Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1908-08-27
THE FLOODS,


Carolina and eastern Georgia.
The storm center sppesrs to have been
at Augusta, Ga, where three deaths are
reported. and where large cotton ware
houses are reported burning. The streets
of Augusts being flooded from six to ten
feet deep, efforts of the fremen to reach
the scene of the fire were much impeded.
Since 8 o'clock Wednesday evening
all communication with Augusta, which
had been sustained by single railroad
wire. has been cut of, and since that
hour no information has come from the
city that ia threatened by FIRE and wat r.
The Savannah river ct Augusta had
reached a stage of 40, or feet above
food stage, at midnight Wednesday.
At 2:30 yesterday stlernoon the big
dam at the head of the canal above
Augusta gave way from the strain of tOs
food and an enormous volume of water
rolled upon the slr5s1y Inundated city.
Floods 10 the Catawbs river, 10 North
OaroIina, and the Wateree and Peedee
rivers, in South Osrolins, have caused
enormous damage. The Ocouee and
Ocmulgee rivers, in Georgia, also are
In food, and though details are lacking
from that region, the drainage must be
great.
Railway lines throughout the flooded
districts are practically paralyzsd,
through washouts and the sweeping
swsy of bridges. Telegraph and tele.
phone communication Is badly crippled,
and in the case of Augusta, eut rely cut
off.
10 area covered and 10 extent Of dam.
age, tbs food is likely to prove one ii
the most serious The south has ever
known.
! The rainfall was particularly heavy 10
the vicinity of Raleigh, N. O., where
toe total fall since Sunday was 10 inches.
The losses and damage are enormous.
Railroads have snnulled trains,
bridges have been washed away, roads
rendered imp sable, and large areas Of
crops Destroyed.
As q result of the severe rain storm
aud foods in North Carolina, South
Carolina and Georgia, the through SER
vice of the Southern Railway will be
crippled for several days. The worst
condition exists at Gresnville, 9. O. At
Williamson, S. O., bridge 100 feet
long has been washed away and cannot
be repaired until the water subsidts. 1t
will probably take several days to re-
pair this break. Bridges and trestes
have been washed on. along The line, aud
TIE railroad official are facing the won
conditions experienced in years.
Dauviile aud vicinity suffered heavily
from the raiOstorms Of the past several
days. Dan river was yesterday 10 feet
above its normal height, the highest
known 10 years. All of the machinery
operated by water power in the large
factories of the Riverside Cotton Mills,
located j The banks of the river, was
put out OF commission by the high water.
All trains over the Southern Railway
we're delayed many hours. many
of them indefinitely. The heaviest
dsmsge on the Southern was done on
the Richmond and the Norfolk divisions.
On account Of serious washout,, the Nor
folk trains are being run Ground By way
Of Greensboro and Selma.
Flood conditions prevail throughout
Virginia as the result of the heavy rains
of the last IS hours. Two wsshouti have
been reported on the Norfolk and West
era main line, near Bedford City. A
hundred feet of track has been wssht d
away on the Durham division of tSe
Norfolk and Western at South Boston.
Iu Richmond, the wstsr is already
over The whsrves and old rivermeu antic-
ipate higher wst,r before morning. The
strt tch Of river has been cleared ofevery-
thing thst can get along with It's own
power.
The heavy rains have dore much dam
age throughout the State. Crops on bot
tom lands have been greatly Injured, and
tobacco on high lands and ready to cut
has been damaged. Serious wasboUt,
along public highways are reptr.ed, sud
numbers of bridges have been carried
away by the floods. Appomstox river
was last night higher than 1t has been
for years. Few crops along It's banks
have been spared. Two mules and four
head of cattle were drowned yesterday 10
pasture near Farmville.
Immense damsge has ZEN done in
tidewater. Corn and tobacco crops on
creek and river bottoms are submerged
and practically ruined. The dsmsge In
Halifsx county will approximate qusr-
ter Of million dollars. A nuoibsr of
wsshyutj on the Southern Railway have
stopped sill rains on that line. At Mayo
creek the railway tracks are 6 and 7 feet
under water. Greeks are higher than
they have been for 40 years. A whisky
warehouse WIS washed away Tuesday
night by a mere branch swollen into
river. Hoco and Dan rivers will not
reach their highest until this afternoon.
The damsge done BY them can hsrdly be
A terrific northeast storm that broke
along the New jersey COST yesterday
drove up one of the biggest tides known
at Atlantic City for YER, and endangered
the big feet OF yachts lying st the inlet.
They scudded fer haibor just 10 time 10
escape s'rous damage.
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