New-York tribune., 1903-06-07
FIFTY MAY BE DROWNED
BIG MILLS SWEPT AWAY.
Death and HaUOc IN the Path of q
South Carolina ClOudburst.
rsr TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.

lBT TELEGRAPH THE TRIBUNEI
Columbia, s. C.. June 6.-From the southern
slope OF the Blue Ridge water is rolling toward
the sea with the impetus of tidal wave. and
In it's wide paths red slime and ruin are left.
The rainfall in middle and upper Carolina in
the last six days has ranged from Ave to seven
inches. but no serious trouble had been caused.
All the rivers were last evening In their banks
and the Weather Bureau gave no warming It
has been impossible to communicate with the
mountains to-day. but between spartanburg and
AshevtIe there must have occurred deluge
such as was never before experienced in this
section.
At O'Clock this morning the Pacoett River. at
Clifton, little above the normal AT this
point the river is twenty miles from the
tains running through agricultural country.
with no railroad telegraph connections AT
Clifton there are three mills built by D. e.
Converse. The first intimation OF peril was
when at o'clock the river began rising az ths
rate of six inches a minute. and for an hour
1t kept up this pace Many people fed to hlgher
places, but many could not save themselves.
The largest Clifton mill. with $1,000 spindles.
was half swept away. The Converse mill. with
81 900 spiudIes, was swept away. The Dextes
mill, with 10000 spindles. Is half gone. II 70
estimated that fifty persons were drowned.
There wers many thrilling rescues from trees
and houses In this turbfd, rushing. foannins sea-
Just at dawn The prosperous village is a wreck.
Many houses ara washed away, and five hum
dred people are homeless, -Four thousand peo-
pie are thrown out OF employment
A relief committee was at once organized In,
few hours the river had fallen twenty-twci
feet
At this point the Southern Railway line 'front.'
Atlanta TO Washington crosses the river a,
tall steel bridge supported by great granits
niers. This bridge was washed away. Continu-
ing its rush through the Iowlands. this wan OF
water thirty feet high. reached the little nhs
town Of PacoIett. twenty miles south OF Chrron~
There are at this point three mills known as
PacoIett Nos. 1. and 8. J. H Montgomery is
the president of the company owning the Mills
The same men them that own the mills 50
badly damaged at Gainesville. Ga, by the tor-
nado
At I O'Clock the factory operatives. mostiy's
women and children. had begun work in ths
! mills. when il was noticed that the river vas
rising rapidlv. The operatives were ordered toi
flee from the buildings Just as the food began
70 e1ter the lower floor 1t is believed that they
all escaped The water climbed up the sides or
the three mills which we're built on rock be-
sfdA the stream. which is usually placid. JUST
doing its work of creating 5000 horsepower to
operate the mills The masonry OF the dams
couId not stand the terrible pressure. and they
gave vav. destroying the water power plant
When the great wave struck Mill NO l. WIN
fifteen thousand spindles. it collapsed T"o
hours afterward Mill No. suffered the sans
fate. 1t had eighteen thousand spindles- theA
third mill is standing. but is badly damaged so
far as known. no lives were lost in Pacolet
A boy was seen floating down the river on Al
log. calling for help. but none could be given
He came from somewhere above. A hotel. ths
Presbyterian Church the railway station and
other buildings at PacoIett were carried away
News from West Spartanburg and Greenvills
is serious Lives are reported lost at Greer s..
where there Is a mill, and where the southerrs
4
River was rising five feet an hour at noon. 1t 80
reported that the dam holding Sapphire Lake. AZ
body of water ten miles long. across the Nortir
! Carolina line is breaking This will flood Picks
ems County. Three Southern Railway lines lead<
ing into Spartanturs have serious washou;s.
Charlotte. N c. June 6.-The heavy rains
have resulted in an incalculable loss to property
between here and Spartanburg, S. c.. along ths
line of the Southern Railway. Five cotton Mills
have been washed away. three bridges the
Southern Railway wrecked and two others
are badly damaged. The loss here viii bs
81. .OOO.OOO. A warehouse containing 1000 bales
of cotton and 1000 bales of yarn was destroyed
and the goods carried downstream It IS esti-
mated that altogether 800 bales OF cotton ant
1000 bales of warn were destroyed.
1