The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-06-10
THE PACOLET CATASTROPE
Sudden Rise of the River OF Few
Feet Depth TO Raging Flood OF
Fifty Feet, Sweeping Everything
Before 1.-THE Destruction OF the
MiIls-Pltiable Incidents OF the Ca.
vAr
News and Courier.


Paoolet Mills. June 6.-Pacolet Mills Nos
and have been swept away completely oy
terrific flood OF water from the Pacolet River
The river began 10 rise at O'Clock this morn
Q ing and In few minutes the water rose TO
height of forty feet, washing away these two
mills. The Presby terian Church was swept
away, also several stores. The picker, boiler
and machinery Of the new MILL NO. D, mile
from the Others has been destroyed.
President Montgomery has come from spar
tanburg 20 look after the wreck and to save as
mucp property as posi- q.
thousand bales Of cotton goods have been
swept down the river. Parties have been sent
out down the Broad River TO save as much ol
these goods as Inc iGSs rs AZ
A negro was drowned here this afternoon
while trying to save some cotton. o,
President Twitchell. OF Clifton, teiephoned
here that Clifton Mills, Nos. and 4, have
been washed away, and Nos. and 2, at Glen.
dale, partly damaged. Louis honn.
DETAILS OF THE DISASTER.
Pacolet, June 6.-The flood and the wrecked
mills at Pacolet are awful to plate. l
!, find the river q perfect torrent, while wreck,
age, timber, cotton bales. goods, boxes and
:. trees are piled along the banks in an appar.
emily inextricable mass The river reacheo
the highest record ever known by the Oldest
Inhabitants here. II is estimated that thirty
i've to forty feet was reached. Much OF the
damage was done by the timbers coming
down nom CIifton's wrecked mills, two Of
which are gone.
STORY OF AN EYEWITNESS.
Hr, Claude Graham. who was an eyewitness
10 the terrible work OF the river, furnished
me with the following story:
AT O'Clock In the morning the river was
high, caused by a three days dowppour o
rain, but the water was not up to the bridge
one hundred yards below Pacoet Mills, Nos
and2 2. In thirty minutes, he says, there
was q sudden rise IN the river as II caused oy
pie over then the following wooden bulld
/. ings followed In quick succession: A shoe
shop, owned by George w. Brown; then the
saved the handsome Presbyterian Church
which cost $1,000, was seen to gradually rise
from It's foundations and float down stream
intact, with It's steeple pointing skyward, un
I'll the river was reached. The livery ats blet
occupied by Murray Wilson, on the oppo
site aide Of the river, were carried of. but moi
until all the stock bad been saved. DR.. Gun
tors dentist office was next taken and every
thing lost; estimated loss IN instruments
In the meantime hundreds of bales Of cot
ming speed until some 2 OOO must have passed
The cotton continued to pass for two hours.
At 10 o. m. the upper end of Mills Nos. anC
broke In, and soon the two mills collapsed
the wake OF the debris that had gone or
ahead. The ground where the mills stood ID
now a seething, foamtng body or water. The
cloth room and storage room ding from
the main buildings. were half demolished
while the other half Is left standing. gaping
unsigotly mass of brick and twisted timbers
HORRIBLE SIGHT.
Aboue this time several bodies were seen car
rfed along by the mad water. One boy, In hi
night clothing, was on the floating roof OF {
house and when he came opposite the horror
stricken crowd on the banks ne cried piteous
ly TO be saved, but no human being could livt
in that terrible current. A piece OF tinbe
came along and struck him and he was seer
no more. The next victim seen was q woman
who was dead as were others.
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
was made by the mill authorities and soou
host Of hands we're endeavoring TO save u
much cotton and cloth as possible. Whli
thus employed one Of the negro men IN
gang, named Quay Worthy. lost his footing
aud Slipped Into the water and was drowned
His body has not been recovered.
A representative at Columbia has been no
titled TO recover as much OF the Gotten ant
bales Of cloth as possible from the river as !
comes down.
MILL NO. 3,
half q mile further down the river, had tn
north end blown out and engine room wasne'
away. The lower floor is flooded but grea
deal Of the machinery on the upper floors
uninjured. The water came up into the low
er floor of the company's store and 1t wa
thought IL would go, but the waters began u
recede at O'Clock and have been falling rap
idly The river will be within banks II n
further rains fall, by 8 o'clock. There is
threatening cloud up the river. which ma.
cause further rise at PacOet. The loss Will
run considerably over million dollars
There were 4,OOO bales OF cloth lost and neal J.
as many bales Of cotton, besides the hv
buildings. Pacolet Mills were the first ant
most successful In the State, the stock bein
quoted At l9O This. in addition to the grea
loss at Gainesville. Ca. ia a terrible setbac'
to the company. Operations will probably b
resumed in No. in two or three months
5000 PEOPLE OUT OF WORK.
In the meantime 5000 people are thrown ou
of employment. Many of them, living o
the opposite side OF the river, can not get I
their homes until the river subsidies 80 this
boats can be used. Crowds OF people are con
ing on every train TO witness the terrloI
work OF the flood. j. Il. M.
FULLER ACCOUNT.
Pacolet Depot, s. c., June Gone life, s. SOC
600 loss corn plele destruction OF Pacolet MIL
Nos. and 2 partial loss OF Mill No. 3; loss
364l bales of cotton. 4,500 bales OF newly ma
ufactured drills and brown sheetlng, so
operatives thrown out Of work, entire loss
anewly erected grist mill and livery staol
postoffice and row OF stores and the Presbyt
rian Church, sums up the work or terrlf
food which occurred here this morning
6:30 O'Clock.