The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-06-09
Many Bodies Of the Dead VIII
Never Be Recovered.
GREAT HEROISM
HAS BEEN DISPLAYED.
APreacher Risked His Life to Save q
Man When the Courage Of All 9th
ers Failed-Man Who Made
Heroic Attempt to Save
Family Saw Them
Borne Away.
Especial to The rimes-Dispatch.).

Special to The mes-Dispatch.)
CHARLOTTE, N. C.. June s.-over FORK y
ty dead and a loss in money Of betweeu
three and five millions is the latest esd.
mate OF the destruction wrought by Sat-
urday's flood along the banks of Pacolet
River. All day Sunday. thousands OF
spectators clambereds up and down the 4
steep banks of Clifton Mills; viewing the
awful desolation. At least sixty houses
at Clifton are gone and many forEler
mill settlements are this morning nothing
but barren sand-banks. Electric car tracks
are ruined and demolished for over q
mile at Clifton. vi III I5s
Sunday over thirty three hundred dol-
lars was raised here for the sufferers,
Adjutant- General Corbin has telegraphe6
from Washington that the government
will do all possible to relieve the sftua<
tion. No work is being accomplished to-
wards tho recovery Of boeses. most of
which are supposed to have been swept
down the stream. 8
Reports from the country indicate all
bridges in the county are gone. It Is also
learned that the $4,000 steel bridge on the
gone down. The railroad between here
and Landrum. on the Ashevile division,
Is said to be almost totally DESTROYED.
One train from the North came to Law
sons Fork. two miles above the city yes
terday afternoon. Otherwise, not a single
train has reached the city "A telephone
message at o O'Clock tonight from Spar-a
tanburg, only confirms the facts as above
stated, but the stories of Individual sac-
rifice and heroism are coming in, and IL
is possible to give a little fuller story Of
the wreck Of the Clifton mills as seen BY
an eyewitness, who has kindly given thu
full account to The Times-Dispatch core
respondent. @
TREMENDOUS RAINFALL.
In the first place, the cloudburst thes
ory is ridiculous to any man who knows ~
what cloud Is. The simple fact is
that there was an enormous condensation
of water on the ridges, which formed
the drainage system Of the Pacolet River
and other streams in Spartanburg county.
Imagine a. lake of water OF about 900
SQUARE miles, six inches deep. That much i
fell along the slopes of the ridge. OF
which the Pacolet Is the outlet. In twenty
four hours. And then It rushed down
through the gorge between two ridges,
where the Clifton and Pacolet mills were
situated. 1t would come naturally with a
sudden rise, a great crest like tidal
wave sweeping down the stream. The
weight of water behind such a crest,
fifty feet high, Is immeasurable. Moth
ing could stand before It. The rallr
bridge at Converse Is 104 feet high.
splendid steel structure. The bridge does
not seem to have been injured by the
torrent The train Went across 1t to-day,
Above the bridge. few yards, is the
Clifton Mills. No. 3. on the left hand
side of the Pacolet River as you so up 4
stream, Above the mill was the dam,
and the dam does not seem to have been "
greatly injured. as the water is still rush
Ing through the fumes as though the Z
dam were intact.
This whole valley of the stream,N
which the Clifton Mills are stuatedadS
kind OF gorge between the hills, with
and there flat place near the level
the stream itself. The water had rise'ys
serious was npprehended. 1t Is believed
that the whole damage was done In few
minutes, for the reason that nothing was
left in the immediate track of the tor
rent to be washed away
COURAGE AND SACR.FySE
The stories of courage aae sacrifice
and glorious death are heartening 10
hear That man and his sweetheart
bride tlasped In each others arms, dying
while they lifted their voices IN song,
will live in story,
A preacher figured in one rescue. where
others courage failed A poor fellow
had climbed to the top branches OF a y
tree that stood In tho midst now of the
raging torrent and was liable to be root
ed up at any moment No boat could
live So the men above rigged up a cot
ton bale with a cable, and the plan was
to let 1t float down until 1t reached the
man. But some ono was needed 70 steer
1t and fasten 1t and help the exhausted
man In the tree. a preacher volunteered
and actually rode that bale OF cotton
down that current 10 the rescue, of tha
man from certain death. pulled the man
rpon ii with him, and both We're hauled
up stream into life from the very roar
Ing jaws Of death, A man left his Wifi
and sistet In his cottage, now surrounded
by water, and swan to tha other side,
secured rope, tied 1t fast and with
the other end in his teeth, SWAN back.
When hs was almost in arms length Of
his home, the cruel current lifted 1t bodily
away from him and bore II down tho
stream. But, stranger still. at Facolet,
four miles below that house, was seen
floating by with the women still alive
within 1t.
There are other things that are hor-
rible, Here, inc great pile Of sand. that
the receding waters have left. woinaD'a
foot stuck out and led TO the discovery
OF the dead body, In the sands aionA