The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-15
RIVERS ARE NOW RECEDING.
BUT GREAT DAMAGE HAS BEEN
DONE by FREsHETs.

NoImUl
Railroad Had TO Abandon Its Line
TO MRcOn-Wnter in Main street
of West POint-Many Riyer Bridges
Washed Away.
Atlanta, Feb 14--The rivers in this Sec
ton of the South which were out of their
banks as a result of the heavy rains of
Saturday and Sunday. reached the high
est point al many places to-day. Advices
tonight are to the effect that the waters
are receding slowly
The damage is supposed TO have been
considerable, but no estimates can be
made until the water courses resume
their normal conditions.
The Ocmulgee is rising slowly in the
country around Macon. No serious dam
age has been reported there, but the
Southern road to-day abandoned its Ma
con branch and is sending Its trains from
Atlanta to Macon over the Central of
Georgia's tracks. The Southern has not
had train into Columbus for two days,
and Griffin. which is on the same line,
has been shut off from communication by
this road for three days
n
night that enormous damage would re-
suit, the Chattahoochee is receding. Ad-
vices received say that probably twenty
five bridges, at an average value of $1,000
each, were carried away on streams
north of Columbus. Three thousand mill
hands at Columbus lose one weeks em-
ployment by damage to machinery in cot
ton mills
Up in the Main street.
At West Point the water, which was in
the main street Of the town early this
morning, has receded. Trains which were
running irregulary, began tonight to
keep up with their schedules. The pub
lie schools al West Point viii be closed
until the freshet subsidies,
The Griffin and Carrolton Railroad,
which was washed out yesterday near
Newman, will not be repaired before to-
morrow part of the trestle spanning
Turkey creek was carried away and for
two days passengers have been transfer
red there. Freight traffic is about at a
standstll.
The Weather Bureau report says:
"AlI rivers continue high. but the water
has begun 10 recede at West Point and
stations above. 1t is rising at Eufaula
however with fifty-two feet on the guage
The river win rise slowly at points south
of Columbus during the next tweuty-four
hours.
An Overflow at AuGustn.
Augusta, Feb. 1.-THE Savannah river
at midnight is receding after hav-
ing reached a higher point than IL has
scored in several years, over thirty-thFee
feet Crowds filled the bridges and lined
the river to-day looking at the rushing
stream, swollen beyond its banks across
to the Carolina hills almost entirely sub
merging the ancient town OF Hamburg
opposite Augusta.
on the Augusta side the water got
above the banks near the North Augusta
bridge at McISinne street and surrounded
a number of negro cabins and cottages in
the upper ends of Bay, Reynolds and
Jones streets. Barring the inconvenience
of making some of these negro tenants
move out of their one-story houses and of
forcing people living on two or three
SQUARES to vacate in batteaus, no mater
ial damage was done.
TrestIe washed Away.
The Charleston and Western Carolina
Railroad is perhaps the most seriously in
iured of anybody as its tracks along the
river front are submerged and Will no
doubt have to be relayed in places where
there have been washouts by the current.
Several miles below the city where the
road crosses the river on its way TO Port
Royal, there is a long trestle approach
to the bridge. The river being out of its
banks, the driftwood hurled against this
trestle by the rushing tide has swept
away several spans and temporarily de-
layed all traffic over the road.
So far as the actual damage and money
loss is concerned, says Superintendent
Anderson it does not amount to much.
A few hundred dollars will replace the
piles and trestle but the work cannot be
done until the river goes down.
All the mills were forced to close down
because Of the high water and will suffer
the loss resulting from idleness for sew
eral days.
Falling at Columbus.
Columbus. Ga, Feb. 14.-The waters of
the Chattahoochee are falling rapidly.
Three thousand cotton mill operatives
have been idle four days on account OF
high water, and will be Thursday or Fri
day before they can again resume.
AS many as twenty-five bridges on tho
streams north of Columbus running into
the Chattahoochee have been carried
away by the high water. II will be sew
eral days before the extent of the damage
is known.
-Four steamers tied up here will not be
able to get away until Friday or Satur-
day.
situation at West Point.
West Point, ia, feD. IL ne NHdita-
hoochee after steady rise of four days,
is falling The main street OF this city
was several inches deep in water last
night, while in the low-lying portions OF
the town many houses have been aban-
dOned.
All trains on the Atlanta and West Point
road, which have been delayed, are again
running on schedule time.
Many county bridges have been washed
out and considerable damage done.
The public schools here have been clos
ed for few days, owing 10 the freshet
Interfered with Traffic.
Griffin, Ga, Feb. 1.-THE heavy rains
of the past few days seriously interrupted
railway traffic, the first train over the
Southern for two days reaching here this
evening.
Many bridge dams and trestles have been
carried away. The rainfall In one day in
this county was 3.39 inches. All streams
are out of their banks, but ID is believed
the highest point has been reached.
Much Damage at Montgomery.