Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1893-09-12
THE WATER EVERYWHERE
THAT IS, ALONG THEE CITY,s
WATER FRONT.

Knches Yesterday and II1a Las,
NiGht--ToO Wet FGr Electric
HiEhts-waier NOies
The rains that have fallen in these
parts since Sunday have outdonc any.
thing of the kind occurring hcreabouts
for number of years. The rainfall was
| excessive and tie riyers and small streams
| III various sections are way up, doing
more or less damage to crops along the
bottoms
The French Broad is out of it's banks
the entire city front. Thirty inches rise
in the waters was marked for ten hours
of daylight yesterday and that height
gained 1112 inches TO 6 O'Clock this
morning. The upper boom of the French
Broad Lumber company is nearly filled
with logs shot down in the frcshct and
the low ground in the region of the mill
is covered with water. The boom house
was wrenched from its fastenings and
sailed off about O'Clock.
At the depot the yellow flood was
swung to the fence of the stock yard,
making an even sweep to the banks at
Tahkeeostee. The Standard Oil COM
pany's lot was under water, but moth
ing was damaged.
The roaming waters found their way
through the yards of the Asheville Cot
ton Mills early in the afternoon of yes
fa,.fl1,y aud Iol
meuts of the lower section, covering the
gargways and cutting off the inmates
from their homes. Later in the day pas
sage was made by skifis, but the contin-
ucd rise of the river in the night frightened
many of the people to the act of return
ing to the mill side and to the dwellings
OF friends. Superintendent Barnhart was
out ali night with force of men keeping
watch on the partially submerged build
ings. a 12-inch dam was built around
the basement of the cloth room; it was
impossible to relieve the wash at the
waste and cotton houses and they
held down the outer circle of the
lnundation together with the stables
of Lindau, Hough & Co. The anxieties
OF the night gave the mill hands little
chance for sleep and the generally
dcmoralizcd condition of things de-
cided the superintendent not to start up
the mill today, and give the employees a
needed rest. Skif1's skinned busilv from
the railroad track to the cabins, but the
householders soon returned disgusted
with the outlook. On some of the porches
hedclothcs and ther plumber were
punched up for the quick grab of the
owner if necessity should require.
AT Jones lumber yard at Smiths
bridge the carly morning measurement
showed a rise in the night of l113 inches
and the tide was thought to be at food
The waters were up to the foundations
of the dry kilns and had completely shut
out the stables and compelled the re-
moval of the stock.
The floor timbers of Smiths bridge
were IL feet clear of the water and no
trouble to the structure was feared un-
less the booms further up the river
should break and dump their heavy bur
dens against the piers.
The newly fenced coal yards of the
Asheville Ice and Coal company at the
south end OF the railroad bridge were
included in the range of the flow, but the
damage did not get beyond the strainirg
fences. The cabins of Red Egypt, al
though surrounded and threatened with
destruction, did not give up their ten
ants, who occupied the doorways and
windows seemingly ready for jump if
the situation got bad enough.
The flood put Asheville's light out last
night. At the dam of the West Asheville
improvement company, where the light
current is generated, the water backed
up under the machine house and ncccssita-
ted the stoppage of the machinery. Mr..
Carrier told THE CITIZEN today that he
hoped to have the trouble remedied and
the lights going tonight. A report was
in circulation last night and this morning
to the effect that the big dam had broken.
This was Il mistake.
North Main street was sight to make
street car men weep this ssnorning. A
SOndly portion of Starnes avenue washed
into the street and across the car track,
and a choked drain over the culycrt
caused the covering of the sidewalk with
mud. AT the Chestnut street crossing
the old story was repeated and several
inches Of mud had to be removed before
cars could pass that point.
AS is usual when the rains dcsccud, the
drain on Patton avenue near the ST.
Johns hotel became choked last night
and the water backed up almost into the
door of the hotel
The rainfall yesterday, reported by DR..
Karl Won Ruck, United States signal SER
vice observer, was 1.93.
No train was sent out from here to Co
lunbia this morning. The train from
Columbia, however, is reported Oh time.