Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1904-11-09

reservoir Of the municipal water-wo-ks
located near the center of Winston.
broke at . o'clock Wednesday morning
| causing the loss OF nine lives and tho
injury OF four or five persons.
The dead are:
THE DEAD.
Mrs. Martin Peoples.
Mrs. Nogler
Mrs. John Poe ana 12-year-old
daughter.
Mrs. Southern and son. John South.
ern.
Miss Octavia Bailey.
Lucille Malone
Cornelius Martin
The two last named are colored
The injured are:
THE INJURED.
Martin V Peoples. both legs broken
Walter Peoples, injury to back.
! Gilley Jordan. slightly bruised.
These are at the hospital
ID. H. Payne. n travelling man. OF
Greensboro, may recover. though his
! condition now prevents his removal to
the hospital
The north side of the reservoir which
us 80 feet high, tumbled over. falling
upon the home and barn of Martin v
Peoples. There were about 500 600 gal
IONS OF water in the reservoir, and the
mad stream rushed northeast to the
southern Railway cut, and thence to
belo's pond, a distance of half mile
-Four tenement houses were washed
| several hundred yards
ID. l.. Payne. one OF the injured. said
he was awakened by the crash and
thought he was being swallowed by an
earthquake. Il cannot describe my ex-
pcriencc while was floating on tho
mad rushing stream of water" said Mr.
fayne after his removal to a house
near the place he was found.
The Winston aldermen met at once
and made arrangements to bury the
dead and care for the injured
The Winston reservoir was built in
| 1881. by company composed of GO cit
izenS. Ten years ago it and the entire
water plant was sold 10 the city. Soon
thereafter 10 feet was added to the
| helght OF the reservoir. which was full
or water when the collapse came. The
city has just had a large stand pipe
completed. 1t is full of water and the
town is prepared to supply every de-
mand.
| Despite the early hour. the news of
time. and within 30 minutes between
GOO and 1000 people surrounded the
spot. An hour later the entire city was
aroused and excited. Before the extent
oil the damage was known, and while
1t was thought that perhaps the mem
bers OF the Peoples family were the
only ones who had lost their lives. cries
OF distress were heard farther down
| the street
The thousands OF gallons of water
that Moved from the reservoir formed
n pond in tho vicinity. and il was
thought that several people might have
been drowned in this. The city coun-
ell met and decided to drain the pond.
in order to recover any bodies that
might lie beneath the water.
| The reservoir was situated about five
! blocks from the center of the business
| district OF the city and was surround
ed by number of residences and sew
eral small stores. 1t is understood that
the structure had been condemned. but
the city authorities had failed to re-
move it,
SOME AGONIZING SCENES.
| description of the scenes at the
| little branch near the railroad track.
where the dead bodies were found
would defy the genius of a Dickens
| Anxious relatives with tear-stained
faces. watching anxiously for some
| oAHiit vi tAC lOHtu OiltS VINO mad Npen
snatched from them TO n remorseless
| grave. The agonizing look of a brother
as he searched for some trace of mis-
missing sister was especially pathetic.
| Il will never forget the look Of a
mother as she saw the dead body OF
! her SON." remarked a man who arrived
| on the scene short time after the
| fearful disaster. MY son. my son. -
sac exclaimed. and the consoling words
| ot neighbors were powerless to lessen
| the grief that she was unable to con
troll. 1t was truly horrible sight"
NEGRO'S STORY
| a colored man. who lives near the
reservoir and who ruched to the door
as soon as the crash was heard, had
this to say of the disaster:
When | heard the noise ] thought
at first it was an earthquake. ran
to the door and looked up the street.
/ can't tell exactly how it looked. for I
was scared too badly to tate notice.
II seemed as if big river was coming
! down the street. Parts OF houses and
rubbish of all kinds we're being carried
! with it, ana | saw several bodies being
| washed away | was SO badly scare
! that IL was long time before | found
cut what was the matter. IL was piti-
| ful 10 hear the groans of those who
We're being swept away. ! am not able
| to tell anything else, for I had a hard
! time getting out of the way myself. -
he concluded excitedly and in a man
1 npr To show that he had not rooornr