The morning news., 1888-09-20
THE WATERS FALLING.
SCENES OF DISASTER ALONG THE
SAVANNAH.

Miles of Country Still Inundated and
the Losses to Property Incalculable
Houses Lifted from Their Founda-
tions and Swept Away-The Crops
Beaten Down and Ruined - People
Along the River Take Refuge on
the Knolls and Waiting Anxiously
for the Waters to Suosde - Great
Suffering Likely to Follow in the
Up-River Country - No Complete
Estimate of the Losses Yet Possible
The Situation Among the
Planters.
Looking over the vast expanse of water
fronting the city one cannot form an
adequate idea Of the ravages of the flood.
1t will only be after the planters and farm
ers back from the river on the Georgia and
South Carolina sides are all heard from
that anything like a correct estimate
of the losses can be made. Then,
and not till then, will the full measure Of
the most disastrous iooi in the history of
Uhe two states be reckoned Not only the
farmers and planters of the Savannah
valley proper, but those in the tributary
valleys are to be included among the num-
Der VINO nave seen UHe ITulIS OF IDclT Ipll
swept away by floodswhich no human
foresight could prevent nor ameliora,e the
suffering which has been entailed.
To present to the readers of the MORNING
News a clearer idea of the damage visited
upon the agricultural interests of the de
vastated section, inaccessible by telegraph
or mail. a reporter was detailed to visit the
up river country. The Augusta steamer
Advance lett her wharf Tuesday night and
proceeded up the river.
ONE VAST LAKE.
An immense lake spread out for miles
and miles where less than week ago were
thousands of acres of rice. Turning to-
ward the city, at the head of Argyle Island
and looking back, not green thing was to
be seen. The boat was running high above
banks. Above the sound of escaping
steam and the noise of the boats machinery
could be heard from time to time the flood
as it poured through the pines seeking other
channels to discharge its uncontrollab.e
waters
Here and there could be seen cabins and
barns submerged At brakes, IL miles
above the city, where the government has
been supplied with timber for the jetties,
the water is all around the high knoll, which
is partially submerged, while on the Caro-
lima side, opposite, are the houses of the field
hands, inundated, and left tenantless and
food, that when it cut away the banks
it rose with such rapidity that the price of
safety was immediate flight. At this point
all the thrifty fields Of young rice are as
much hidden from sight as if there had
never been a spot of land where late most
promising crop stood. The banks of the
Gibbons Potter, Winkler and other places
are badly washed and not a spear of rice
can be seen. At Mulberry Grove the river
is not less than five miles in breadth
LOSSES OF THE PLANTERS.
Some idea of the loss sustained by rice
planters may be gathered from the expe-
rience of Mr.. Van r. Winkler. Mr. j. A.
Gaylord, OF Ebenezer vicinity, who was a
passenger on the steamer, said that Mr..
Winkler spent IS, 800 last year on his plan
tation. Year before last he lost part of
his crop, last year he lost it all, and this
year his banks are cut to pieces, in some
places only the tops OF the willow trees that
border his fields are to be seen, and what
were promising fields is now an expanse of
waite stretching for miles, end deep
enough for the deepest draught ocean ves-
sells to lie at anchor. Last year Mr.
Winkler planted 800 acres, and his los, is
less this year, only because he planted 100
acres less.
Mr.. Wlnkler came down to the city yester-
day by the river He took a rowboat at the
point where the Augusta road crosses the
track of the Charleston and Savannah rail
road and rowed through the swamp, and
then across the Potter's and Gibbons plan
tations, making a short cut TO the river,
and thence to the city. He says that there
never was such food known before.
The water is up in his grove
of live oaks and within a hundred yards of
his residence. Even the negroes, who as
general rule stand by their houses during
freshet, if they havea boat tied to the door,
were loath to remain on the place this time
The highest knolls along the river are
threatened by the flood. Mr.. Winkler says
that TO keep Off such freshet as the pres
ent. the banks or levees will have to be
raised three feet.
The Charleston and Savannah railway
bridge was reached at s o'clock, after two
hours ride over waters so elevated that the
smokestacks of the steamer lowered above
the gum and cypress trees that here and
there alternated between the rice fields and
knobs. A red light was burning as a danger
signal, and the drawbridge was open to
stay until the subsistence of the freshet.
The western end of the trestle was sub
merged, and there was no evidence of anv
decline of the food, but last night, on tn
downward trip, 1T was out oe
water. The current was .runf
ming rapidly through the draw
going up, and it took a full head of
steam ana the hands or Two steady men at
the wheel to pass through. The bridge
tenders house was inundated as far I'D as
the window coping.
BEGINNING TO FALL.
Twenty six miles above the city, when the
beat reached Purysburg, the river was said
by Capt. Fleetwood to be falling, but Mr..
d. w. Hayluff insisted that it stood not less
than one foot higher than when he came
down Sunday, and one mile above Purys-
burg he corroborated his statement by
pointing to house with the water within
foot of the caves. As he went down he
could see clothing hanging on the girders,
which now were out Of sight. He also
pointed TO break in the water where a
house now wholly submerged, showed the
entire roof out of water on the down trip
Sunday
At the mouth of Coleman lake the strange
sight was witnessed Of a strong current
setting in and the Savannah running up
stream for mile and half. The water is
breaking into the lake at Sisters ferry and
into all the tributaries OF the river which
have backed over their banks for miles and
miles, and Reser island, thirty-two miles
above the city, is under water. The houses
in the lowlands in all this section for miles
have been abandoned, and the occupants.
who are mostly colo:ed people, have taken
10 the highlands in small open boats. Their
little crops of corn, cotton, rice and po-
tatoes are III many instances wholly de-
stroyed, the destruction extending to the