, with an unstea.
dy nerve, I began trade with the boat.
man. I: finally bought his boat, and
then paid two Of them by the hour. to
pull me over. As I stepped into the
boat, Wilson grabbed me by the arm,
saying, "Don't CO." But then he gave
me hearty shake of the hand, and one
of the men pushed the boat away.
For two blocks we moved along evenly,
almost gracefully. Then We approached
the canal. This formed what is called
here the current, aud swift currentit is.
Nothing could stem it. MY two sailors
headed my yacht up stream and struck
the current. Into it we went like a
quarterhorse, and down the stream We
glided, so fast that my head began to
swim.
"Just be steady, boss" said one ofthe
sailors, sand we will get through,
hope.'
/ sat steady; the men pulled steady,
and mile down the stream we came out
OF the current. The water was here
twelve TO fifteen feet deep, and through a
residence yard We ran into Jackson, the
cotton avenue of the city.
Here the boat encountered another
current, but the muscular sailors over
came it, and ne finally aoated up to the
Chronicle office. Colonel Pat Walsh, the
we'll known editor, was standing at the
Broad street entrance knee deep in water.
Beside him stood Ed Hook, the cit, edi-
tor, incased in a full suit of rubber
Both gentleman were smiling, and Col
Walsh stepped forward, saying:
81 knew the Consultation would send
some one up to see this food, and l have
prepared card for you. Here it is:
Editors Consultation, Atlanta, Ga.
Augusta has been wet for the last forty.
eight hours, but she will come up dry
and smiling tomorrow morning. The
exposition will take place according to
announcement.
(Signed) PATRICK WALSH.
AS every one who is acquainted with
Augusta knows, Broad street is the high.
est point in the city and the block in
which the Chronicle Office and Arlington
hotel are situated is the very highest.
Some idea Of che extent of the flood may
be had when it is said that the water was
more than foot deep iu these two build
ings. The food made its force apparent
ou Saturday morning. For more than a
week rain bad been falling almost inces.
sanity but no one anticipated flood till
Saturday morning.
At II o'clock on that morning, the
water rose to % feet and i've inches,
covering the entire eastern portion OF
the city. Persons began to grow
uneasy andmany prepared to move.
But 10 few hours the rise abated and at
o'clock the water began to fall. OF
course the people felt better and aban-
doned all idea of moving. The water
confined to recede until Sunday noon,
when 21 feet marked the situation,
although all ideas of a food were dis.
PEELED. Sunday came and that night all
Augusta went to bed happy. Early in
the night however, the water began to
rise rapidly and for sometime went up at
the rate of thirteen inches an hour.
About four o'clock the watchman at the
Riverside mills discovered the danger
and gave the alarm by long and loud
whistles from his engine. The operators,
who reside in the cottages about the mill,
awoke to find their houses filled with
water. Il was pitch dark. The rain was
falling and the water was about three
feet deep. No one knew what danger
threatened him, and for time cries and
shrieks drowned the noise of the storm
and the shrill wbistliDg of the engine.
Finally those whose lives were im reriled,
became calmer and began to do the best
that could be done. Some succeeded in
getting to dry ground, while others got
away from the water by getting upon tbe
tops of the houses and climbing into trees
in friendly proximity.