Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1903-06-10
0CONEE SUFFERS BY FLOOD.
HEAVY RAIN LAST SATURDAY PUT ALL
STREAMS OUT or BANKS.
WATER HIGHER THIN EVER KNOWN
Four Lives Lost al High Falls---The Countys
Loss from Zen to fifteen Thousand Dollars.
Damage 70 Properly Over The County
Estimated at About $10C, COO.

Damage 70 Properly Over The County
Estimated at About 100000.
After three days of steady rain last
week, Friday night witnessed veritable
downpour for two hours. The rain hav-
ing fallen during the night, very few per-
sons realized the magnitude of the dam
age being wrought. Early Saturday
morning rumors of dire disaster came in
thick and fast. The loss of lives and
property in Oconee was surprising, but
the news from Spartanburg was appall-
ing. The account of the latter is given
elsewhere. We purpose here to give q
brief account of the damages in our
county.
Frst-As to the Bridges.
There is scarcely bridge of any inn
portance north or east of Walhalla that
has not been washed away, and the few
that are left are more or less damaged.
On Chauga the following bridges were
swept away! McDade, Kubtmann, Land,
Phillips, Pool, Horseshoe and Gilmer.
Z Total7
On Whetstone-all gone-2.
On Cane Creek these are gone: Suttles,
Wendelken, Werner, Pieper, Burns, Wig
ington, Alexander and Biggerstaff-S
Badly damaged, Thompson; slightly
On Little River Grant, Rankin, Burnt
lanyard, High Falls and Morgan--5
Damaged, Emerson.
On Keowee River-Old Piclsens and
Lawrence-2. Damaged, Nimmons, Rave
mel and Cherry.
On r. oonne5ossm a ssms!tribling, sitton, Lee @
ner, Livingston and Watula.
On Oconee Creek-all gone-Lay,
George and Slater--3.
North Prong Cane Creek-all gone
Lipscomb, Iyester and Flat Shoals-3.
Negro Fork-Fitzgerald, Burnside
and Whites.
On Whitewater--all gone--Ervin and
Jocassee--2.
On Cheohee--all gone-5.
Four DroWned at High Falls.
At High Falls two-story dwelling
house, situate near the bank Of the river,
occupied by Felix Jenkins, colored, wife
and children, was washed away. Jen-
kins managed to get his wife and chill
drVn on top of the house before it hoated
off. 1t floared down the river about 100
yards, when the house went to pieces
and the mother and three children were
drowned. Jenkins, lodged in tree,
where he was found and rescued. One
arm was broken and he was very much
bruised. 1t is reported that he is crazy
from the shock and fright. This is the
only loss of life reported in our county,
but several persons had very narrow
escapes. One child was, found two miles
down the river buried in mud.
The house occupied by Robert Dalton,
and sister, Mrs. j. b. King, on the oppo-
site side of the river at High Falls, was
also washed away with most of its con-
tents, but the occupants managed to
escape.
Damage at lanyard and Rankin's.
At the Burnt lanyard the old mill
building and the house occupied by
Kirk Wilson and family were washed
away. Wilson and family are left des-
titute.
The store of j. e. Kelley, near Ran
kin's, was flooded, and all the goods on
the shelves and counters were water
soaked. His loss was several hundred
dollars.
Greatest Damage at Newry.
at Newry the greatest injury was
flooded and badly damaged. About
seventy bales of cotton were carried
down the river. The water was about
ten feet deep in tho first story. The
engine and all machinery in the first
story were badly damaged. The mud
was two feet deep on, the floor, but the
mill building and the dam stood the ter
rible strain. 1t is expected that opera
tions will be resumed the last of the
week. Damages estimated at $4,000.
The Farms Suffered Greatly.
The farms on all water courses have
suffered greatly. Bottoms lands have
been washed as never before. In many
instances large fields of corn have been
entirely destroyed. The loss of the
drops is bad enough, but much of the
bottom land has been utterly ruined. In
the coves and valleys near the noun
tains great quantities of earth and timber
are spread broadcast over hitherto fer
tile fields. All together the damage sus-
tanned by our farmers will aggregate
about one hundred Thousand dollars.
While the loss has been very heavy,
our people are not despondent. Great
pluck and energy are displayed. The
farmers are preparing to replant, and
many fields lying waste may yet yield q
good harvest.
Hard on the County.
Many bridges must be rebuilt and
others repaired. This will cost the
county probably from ten to fifteen
thousand dollars. The County Commits
They are we'll nigh required to make
bricks without straw, or rather to build
many expensive bridges without money.
But in view of the imperative public
necessities they will do the very best in
their power. Bridges on the main thor
oughfares must be replaced Immediately.
By the last of this week it is hoped that
the public travel can be accommodated.
The people will have to exercise a little
patience and afford q reasonable chance
to repair the many breaches. In many
places the road beds have been badly
washed. They, also, must be fixed at
additional expense, as most of the roads
had been given the spring working.
Mills and Mill Dams Destroyed.
The following mills and mill dams
were either washed away or injured: ::
Grant, High Falls, Duncan, George, Lay,
McDade, Suttles, Cappelmann, Burns,
Wigington and Boyd.
Thos. A. Grant Loses Heavily.
Perhaps the heaviest individual loss
was sustained by Thos. A. Grant, who
resides at the Grant homestead, on Little
river. His mill house was entirely swept
away. The mill rocks and most of the
machinery, however, can be recovered.
His barn, COL tanning about 1875 bushels
of corn and a lot of fodder, was washed
away, also his lumber house, with a lot
of tools and sundry articles. A COW and
calf, six pigs and two lambs were
drowned. Two pigs we're saved by
timely rescue from pen by bringing
them into the house. The water was
eight feet deep in tho stables. He got