Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1908-08-27
TOday's Telegraphic News
Floods In the South.

Augusta, Ca, Aug. 27.-With
practically the entire city under water,
business houses, mills and factories
closed, telephone and telegraph COM
munication with the exception of one wiie
destroyed, daily newspapers suspended,
electric light aud power plants put out OF
commission and with row boats the only
means of transportation 10 the main
st ieeis, Augusts is experiencing today
the worst food in its history. Last
night two telegraph operators swan to
t. the Chamber OF Commerce building,
and cut in on a wire that bad not been
carried down by the torrent, and this is
now the only means OF sending news to
the outside world. To add to the dis
trsss thousands of people are today going
hungry. Nesrly all ofthe food supplies
in the city have been ruined or damaged
by the flooding of 1t res and dwellings
and the suspension of t'sffic makes 1t
impossible to bring food stuffs into the
C ty Nearly the eitr re population is
subsist ny on hs!f ratiols The desth of
two women was reported today. Their
buggy was overturned in the rush OF
wstsrs and they were drowned Wstsr
reached depth Of ten feet in Main street
and hes susided but little. The big
bridge across the Savannah river has
collapsed. Early estimates of damage
sre far too small and it is certain now
that the property loss will run iato the
millions, far exceeding that OF the flood
of twenty years sgo.
The city was IN total darkness last night,
the food having extinguished the fires
under the boilers of the electric light
plant. The street cars have not been
running since early yesterday from
the same cause. Three deaths have
been reported, two white persons and
one negro, names unknown. Word
comes from Camden, 3. O., that there
we're but five deaths from the collapse of
the toll bridge where yest rdsy it was
reported h 10 we're drowned.
Columbia, s. O., Aug. H.-A partial
resumption of tslegrlphic service today
with the food devaftsd sections Of
Georgia and the Cyrjlinss brings ad-
ditional news of heavy property loss and
narrow escapes from death, chief OF
which was the close cali of 250 pasaen'
gers on the north.bound Sesboard train
rem Florids. Only the precsution OF
the engineer pre7entsd the train from
being plunged into the raging Congaree.
Fearful that the bridge had been weak
ened tne engineer was sending his train
at creeping pace over the bridge, when
a span gave way under the express car,
with the engine and baggage car over
mid, tream. The engineer stopped his
train. Reports from the western part
OF the State today indicate loss Of 81,
900, 900.
Every river in the state is on q
rampage and millions Of acres sre inun-
dated. Railroad traffic is suspended on
the main lines of the Southern between
Charlotte aud Atlanta by the loss OF Q
number of important bridges. The Sea-
board between Hamlet and Atlanta is
| o1t of commission, as is the Southern
between GreenvilIe srd Columbia, and
the @. e. w. O. between LuTens and
Greeuville and Laurens and Auguta, and
| the Central Nortberu between Columbia
and Laurens. The upper third of the state
is cut off from Columbia by rail, phone
aud telegraph.