The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-03-01
LOSS OF LIFE
 FROM STORM Widespread Dam9~e Done
 by the 3 -n.
 -s- TRACKS .y$' SHED AWAY Trains Handled With the
 Greatest Difficulty. Columbus, Ga, Suffers Severely and Athens, Ga, spnds Night in Darkness Because of Destruc- ton of Lighting Plant
TRACKS y9 SHED AWAY

Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 2S.-Not in many
 years has the Southeastern Gulf States
 experienced damage so widespread by a
 storm as that which on yesterday spread
 over a section of country embracing
 Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia,
 North Carolina, South Carolina and
 Florida. As far as known seven lives
 were lost and several persons injured.
 The damage is enormous. the railroads
 being particularly heavy sufferers.
 Four lives were lost in wreck near
 Griffin, Ga, which was caused by wash
 outs. The othen dead were negroes
 whose cabins we're blown away by the
 storm.
 The rains raised the water to flood
 height in the Chattahooche. Alabama,
 Ocmulgee, Savannah and the Oconee;
 but late tonight the stage in all of them
 was stationary except Columbus, Ga.,
 where the Chattahoochee was rising
 slowly.
 Columbus suffered severely. One
 bridge was washed away and another is
 expected to go at any moment.
 6AtACAS1 So't IA 0NA AAAASSS'
 The city of Athens. Ga., is in total
 darkness tonight with two rivers send ing volumes of water through some parts of the town. The north and middle Oconee Rivers passed the high water mark there early this morning, but to- night were stationary. The power plant of the Athens Electric Street Railway Company was submerged to depth of six feet. At the Princeton factory the river rushed through the building. doing great damage to the machinery. The water works plant was inundated and the machinery ruined. The water supply of the city was shut on. Both | gas and electric light plants were com pelled to close down. All the bridges ! city, countysand railroad--are in danger, | but none has been carried away. No | train has passed there on the Seaboard | from the north for Atlanta in twenty-four | hours. Washouts are reported on all railroads | coming into Atlanta tonight excepting | two. The loss to the railroads is | enormous and they are handling their passenger traffic only with the greatest difficulty. No train on the Seaboard Air Line reached this city since Thurs
 day morning until 5:l5 this afternoon. All trains on this road are turned back at AlntlSp bd., tAS hsOASHSAh NAoNAN- | into Atlanta.
 Train From Washington. The first train over the Southern from | Washington since 10 o'clock last night pulled into the Atlanta depot at o'clock | tonight This branch of the Southern is | handicapped by a washout near Toccoa. ninety miles from Atlanta. In order to reach Atlanta the train was sent from | Toccoa to Elberton, Ga., over it's own l line, thence to Athens over the Seaboard. | A foreign road was used for seventy-five miles, and Lula, Ga, was reached. Here the train again took it's usual route into | Atlanta, covering a trackage of 250 miles. No train has arrived from New Orleans l for twenty-four hours. A washout on the | Atlanta and West Point near Gabbetts. Ala, has caused all trains to be held up there President Wickersham of the West Point route has been at the wash out with crew of men since 1 o'clock this morning and expects to get train through tonight The water Is falling very slowly.
 The Southern system to Chattanooga
 and Birmingham is maintaining it's usual schedules, and all trains on the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis. the Georgia
 Railroad and the Central of Georgia are
 on time. The Southern is using the track of the last named road for its Atlanta
 Macon business.
 The Seaboard Air Lines bridge over the | Savannah River at Calhoun Falls, Ga, | was carried away tonight by the high l water. The Atlanta and West Point brought train into Atlanta from Mont | gomery at II o'clock tonight over its | own tracks. This road, however, is send l ing its Montgomery trains over the l Southern by way of Birmingham.