The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-03-01
A BRIDGE SWEPT AWAY
The Water Msins and Electric Wires
90 With It.
THIS OCCURS AT COLUMBUS, GEORGIA
Flood Warning Sent Out from Atlanta 10 All
Points in Georgia and Alabama Reach
ed by The Chattahoochee and
Alabama Rivers.
(By the Associated Press.)


Atlanta Ca. Feb. 27.-The Southeast
ern Gulf States were deluged by rain
last night and today. The precipitation
was very heavy and at Columbus, Ga,
bridge was swept away at 5 o'clock
this evening. The rainfall there was al
most cloudburst, the Chattahoochee
River rising at the rate of two feet an
hour. Several washouts were reported
on a number Of roads and trains out Of
COLUMBUS were annullned. There has
been no loss of life.
The Columbus bridge broke in two
about a hundred feet from the Georgia
shore and went sweeping down stream
at frightful pace, and just four and a
half blocks below it is the other bridge
which crosses to Girard, Ala, and it al
so would have been carried away had
not the fall over the Eagle and Phoenix
dam demolished the floating bridge be-
fore it reached it, The electric light and
telephone wires running over to Phoenix
City and Girard went across on the
bridge and they were snapped like
threads. The water pipes which supplied
the city with water were also on this
bridge, and they, too, were broken like
sticks and carried away, leaving the city
without water for a time.
The water company has an old sub
merked main across the river. and this
was placed into commission tonight,
saving the city from water famine.
The rain has been falling in torrents
all day. No trains except the Central
of Georgia from Macon have reached
Columbus since noon. A washout near
Scale, Ala, holds the Mobile and Girard
passenger train, due this morning, and
the departing train on that road was an
nulled There are several washouts on
the Seaboard Air Line between here and
Albany. Ga, which stops traffic on that
line. Several washouts are reported on
the Southern between here and Shiloh.
There is a large washout on the South
ern Railway in Columbus city limits.
All trains since this morning have been
annnulled and there is little hope of any
tomorrow. Tonight the Associated Press
wire is the only one in operation toward
the north.
After an Intermittent rain of twenty
days BIRMINGHAM was deluged early this
morning. The rain flooded the streets
and many awnings and street signs were
torn away. Flooded tracks are inter
fering seriously with street railway traf-
fic and tonight the rainfall had not ceas-
ed All streams are swollen and rapid
1y rising.
The total rainfall in Mont gomery, Ala.
up to D. m. was $50 inches and heavy
downpour is reported in other points of
Alabama. The barometer recorded 1923,
hn in hot oifx
The excessive rainfall has caused a
rapid rise in the Coosa and Alabama
rivers The director of the Weather
Bureau has issued warnings for points
below Wetumpka, and advised that
stock be removed from lands subject to
overflow at thirty-five foot stage.
At West Point, Ca, the merchants are
busy tonight removing goods from stores
to places of safety. The rainfall there
has rendered the recent improvements
along the river utterly useless: Fancy
prices are being paid for all kinds of
labor. A patrol for all night duty along
the river was established there at 3 r. m
In Atlanta rain fell in torrents all day
The wind damaged the ventilators in the
dome of the capitol and blew in several
pancs of glass. The water damaged
many of the offices and plastering fell
in several of them. The telegraph COM
panies were seriously handicapped by
the rain and lightning, which was at
times incessant.
The rainfall up to s o'clock tonight
was S36. The barometer was the lowest
ever recorded. The Atlanta Weather
Bureau tonight sent food warnings to all
points in Alabama and Georgia reached
by the Chattahoochee and Alabama
rivers.
In the southwestern section of TINS
State the rain and windstorm almost
attained proportions of a cyclone, and 1T
is feared considerable damage will re-
suit. In Americas trees and fences have
been blown down by the gale.