The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1900-04-27
UNPRECEDENTED FLOOD.
Section Of West P~ascagoula River
Bridge Carried Away.

Owing 10 the almost unprecedented
heavy rainfall for several days last
week, which flooded the whole upper
country and swelled the tributaries of
the Pascagoula river to an alarming
degree, it required extraordinary
efforts on the part OF the timber own
ers, saw-mills and the L.. IN. Railroad
Co. to hold in check the 10y bo0ms
containing some $4,000 TO 100000 logs
from breaking away from their moor
ings and floating out to sea.
1t required all the chains and steel
and rope hawSers that could he hur-
riedly provided to prevent such y
calamity. So imminent was the dan
ger that the logs from above were piled
up twenty feet high upon those held
below in the Pascagoula Booming Co.'S
boom, a mile and a half above the l..
N. Dantzler Lumber Co.'S mills. For
the time being the excitement was very
intense to all interested in preventing
the breaking Of the great RATS Of
timber.
During Saturday night last the cur
rent OF Pascagoula river left the east
channel and turned to the west river,
carrying with the current three or
four thousand floating logs. which pro-
|duced a 10y gorge at the West Pascal
goula river bridge.
At four o'clock Monday morning two
Of the iron spans and five tressels across
Middle river gave way, the logs and
drift moving with the bridge out to
| sea.
This, OF course, stopped railroad
transportation across the river. As
soon as the railroad company could do
so, transfer boats were put in commits
sion, the steamers Georgia and Valeda
being chartered for the purpose. Pas
sengers were transferred by these
boats across the vast body of water to
trains which were put in operation
from West Pascagoula to New Orleans
and from Scranton to Mobile, causing
only slight Inconvenience, and "a delay
OF but two or three hours to passen-
gers en- route either way.
The promptness with which the
railroad company met this emergency
and accommodated the public is not
only wonderful, but cOmmendable.
The back water at the Moss Point
milling district caused the mills tt
stop, but little injury was done beyond
the Inconvenience Of water in the
! yards.
In the town Of Moss Point many
yards and gardens and several build
ings and a few stores were submerged.
The roads leading to the ferries aud
bridges were under water, requiring
the use OF boats from hill to hill.
The l.. & N. Railroad Co. immedi.
ately organized a force to reconstruct
the lost section OF the West Pasca-
goula bridge. Superintendent Charles
Marshall, with a pr0mptness com
m%endable was on the spot on Monday
morning with men, material and
machinery to reconstruct the lost
bridge, which will be completed speed
lily, and regular trains will resume the
time tables by Friday night or Satur.
day morning.
No such flood as that which has just
passed has ever occurred at this point
from rains.
The Pascagoula rivers were changed
from placid, sluggish blue streams to
fierce, turgid and tawny torrents, the
rip OF whose tides told only too plainly
OF the remorseless strength lurking in
their soft b0SOms.
The great food OF water has about
subsidized, and all are to be congratu.
lated that there was no greater dam
aye done.