The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-11
SWEEP OF THE WATERS.
THE SAVANNAH HIGHER THAN
HAS EVER BEEN KNOWN.

Rice Planters Facing Disaster 10 1Ler
Crops-Ten Thousand Acres of Rice
Fields in Danger of Being Overlooked
three Fourths of the Entire Crop
Along the Savannah Beyond Saving
"A Scarcity of Labor Retards the
Work of Removing the Harvested
Crop-The Flood Greater Than That
in Harrison's Time.
For the fourth time this season the Savan'
nah river began to rise again at Augusta
Sunday, and it has reached hight which
leaves no question that all the rice planta-
tions on the river on the Carolina and Geor-
cia mainland and on the islands will be sub
merged. Planters who we're below the
freshet dam would have tried to bank up
against rs feet but when they came III
from the plantations to the city last night
and learned of the unprecedented rise of 50
feet, they said it is no use. The water will
come in from the rear.
Mitchell King, a Carolina planter, said
last night that the loss will be very heavy,
and be estimates that not over one.fourth
of the crop can be saved, with good weather
until Saturday night, at which time 1t is
expected the freShet will be in force.
He estimates that from two-thirds to
three-fourths of the crop in the Savannah
valley is early planting and that about
half of that has been cut. Some of the
planters will not put a sickle in the standing
rice, but will bend all their energies t.
getting out the rice In the shock and on the
stubble. Those who have high ground
will haul out to the elevations, others will
thresh and get to the mill as soon as
possible.
A LACK OF LABOR.
The chief trouble now is a lack of labor,
and solicitors, white and black, were work
ing hard last night in the city to get help to
hurry up the work in the short time at
hand Wages went up to 81 rs day, and
street wagons we're chartered and went up
on the mainland yesterday and we're ferried
across the river Hands to cut are offered
81 % and 81 Is to tie, ana even with these
inducements they are corresponding readily.
The rice which has been on the stubble for
the past week is more or less damaged by
the rains and winds beating it down on the
ground, causing the grain in many places
TO sprout, and reducing both quality and
quantity.
The freshet Is the last straw on the over
burdened planters, which will break their
vigor down and discourage them, as they
are not only partial losers in the first plant
ing. but the young rice will also have to be
left in the field.
1900 ACRES ALONG THE SAVANNAH.
1t is estimated that there are about IL, 900
to 1900 acres in rice IN the Savannah val
ley, of which ali will be under water. One
third of this is young rice, the greater part
of which is farther up the river where the
freshets interfered with early plautings.
OF the 12, 600 to -, 200 acres it is hoped that
one-fourth viii be saved, SO that
the loss may be estimated as
to the acre, 400, 600 bushels, at 81 II to the
bushel, $4,000, less one-fourth saved, leaY-
ing a total loss of S535, 800, over half mill
ion dollars. But tue loss will not be con-
fined to the rice alone, as great damage VIII
be done the banks, which cannot be pro-
tected sufficiently to resist the wind and
food.
Jos. A. Huger, who has $50 acres in rice,
said last night that if the weather renamed
clear the rest of the week, he will save about
half of his crop. If any such a rise as IS
feet is coming, Mr.. Huger says, it will be
clean sweep.
THE YOUNG RICE A CLEAN SWEEP.
No young rice can be saved, and it will
take good weather this week, and plenty of
labor to get the early rice out of the field
Mr.. Huger said that there is very small
proportion OF the June planting below the
freshet dam, but above it, the spring
freshets delayed early planting, and the pro-
portion of young rice Is much larger. He
said that he expects to return to his planta.
ton this morning, and push the work of
getting out bis early rice as fast as possible.
Most of the planters were on tho planta-
tons all day yesterday and got home last
night tired and discouraged with the news
that awaited them. They were hardly il
humor to talk about the prospect that is
before them, for most of them suffered
heavy los. es last year, and this year they
will not get enough ont of their fields TO
pay for the expenses incurred. 1t was diff
cult, therefore, to get anything like u full
and complete estimate of the acres planted
in the Savannah valley.
on THE CAROLINA SIDE.
The following, however, is from list
made by Carolina planter last night, and
was revised at later hour by another
planter: