The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1903-06-17
THE GREAT FLOOD.
Some Scenes and Incidents Gathered
from People Who
SAW THE MILLS WASHED AWAY
Escapes Among Those who
Survive the Great Catas-
trophc at clifton.
trophc at Clifton.

trophc at Clifton.
The story of the great flood, says
Editor J. G. Darlington, of the Spar
tanburg Herald, who has gone over
the ground, still the absorbing topic of
interest in Spartanburg, does not
grow better or brighter us the minute
details are pointed, out the most in
tereSting fact connected with the
great disaster is the completeness
and accuracy of the story gathered at
the beginning. 1t was complete and
yet communication was entirely cut
off with the stricken territory and
reporters had to depend largely on
the uncertain mode Of shouting across
the turbulent waters of LawSon'S Fork
for the facts.
HOUSES ALL GONE.
Mr.. Darlington says that i'm the
valley between No. |, and No ,,
lately filled with two long rows of
cottages out from which bright faces
and scores Of happy children would
greet the paSScr-by, there was verit-
able desert of sand. Not tree left
standing not house. In the midst
of the stretch of white sand spreading
out like Il pararie, Il dozen men were
clustered. One was digging and we
imagined that perhaps the body of
Aume loved one was being unearthed.
The men were silent and diSCOnSOlatC
The did not seem to notice our APP
proach, but kept on watching the man
who was digging. Investigation show
ed that this old man was delving into
the foundations of his former h me.
Two feet under the sand he found Il
wire bed spring and he was carefully
pulling the mud out of the springs.
He coDld have found a dozen springs
i'm the debris on the hillSidcS, but it
was the last remnant of his home,
and he logged away to reclaim it, lie
said he had found monkey wrench
and hat pin, and he priced them
highly.
AN EYEWITNESS TALKS.
Night Watchman w. A. Rhinehart
on duty at No. 3, had made his rounds
at 3 Il. m. At that time the river
was at least ten feet out of it's banks
At O'Clock it was 20 feet high. He
was standing at Il corner Of the mill
at 4:30 when large tree ioated over
the dam and plunged through the
boiler room roof into the room below.
This flooded the machine shop and
boiler room and this part OF the build
ing began to crumblc. At this point
the dam gave way and the power house
was swept away. Next corner of
the old mill gave way. Mr.. Rhine
hart ran up the bank to get safer
and better view OF the scene and upon
turning saw the smoke stack go down
with a crash. In ten seconds after
this and about 10 or - minutes from
the time the dam broke, the magniti-
ccntaly equipped 30, 500 spindle mill
was washed from its foundation,
crumbled and the wrcckagc carried
down PacOlet river.
Nothing was left but about one
fifth of the two mills, the cloth room
and picker room. At this mill Ii
houses were washed away and eleven
lives were lost. The street railway
track between No. |, and ,, is as
complete Il wreck as could be pos
Sible. The iron is turned and twisted
into a hopeless mass, the track i'm
places is completely overturned. i'm
other places it is washed against the
rocks and all along the line the road
bed is completely gone. The dam at
No. , broke next to the mill and the
torrent was turned directly ON the
structure. Exactly the opposite hap
pened at Glendale, which saved that
mill. The water was diverted to the
opposite bank. AT No. |, the old
mill, there was no loss OF life but some
narrow escapes and many homes were
swept away. The mill was badly
damaged.
A THRILLING EXPERIENCE.
Mr.. and Mrs. Coleman were caught
in the second story. The roof fell in
and they managed to climb out ON it.
Mrs. Coleman had a baby under each
arm. The raft ioatcd down stream
and then came back near enough for
the people to climb into the second
story window OF Mr.. PcttiJ'S house.
Here they awaited the rcSCucrS who
were dcviSing means for relief Thc
water meanwhile was rising rapidly
and was half way up the window in
the second story. The house was tot
tering and it was evident that if any
thing was TO he done it must he done
quickly. II. s. Upton and others
found well rope and Upton Cole
man climbed out Of the window, the
mother still singing to her two babies.
Stout hands and brave hearts pulled
ut the rope and the raft moved shore
ward. An angry wave dashed it to
ne side almost upScttIng it, There
was an opening i'm the houSctOp and
through this one of the little infants