Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-06-17

PAcoLET MILL DISASTER.
Although the cotton mills in the
Pacolet river valley suffered terribly as
the result Of the great flood Of June
g. and while there has been some loss
of life, and much loss of property, the
calamity was not nearly so great as
it might have been, and hardly half
as severe as it was represented to be
by the excited correspondents who
sent out the first reports of the disas-
ter. This is the conclusion Of a repre-
sentative of THE ENQUIRER, who. on
last Saturday went over a considera-
BILE portion of the flooded district, sur
veyed the ruins, talked with mill man.
ayers and operatives and put his own
estimate on the situation as he saw 1t
week after the flood had subsided.
Here is the story Of what he saw and
heard:
1.-THE flooded mill district is en-
braced within a distance Of about
twelve miles from Converse or Clifton
No. 8, on the Southern railroad. down
to and including the three Pacolet
mills, known as Nos. l and 2 at one
place, and Pacolet No. 8, practically
within sight. The three Clifton mills are
located within mile Of each other
Clifton No. l stands about half way
between Nos. and 3, No. 3 being the
furthest up the river and No. 2 being
furthest down. No. l Is visible form
No. 3, and No. would be visible from
No. 1, were 1t not for sharp bend In
the high cliff bordering the stream. l
only visited mills Nos. and 2, and
took the word of intelligent local ex..
perts as to the condition Of No. 3.
II left the train at Clifton station,
about one mile east Of Converse sta
ton which stands on the west bank of
the river at Clifton No. 8. Clifton sta
ton Is the railroad depot for mills
Nos. and 2, which are reached by
dummy line that winds down among
the hills first to No. 1 and thence up
and down the river banks to Nos. 2
and 8. The dummy line has not been
in operation since the flood disaster,
and it could only serve as a guide to
the points I was trying to reach.
Along the whole distance, however,
this line is bordered by a string of
cottages, and an occasional small
store. The cottages up nearest to the
railroad station, are occupied by peo-
pie directly and indirectly connected
with the mill plant in various capacf-
ties; but the greatest portion Of the
mill village proper. the cottages OF the
operatives, Is built on the high bluffs
overhanging the river. In many cases
the foundations Of these cottages are
something like 100 feet above the or
binary level of the stream, and most or
them were still not less than so feet
safe over the danger line when the
flood was at its highest.
when entered that portion Of the
mill village that Is made up entirely
of the cottages Of operatives, I was
impressed with a situation that is to be
seen in any similar community on
pleasant Sunday afternoon. There
were a few vacant cottages; but they
were the exception. AS a rule the
others showed outward signs Of cozy
comfort. On the piazzas or in the open
living rooms Of each were to be seen
from three to a half dozen or more
women and children. In some cot
tages could be heard the music Of or
gans, accordions and other musical in
struments: women and girls were
rocking cradles, and children were
playing about swings, and with pet
dogs. There were some men to be
seen; but not great many. Some OF
them were at work down about the
mill: others had gone to Spartanburg;
still others had sought work elsewhere.
and a few had gone to the station with
their household effects, preparing to
leave for other fields Of labor.
LAS 1 walked along making these
observations, a man who had evidently
seen me a hundred yards away came
in my direction. Up to this time had
not spoken to any one since getting
off the train. 1 had preferred to look
and listen, assuming that when got
among the sight-seers, about the
ruins, I would hear the story over a
dozen times without being required to
ask a question. The approaching man
was a little dried-up old fellow, with a
crippled foot and a piece out Of one
ear. His face bore the expression Of
one who had seen it all, who knew it
all, and who was anxious to tell the
whole thing again. He accosted me
with the inquiry:
You huntin hands, too?
There was in the mans tone sug-
gestion of a conviction on his part
that it was rather a poor place to find
hands; but when told him that I had
merely came to have look at the ruin
that had been left by the flood, he VOL
unteered to go down to the mill with
me, talking as he went about the dam
age the numerous narrow escapes, the
selfish Indifference Of the relief COM
mittee and other kindred subjects, all
of which he had no doubt reviewed a
score of times before. He was satis-
fled to do all the talking and 1t was
not necessary to ask even an OCCASION
al question to keep up his interest.
"Barricades had been thrown across
the dummy line at both ends Of mill
seers, and we went down to the riv-