The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-06-11
FAIR MILL SETTLEMENTS
DEVASTATED BY FLOODS.
Spartanburg Section Meets Frightful Disaster
By Cloudburst.
TERRIBLE LOSS in LIFE AND PROPERTY
The Counterpart of the Johnstown and Galveston
Horrors Takes Place in the Piedmont Manufac-
turing Section--Niagara of Death Sweeps Over
Section and Busy Spindles Cease to Hum.

Not since the close of the civil wal
has any section Of the South suffered
a greater calamity, with the possible
exception of Galveston, than that
which struck the prosperous manufac-
turing section near Spartanburg. S.
c., early last Saturday morning. The
disaster was the immediate result Of
a cloudburst just at the foot Of the
mountains. In a few minutes time the
swollen streams had picked up great
buildings of brick and stone, and car
ried them down like houses Of straw.
The number Of lives lost will reach
neal or over a hundred. The property
loss is appalling. Six thousand Ia
borers are idle and starvation seems
almost inevitable. The business of the
Southern Railways main line is Grip
pied for perhaps a month. Six busy
cotton mills are gone, with the com.
plete loss of all their machinery and
four to five thousand bales of raw cot,
ton, together with as much manufac.
tured goods.
No fair estimate can yet be placed
upon the entire loss.
The Sunday and Monday issues of
the Charlotte Observer, which sent
special staff correspondents TO the
scene, have the following graphic ac-
count Of the disaster:
AS a result Of the heavy rains six
cotton mills-the Clifton Mills Nos. /,
2 and 8, the Glendale Mill and the Pa
colet Mills Nos. 1, 2 and 3 (the Pacolet
Mills Nos. 1 and 2 are one plant)-have
been swept away.
Two Southern Railway bridges near
Spartanburg, s. c., have been destroy
ed and three other bridges are badly
damaged; there are washouts at a
dozen places along the main line in
the piedmont section, and at Landrum,
S. c., IS miles of track are submerged
and partially ruined.
1t is reported that so people are kill
ed, and eye-witnesses declare that they
saw as many as 10 or II bodies floating
down the Pacolet river. Those who
are known to be dead are Maggie Kir-
by, Augustus Clave and wife, Miss
Lizzie Clavert, NJ. Felix, Mrs. w. B.
Tinlay, Marie Sims, Mrs. B. F. john
son and four children; Mrs. John
Owens, Roy Owens, Garland Long, Mrs.
Long, Miss Fletia !Gosa.
IMMENSE LOSS TO RAILROADS.
The loss to railway and Industrial
property is almost incalculable. The
destruction of the cotton mills means
a loss of at least 5000, 900. The finan-
cial damage to the Southern is enor-
nous and cannot be ectimated at this
time.
Apart from the direct injury caused
by the loss of the expensive bridges,
the Southern will sustain a great blow
in the blocking of traffic over its main
line and branch lines indefinitely.
DESTITUTE PEOPLE.
Near Clifton, S. c., alone, 500 people
are homeless and 1000 are out Of en-
pioyment.
A CLOUDBURST.
The sudden and unexpected rise in
the Pacolet river was the direct cause
of most of the disaster. On this stream
are located the Clifton and Pacolet
mills, the Glendale Mills being on
Lawson's Fork. All the plants are
within a radius of seven miles OF
Spartanburg, S. c.
For the past SO hours the Pacolet
river had shown the effect Of the con
tinuous rains, but the river, swollen
as it was, did not cause any a%pprehen'
sion Friday night. The mills were. on
an average, about ten feet above
water level; they had stood the test
of many freshets and were thought to