The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1897-04-03
Charleston's Flood and the Magnifi-
cent Management.
PROF. A. L. WADE, IN NJ. e. TIMES.

Charleston, on the night following
the anniversary of Washington s
birthday, 1897, might have conclud-
ed that the fountains of the great
deep were again broken up. The
mad waters of the Great Kanawha
and of the Elk river had all day long
been vieing with each other as to
which should be first to overrun its
banks and to inundate the city.
At midnight cry was heard, "the
waters are coming!' and this cry
rang out ON the midnight air, from
one end of the city to the other
Then they that lived in two-story
houses began hurriedly to remove
their effects to the upper floors; and
they that lived in cottages placed
their perishable property on shelves
or wardrobes, in upper drawers, and
upon tables and chairs; after which
they CROPPED their way through the
waters amid the darkness, for the
lights were out, hoping to find shell
ter on higher ground. Others
found it impossible to remove their
families through the flood, so they
huddled together upon the highest
piece Of furniture and waited anx-
iously for the dawn of day, when
they hoped to be rescued.
The writer of this article, a non
resident of Charleston, being there
throughout the entire time in which
a large portion of the city was I'M
der water, thinks it appropriate,
now, when the mists have cleared
away, that he should bear testimony
to the admirable management and
magnanimity of officials, citizens and
strangers, by which suffering for
want of shelter, food and fuel was
reduced to the minimum, and not a
solitary life was lost.
Tuesday morning, February 23rd,
dawned, and to the writer who had
head quarters at Hotel Ruffner, it
seemed as if an earthquake had sunk
the city below the level of the two
rivers. The waters are still rising,
and it seemed as if the city was still
sinking.
Early in the morning of this day
while it was yet dark, a man who is
known as "The lumberman from up
Elk" who had been watching his
RATS all night, discovered the peril
Gus condition of the inhabitants of
the low lands in the West End In
his lumberman' boat, he made his
way to capital street, where he APP
piled to a friend for the loan of ten
dollars. He was told that he could
get the money later in the day. The
lumberman, with great emotion, re-
piled, "a great many people will be
drowned unless | get the money at
once" He obtained the ten dollars,
got it changed into small pieces, and
without saying anything more, he
| boarded his boat and steered straight
for the West End. AS soon as this
was known, two or three persons,
prompted partly by curiosity, started
in pursuit. When they reached the
low lands in the West End they
found that the lumberman had en-
ployed a lot of stalwart negroes, and
that he and they were in water up to
their necks carrying women and
children from huts which would soon
have been watery graves. In the
absence of any record, | hesitate to
mention the number of poor people
who are said to have been rescued
by this gallant lumberman and his
colored crew.
The waters were still rising and
the weather was growing colder
Families that had fled to the upper
floors fer safety had failed to take a
supply of fuel with them. Many of
them had their supply of coal in eel
lars and these could not now be
reached. Those who had been ac-
cushioned to lay in supply of bread
and meat each morning found their
supplies cut off. So it seemed evident
that unless relief could be given
there would be much suffering from
cold and hunger. The sick of the
city were excited to the danger point
Many of them were taken from
rooms below to rooms above, while
others were carried from their homes
through the flood, to places of safe
| ty.
On Tuesday morning, Mayor De-
. Gruyter called mass meeting of the
citizens of Charleston, at Hotel Ruff
ner, and asked for money and sup
plies for the sufferers. The sum OF
five hundred dollars was at once sub
scribed, and this sum was doubled
before the sun went down. The city
council contributed like sum, one
thousand dollars.
/ A commissary was at once estab.
lished on Capital street, and hun
dreds of pounds of meat and bread
potatoes, beans and coffee and many
other articles were generously con
tributed by the citizens of Charles
: ton.
The public school buildings, the
city churches, the county court
house, the city hall, and portions OF
the State Capital were thrown oper
to give shelter to the sufferers. On
the North Side, those who could not
| find shelter in private residences
, were taken to the Charleston, Glen
DENIM and Sutton Railroad Station
to be cared for; and box cars and
coaches were run to the station an6
made ready to receive the homeless
The Mayor called for volunteers tt
: serve as a relief corps, and both mer
and women-citizens and strangers
responded with a readiness known
, only to christian civilization. Nor,
! than one hundred of these volunteers
mostly young men, were sworn in az
special police, whose duties were t.
! patrol the streets of the flooded sec
} tions, both day and night, to pro
vide for persons and care for prop
f erty.
Woman's ear is always open to tn,
cry of distress, and the woman's de
partment of the relief corps went t.
> work, at once, with a will, to pre-
pare food for the hungry and to max,
bedding for the homeless, and t,
send them out as soon as possible
Bed-ticking was bought by the bolt
. and cut, and sewed, and stuffed will
straw by hands unaccustomed tt
J rough work, till the goods were SOM
times stained with the blood of ten