The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-09-20

while the city slept peacefully On
with the complacent fancy that the
freslet had missed them this time, the
river waters Swellcd faster and faster
Before daylight, people in houses along
the river front in low sections woke up
to find the water tapping ominously
about their door lintels and creeping
softly in over floors and under beds.
"All Of Monday the rise continued
and the spreading waters gradually
swept over the streets of the business
sections, submerging the lower floors
and drowning out the cellars of the
stores along Broad and other main
business thoroughfares. Monday night,
the climax came, and for Il while the
flood was at standstill. The water
register marks only 81 feet, but the
water had gotten two and one inch
above that, making it 80 feet one inch,
or the highest on record. I'm sure,
however" Mr.. Clark added, that
when the measurement is made when
the water goes gown it will be found to
have been fully 10 feet"
at the height Of the deluge, the
scene was sublime, deprived Of its de-
structive element, it was picturesque.
The city was made a muddy Venice
without its will. Water was from
three to ten or fifteen feet in every
street. It came up to the counters Of
the stores; covered the floors Of the
offices and forced clerks and telegraph
operators to get on top Of chairs and
stools; it poured over the front stoops
of private houses, and made muddy
lakes out of elegantly furnished parlors.
The streets were rushing rivers, and on
upper broad at one time the current was
too swift for the use of boats. The
canal broke and a swift torrent from
that source met a stream of the river
overflow proper at the head of Greene
street. The result was the street was
washed and dug out from end to end.
There were holes in it big enough to
hold three or four carts. On Broad
street, the dirt surface covering the
MacAdam was shaved off completely
and the stones are left bare as if they
had been swept. Boats were used
everywhere.
Ome serious feature was the lack Of
drinking water. Those who could
afford it sent to saloons and soda water
stands and drank mineral waters and
lemonade made from mineral waters,
while others had filters and used the
water from the streets. The grocers
had provisions enough on upper shelves
to furnish food, though if the flood had
lasted many days longer there would
have been great scarcity. Business at
the express otf;ce was suspended, and
1t. Dempsey had the wagons put to
work delivering groceries as soon as the
water would let the wagons be driven
III the streets. The damage to property
was immense. The J. B. White Com
pany alone were said to haze lost $50
C9o, and the total loss in the city must
have been over a million.
'Ife water began to fall Tuesday,
and Wednesday night when I came
away it had gotten off of some Of the
the streets and the merchants were
pilipg the soaked goods from cellars
and basement floor out into the street.
The worst is over now and there is no
danger of suffering or further damage" 1"
Mr.. Clark will return to Augusta to-
day, leaving his wife and daughter to
spend several weeks longer here
SO copies Of the Augusta Chronicle
have been received here since Sunday.
it was reported that the Chronicle
Office was submerged, the men in the
press room working up to their knees
in water. One of the editors had to
wade to the Western Union office for
the Associated Press dispatches, the
water being too deep for the boy mes
scEgcrs.
ELEVEN PERSONS DROWNED.
AUGUSTA, September l3.-The dam
age to the canal, bridges, warehouses,
residences, stores and merchandise will
reach one million dollars. No estimate
can be made of the damage to farms
and crops. From Augusta to Savan-
nah the whole country along the river
is submerged. 1t is thought two hun
dred thousand dollars will be required
to repair the canal, streets and bridges.
All the railroads have been injured and
the mills have shut down and will be
for month or so until the breaks in
the canal are repaired. Eleven persons
have been drowned. The citizens are
full ofpluck and energy and have gone
to work to repair the damage
THE FLOODS IN THE UP-COUSTRY.
interruption OF Columbia's Railroad Com
munications In Almost Every Direc-
tion-The Damage to the Roads.
lShnL.inl Il, t1,l, Il