The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-05-05
4 DEATH DEALING FLOOD.
A CITY SWEPT BY WATER RUSHING
Ikea TlGAl WaVE.

ron "ooO Esff"F Sn4d my c"rilec oJ 2
Cloud Burst.
Where at dayj;sht Wednesday
morning sto,G the mos! bssutifuI res
dence porsion OF Guthrie, O. T., now
is dcod devastated, stricken and De
molisbed dis ret Tie houses that
are lef5 are topoled about like card
beard h1x afteY Wind storm and
ce@SalesS waves Of r4sist!ess waters
roll through or over BALI q thousand
deserted sud wrecked homes. Two
!hopsaLd homeless people are gather
&C shiv3ring ca the bluffs vest OF the
city or housed IL the bones of tie
psrt Of The CITY which lies, high and
dry ca the hills. A hundred or more
have gone down to watery graves and
thousands have lost their all
Flom ncon Tuesday till midnight
there was an incsssant downpour 10
and about this citv, and it was feared
that the Cotton Wood river, which
was aIre5dy very high, would 90
much damage. But the watchers at
tha bridges we're surprised to see the
river GO down and by daylight it had
fallen 10 feet.
Just IS they were about to go off
duty at 6 o'clock, they were startled
by terrific roar from TIE top OF the
river valley and were soon convinced
That terrific food wss coming. The
FIRE alarm was given and policemen
and others rode all over town near the
river, rousing families and warning
them to flee for their lives. Some
thought the roar was q cyclone AID
sought their caves. only to perish
few moments later; others stopped to
save things until it was too late, ard
very few would st first believe that
any great danger was threatened.
With a mighty roar the food came
down the valley g mile vide, 30 feet
deep in tae channel and four feet
across the entire valley. 1t struck the
city at g. 80 IL the extreme soutL west,
ghere tne negroes mostly live, and in
8 few moments hundreds Of their lit
lie h0mes we're carried away and
many lives were lost. The railro&d
tracks are on the cas-. bank Of the riv.
er fo- three qaarters Of a nils. Across
is The valiay running through the
westsrn part Of the city, and IN it is
much OF the finest residence portion
ana q small business section, where
there were about 30 stores. several
mills, warehouses, etc. In less than
30 minutes from the time the food
s.ruck the city the entire section was
i&uD dated and within az hour the
Uater was 20 feet deep and hundreds
OF buildings were f2ating away. Not
cnly the meaner structures, but fae"
residences, store buildings, a large cot,
ton gin and other large structures
vent into ruins or f0ated domn the
stream. On many buildings wers
men, women and children. From
hundreds OF trees came piteous calls
for helo. With the first rush went
every bridge in the city.
The few boats were crushed or car
ried away and nothing could oe done
to help many who fell or were swept
from places OF refuge and were
drowned before the eyes of the horri
fed but powerle$s spectators. By 9
o'clock the water was 80 feet above the
normal level OF the river, and tbs
once placid stream was 4 raging tor
rent across the entire valley.
Itseemed soon that people in trees
and on roofs would be swept away and
desperate measures were taken to help
them. George Willis and Il. a. Piatf,
both prominent business men, stripped d
and leaping i1to the torrent sEaem the
main chanpel of tie river and secured
an old fiat boat which was noored to
a tree. With this boat they saved
over 80 people.
Eugene Gill and Walter Olds at.
tempted to save a family on a raft,
but were carried away and barely es
capsd with their lives. George Owen,
q butcher, headed a rescue party in
nassily constructed fatboat. The
boat capsized in the current and he
died a bero's death. Scores OF men
were at work at the lumber yards con
structi1g boats, and by 10 o'clock six
scogs were launched. Severel Cay
siz2d and wer5 cerrie1 away, and it is
believed that two of the men man
nirg them perisned.
At10oclcck the flood was ata stand
still, half hour it was beginning TO
r5cede and by dark i had gone down
) feet. E2rly in the day the telephone
wires went dom. and as none OF tina
boats which crossed the main chan
rel we're able to get back. i. vas in
possible to- get any ;acSs as TO wao bad
persisted.
This evening line was shot across
with g rocket and cable drawn
across; boats are being fersied back
and forth, and food is being taken
to the hundreds OF fan2ished people On
tee bluffs ard The 300 or 800 negroes
IL tne large rrick sciool haGse, who
have had nothing to eat since yester
day. Fully a score Of boats have
been c3rstruc.ed and every part O:
the hooGed district is being patrollad
ana al iue people LaacH IfOu places
Of danger. II simpossibie TO correct
~ estimate the number OF drowned.
Il is generally conceded that the death
list will reacn 100.
a number Of bodies were seen going
down the river and tonight calls can
be heard Tor help. The properS@ loss
will be fully 500, GOO IL The city &nd
will reach hu 7dreds Of thousands Il
the couGtry. Up and down the Cot
to2wood valley Ter milss every ching
is sTept away ard It is believed many
-oore people Feriz:ed in the country.
rne railway tracks are Swep- away
south of hsre aDd badly damaged
no@.G, arc there have been nc trains
81. C.. YESTERDAY. IL :ae city al bIsl
aess was suspended today. The homa
less are all being housed as veil as
possible aud the city and county are
fesding al free at hotels ard restau-
rants, where over a thousand dollars
have been subscribed by business zee.
The Cameron river, two iaiies Dorih,
. L J