The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-17
COMING OF THE FLOOD.
THE PLANTATIONS ABOVE THE
CITY ALL UNDER WATER.

Inc 6dnkB GlV488 " ay oAO a L aAS "
Eutchinsor's Island F!ooded-Ric,
Planters Driven from the Felds-Th,
Ogeechee Rising Rapidly and the
Water Crossing the Country from
the Savannah-An the Plantations
on the Ogeechee in Danger-Tht
Work OF Devastation Up the River
The Country One Vast Lake-Rivel
Landings Inundated and Farm
Houses Floated from Their Founda
tons.
Raining, a falling barometer, the high
tides but two days distant, the banks break
ing and the rice fields going under water
was the situation at 10 O'Clock last night
and the highest water is yet to come to
night and tomorrow.
All day yesterday the rice planters this
side of the freshet banks worked a we'll as
they could, and when they quit, the bank
had broken in several places and the food
was pouring in. All has been done that can
be done, and this morning the rice planters
say everything above Screven's ferry will
be under water.
The high tide met the food yesterday af-
ternoOn, and backed the river until the
banks began TO give way and let the water
In. The same thing will occur again this
morning. The planters do not look for the
highest water TO reach here before tomorrow
and that, they say, will be the quickest time
on recori-jUst seven days, the water hav-
ing reached its maximum hight at Augusta
last Tuesday morning.
NO HOPE FOR YOUNG RICE.
A well-informed planter said last night
at the Oglethorpe Club rooms, where a
group of planters were reviewing the stu
alton, that it is idle 20 talk of saving any of
the young rice, as il is already beyond saw
ing, and this opinion was concurred in by
all ltalso developed in the conversation
that the rice stacked on the high knobs, canal
banks and in the barns is heating badly.
owing to the rains and hurried manner In
which it was put up. "A careful estimate
will show" said one planter, that not to
exceed one-fourth of the acreage has been
saved
1t is safe to say that the waters this fore
noon will have covered not less than $500
acres of rice, not more than one fourth of
which has been saved, and much of that is
heating, and the damage cannot now be
estimated. Whether the ricks will stand in
every instance is problematical One
planter said last night that it is no use to
theorize; that such food has never been
known before, and how high it will come or
how great will be the damage TO the hur-
riedly stacked rice, is wholly matter of
conjecture.
THE FIRST BREAK.
The first break reported yesterday after
noon was on the Fife place. where Mr..
Alfred Chisholm has 400 acres Of rice about
one-fourth of which he has saved He was
ar yrork fhero Yesterday md ha 1potar 30
gan to come in before he left the planta-
tiou for this city. Argyle Island, with over
!. 200 acres OF rice, and Ensow Island. with
so acres, were then under water. All the
small patches of rice above Argyle Island
from the Charleston and Savanna railroad
bridge, principally cultivated by colored
planters, was under water Saturday after
moor. 1T is impossible to tell how many
banks are broken" said Carolina planter,
"but they are broken in several places, and
other breaks will follow the high tide Mon
day morning"
ON THE OGERCHEE.
The situation ON the Ogeechee is one OF
the greatest gravity. Dir. Andrew Z.
Moynelo came in from his plantation last
night, and he informed the MORNING NEWS
that planters will lose very heavily from
the local rains, which are doing nearly as
much damage as the foods are doing over
on the Sava nah. Mr.. Moynelo said that a
heavy rain began failing at o'clock yester-
day afternoon and continued uninterrupt-
eddy the rest of the day. He had 10 men en-
ployed, and had TO suspend operations for
the day. He speaks well Of the colored
laborers over there who, although generally
not inclined to labor on the sabbath, cheer
fully volunteered their services to help him
save part of his crop. lie reports that
he saved fitty-five acres Yesterday,
but it was hard work hauling, and
his banks, on which he has spent much
money and taken much pains to keep in ex-
cellent order, are 50 soft from contnuous
rains that the wheels of the carts often sank
nearly in to the hub. The high water hav-
ing cut off the drainage, Friday nights and
yesterdays rains flooded the fields
THE RIVER RISING.
Mr.. Moynelo reports the Ogeechee rising
rapidly, with the highest water fifty to
sixty miles above here. His plantation of
800 acres is the last but one on the upper
part of the Ogeechee rios fields He thinks
the freshet this.year is much higher than last
year, and while he hopes to keep it out of
his banks, they are now only about two
feet above the high tides The
fact that the water from the
Savannah river is crossing country on its
way to the Ogeechee as it did last year adds
to the gravity OF the situation. and the fact
that the high tides and freshet will reach
the rice plantations on the Ogeechee about
the same time deepens the apprehension.
DANGER PROM THE TIDES.
Mr.. Moynelo says his barometer, which
Is very sensitive to any atmospheric
changes, recorded fall of 10 inches for the
twenty -four hours ending last night, and he
predicts a storm, naturally looking for it
from the dangerous quarter, the north
east With five or six days of high tides
and flood, and possibly northeaster. Mr.
Moynelo is not hopeful. He does not think
that more than one-fourth of the acreage in
the Ogeechee river can DO saved in any
event, and possibly 80 per cent. owing to the
continuous wet weather of the past two or
three weeks. He will return 70 his planta-
ton to-day and tonight he says he will be
able TO give the MORNING News a clearer
idea Of the situation, which is now one of
expectancy aud conjecture. He saws that
when be left the plantation last night the
water was coming into the swamp,
THE ADVANCES ARRIVAL.
The steamer Advance arrived Yesterday
morning from Augusta, having left there
at $50 O'Clock Saturday morning. She
brought six passengers from Stoney Bluff
Capt. Fleetwood said that the destruction
wrought by the food is almost incalculable
When the Advance passed the Beach Island
district he said that the stencil was intol-
cradle from the decaying Of the corn crop.
In Augusta there is a great lack Of fresh
there Saturday there was about fifteen
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