The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-03-02
AUGUSTA is SAFE
STEAMBOATS, WILL NOT PLY ON
BROAD STREET TODAY.
RIVER STOPS RISING AT 34.7.
ONLY LOW SECTIONS OF THE CITY
FLOODED.

Back Water Is Running on Brond
street and the TendcrIOin Is
Flooded, But No Serious Damage
Has Been DOne-THO Negroes
Dropped From Bridges and Were
DrOwned--Much Damage Done by
Floods Both North and SOuth-Sit-
uation Is Serious at PittsburE.
Augusta, Ca, March There was
a scare in Auguta to-day, but at IL
O'clock it was all over. The river
reached "a feet inches, the point
which it was predicted at noon it
would go to. The water at II o'clock
was at a standstll. River men and
the weather office, basing their state
ments on information from points up
the stream and on the history of the
river, say that, while the stream win
be full during the night, the flood
water will INCREASE no further, and
by noon tomorrow a rapid fall will
set in.
Rain is falling here now, but rains
at this point do not affect the river
except below the city. Water has come
in on Broad street, being back water
from sewers emptying into the river.
Cellars have filled, but there was am
pie opportunity to remove from them
all goods. In the upper part of the
city the back water was in such vol
ume as to produce a current which
made a rapid stream to the low sec
ton. All properties, gas, electric
light water, etc, are in perfect con-
dibiOn and electric cars are running
as usual. \
Two of the bents in the trestling to
the Charleston and Western Carolina
Railroad bridge at Sand Bar ferry, be-
low the city, are undermined. Tram
service there lis Withdrawn. 1t will
be necessary to await the waters going
down and the driving of new piling be-
fore the trestle can be used. Trains
are late on all lines.
There was an accident on the Angus
ia Southern four miles beyond Heph-
zibah this morning, but the flood had
nothing to do with it. Flanges on the
rear wheels of the engine broke the
engine leaving the rails md tearing
up the track. 4 delay in schedules of
five hours was the result. No me was
hurt.
The river had Augusta on the anx-
ious seat all the afternoon AS long
as the water was confined to Jones
street and the low back streets around
the river and the North Augusta
bridge, it attracted little attentions ex-
cept from the occupants of the one
story negro houses and of the Tender
loin district. But in the afternoon
when the water began to come out of
the sewer openings and to creep along
the street drains on Broad street. it
became a more serious matter. Broad
street is asohalted with a high arch
in the center, sloping off to drain on
either side with stone curoing a foot
high to the sidewalk. For the most
part the water on Broad street had
been confined to the low part of the
street, between the sidewalk, CURLING
and point ten or fifteen feet distant,
at which the incline to he center of
the street furnished the other bound
ary.
At some low points on the sidewalk,
above Campbell street, the water ran
across the sidewalk and on the floors
of some stores that were below the
usual level. The chemical engine and
engine company No. 3 We're forced to
abandon their quarters, which CHANGED
to be low, and pull out on higher
ground. At o'clock the river reached
a standstill at thirty-four feet seven
inches. Except to the people on low
streets, near the river, the rise has
not resulted in serious loss. On Mon
ument Square, on Broad street, in front
of the Chronicle building and the Com
mercial Club, the water is on the ss-
phalt below the curbing of the side
walk and does do damage.
There have been two drownings, one
a man who tried to ride across the
river bridge on a box car and another
who was trying to catch driftwood in
the river Burt Loyal, % years, mar
ried, was drowned in the river at $50
D. m He had jumped to a ladder on
the side of a moving car passing
through the Southern bridge and was
knocked from the ladder into the river.
"Cinch" Jones, a negro, while log
ging. fell from the South Carolina
Railroad bridge at 2:30 and was
drowned