Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1903-06-09
DELOLATION AND
DEATH HOLD SWAY
Horrors Of the Pacelot Mill
Disaster.
SCORES OF LIVES WERE los7

most Without ParaIIeI-Propert,
Loss Will Probably Reach Over
100000.
Spartanburg, S. c., June S.-Desola
uon, death and ruin are holding full
sway along the banks of the Pacelot
river from Clifton to Pacelot, a dis
tance OF 10 miles, as tES result of the
awful food of Saturday morning.
From the scene of the destruction
OF the big 80 ,000-spindle mill known as
Clifton No. 3, down the river a quar-
ter of a mile where Clifton No. l is
wrecked, and around the bend another
quarter of a mile to Clifton No. 2
which is also half gone, nothing but
debris and wreckage can be seen wher
only few hours ago the hum of over
100000 spindles and the musical rip
pie OF the river was heard.
The transformation is one that
smites the spectator dumb. and words
are althogether inadequate to describe
the scenes of ruin which line the banks
OF the river for miles down. In some
places where mill village stood with
its dozens of houses today is seen only
a long fiat sand bank, the river hav.
ing changed completely the aspect OF
the country. In some PLACES the road
bed of the electric railway is complete
ly annihilated and the entire bed is
washed away, water covering the
ground. 1t will probably be neces-
Sary for the line to take a detour of
mile from the old location in order
to reach Clifton.
=. Scenes of Ruin and Desolation.
In some places the sites occupied
by the houses are buried beneath
great sand banks and only an
occasional piece of plank projecting
through the sand would indicate that
house stood in that place. The de-
struction is awful and complete. The
force of the flood has so completely
changed the banks of the river and
flat borders on which numerous houses
stood that it will not be possible to
rebuild on the former sites.
Forty to Fifty Dead.
The loss of life is conservatively
placed at from 40 to so. Only a few
bodies, perhaps half a dozen, have
been secured from the foods. A
young girls body was fouad buried so
deep in the sand that only her knee
projected. One man was taken out
OF the river in an unconscious condi-
ton 8 miles below the scene of his be-
ing overtaken by the flood.
AT Clifton Mill No. 3, just above the
Southern railway trestle, ten people
We're drowned and only a small part
of the immense mill, about one-fourth.
now remains. Some eight or ten of
the houses are gone and several are
ruined. At Mill No 1, next IN order
following the course of waters down
stream, one-third of the mill is gone.
The lower floors that remain are
flooded and piled with debris. The
scene here is indescribable. The
upper end of the mill is gone and the
section thus exposed shows the crook.
ed and bent machinery, the broken
ttmbers. the wreckage and the debris
piled UP to the second and third floors.
Out of lower windows long dirty
strings of cloth are hung the ends in
the mills still being attached to the
looms, which were wrecked by the
foods
Across the river that part of the
mill village located within $50 feet
of the banks of the river is gone The
long covered bridge and the gangway
for the hands are gone and also liv.
cry stable, store and other struc.
lures
AT Mill No. 2, which is the last down
stream, this once handsome four-story
structure is now half demolished, the
two lower stories are piled with de-
bris and rubbish, and flooded through.
out When the waters struck the mill
| about o'clock Saturday morning all
of the operatives living across the
river were warned in time to escape
with their lives. A number of houses
were washed away At this mill the
occupants saved nothing whatever
The warehouse of the mill and 1000
bales of cotton were also carried away
| W CAC ohSAJ WdCCAo AO NOH pdAy
store at this mill was also destroyed.
The damage to various property is
now placed at over 100000.
President Montgomery, of the Pace
lot mills, places their loss at $1,000,
| 900.
President A. H. TwitcheH, of the
Clifton Mills, places their loss al
| s1,0O0,000.
For the D. E. Converse company, al
Glendale, S. e., the estimate is $50 900
Tucapau mills loss placed at 5000
Lockhort mills loss IS $25,000
Fairmont sustains loss of $4,000.
Whitney loss is placed at $4,000.
Lolo loss is about $4,000.
Total mill loss, $3,280 900.
The damage to the Southern railway
cannot be accurately estimated at this
time. Bridges are down in every di
rection and tracks have been inundat
ed in many localities. The reports o
the condition of the road are beinf
constantly sustained
Lynchk1g Is Probable.
n