The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-11-12
Tho ourfore of the water WIS covered

The surface of the water wns covered
with mass of wreck. Great trees sud-
denly thrust their branches up, immense
logs struck with force against the frag:.
ments of houses. The cracking OF WOOD
against wood was the last sound that fell
on the ears of hundreds who were rolled,
crushed remorsely beneath the accumu,,
lating mass that moved steadily, onward
with velocity that was frightful.
No sane man dare venture to remain
moment in the water now. Somers gos
upon the roof, then walked to the roof
next the first and stood grasplng o WIN
dow, but it was impossible Tor him 10
turn his face away from that hofrlple
procession. He gazed upon the scene
spread before him spellbound, fasclna-
ted. :,
AS far as the eye could reach, the valley
that had sheltered thirty thousand lnhao-
itants was suddenly converted into
river of turbulent waters, on the breast
Of which houses entire and portions or
houses were borne on-on to the bridge
below the city proper. With the exceP,.
tion of few houses here and there. all
the portion OF the city on the nat nao
been swept away by the avalanche or wa,
ters that leaped down upon the doomed
city from the South Fork dam, miles
away. i
Entire families grouped upon house
tops, or clutching conVulslVely TO Irag-
ments of their homes, swept past. Here
O man, there woman, battled frantlcally
for life in the food, and the children,
merciful powers! the innocents, they
seemed to be without number. :.
,f,r1r boiraH naOrO shouted
rather than sung hymn as he sank be-
fore Somers' eyes; then came girl upon
a pile of loose boards singing, Jesus,
Lover of My Soul" feryently, and follow
inc her was O. group huddled on roof,
with one figure standing out wildly.
1t was little girl looking straight up
to heaven, with her hands held up and
apart in prayer. .
HMerciful & od!" exclaimed Somers, as
the tears coursed down his cheeks, spare
the poor children"
Then he turned his face aside and
hook as one seized with the ague as
youth ana age, men aud women, people
in every station in life, rich and poor,
were borne past him in tho endless pro-
cession of death.
The people of the house thst with
stood the flood looked out on those car
ried past them, powerless to lend assist
ance. Somers heard the survivors exclalm
in horri6ed tones at intervals as they
beheld their intimate friends swept on.
ward. The occupants of the attic OF the
only house left standing in that part OF
the city wrung their hands helplessly or
looked out dazed by the presence Of
death, as their friends, living and dead,
MANNED, bleeding, and stunned, toated
past.
Human eyes could bear no more, when
ordinations from score reused Somers
from the torpor that was rapidly benumb-
ing his faculties.
Once again he felt himself grasped,
and then he found himself standing in
the attic with at least two score, many OF
whom we're gazing wildly toward the
bridge.
Turn1n, his face in that direction
slowly, Somers beheld sight which
made him start. He tried to speak, but
the effort was vain. His tongue Glove to
the roof of his mouth.
The sight that rendered Somers
speechless burned itself into the brains
Of all who witnessed it. The vast guam
tity of floating matter lodged against the
bridge. Tremendous as the pressure OF
the water was, it was not strong enough
to sweep the bridge away. The houses
borne against the bridge were simply
ground against each other until the entire
mass was reduced to vast network Of
fragments. Beams, logs, trees, fragments
of houses, freight cars, and passenger
cars we're ground up in that tremendous
pressure. The pile of debris grew until
it reached thirty feet above the water.
And now a flame leaped up; tongues Of
fire reached out here and there; they
stretched themselves serpent-like up to
the top of the indescribable mass of ma
terial, and licked up human lives. Men
and women and children held fast there,
many long since cold in death, others en-.
during agony unspeakable, were to fall
victims to fire after surviving the perils
tie food.
The people around Somers could SEQ
the unfortunate wretches buried remor5e-
lessly in the debris, writhing in the midst
of the flames.
1t was this that made some men moan
weakly, while others uttered awful impre-
cations, while women tainted outright,
unable to endure the horrible spectacle
Never before in the history of the world
had death reaped such harvest.
fro BE Continued