The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1911-10-05

had heard the warning sent out by
the telephone girl. The fire bell
was sounded and many thought it
was a fire.
Caught i'm Surging Torrent.
Some of them rushed to the
business section and were caught
In the water, Those not drowned
were crushed in the crumbling
buildings and others were caught in
the flames. 1t was frightful. |
cannot begin to tell it all
Little children playing in yards
at home were caught up by the wa
ter and tossed about on the flood
like playthings. Cattle and horses
were swept off, and even a side
walk was torn up. And over and
above it all were shrieks of Of the
hundreds of poor people who could
not escape.
Many were caught in burning
buildings and it will be days be-
fore the extent Of the calamity will
be known
Thousand Buildings Destroyed
1t is estimated tonight that a
thousand buildings have been torn
from their foundations and crushed
in the flood or have been destroyed
by fire. The water. made it's way
through the business section of the
town and left only four buildings
standing.
The valley of Freeman's Run is
narrow and the town was built
along its banks. All the buildings
were swept clear off their founda-
in the lower part Of the valley
tions by the torrent and many of
those which remained quickly fell
prey to the flames.
There was no one to attempt to
stop the fire and it was allowed to
burn itself out, the survivors of the
flood standing idly on the hillsides,
stunned beyond the power to act.
APPALLING Scene Presented.
The scene in the village tonight
be seen the light os some torch or
IS appalling. Heree and there can
can be seen the light of some
torch or lantern, as distracted
father searches along the bank for
some evidence of his family and
home. There is no leader and the
few who are trying to bring some
order out of chaos are handicapped
by the cries of the bereaved The
extent of the disaster will not be
known for hours
Scenes OF indescribable sadness
marked the village during the ear
ly hours of the night, many wo-
men, who had lost their children,
wandering in the darkness crying
their names in vain hope they would
i answer. Many were burned in the
fire and others ground to pieces
by the masses of timbers
and stone swept down by the
flood.
The terrible force of the water
Is shown by the story of one man,
standing in the street tonight de-
clare he had seen a two-story brick
building crumble like a house of
cards. Residences suffered because
of their construction.
Many Caught in Shops.
Railroad shops, where debris piled
high and which resisted for a time
the force of the water, will proba bly,
prove to be the death chamber of
the majority of the men who were
employed there. A rescuing party
attempted to reach the in
terror of the ruins, but were
driven back by the smell of burning
1lesh. Until help comes from the
outside little cam be done to the
Those so fortunate to live above
the line of flood were called to
help the survivors from the valley
and the food supply was soon ex-
hausted, as every grocery store
with the exception of one small
establishment on Costello street
was swept away. Many are with
out food.
Numerous incidents are being told
tonight of miraculous escapes and
terrible deaths. Every house on
Turner street was destroyed by the
flood and the debris piled high
along the little valley.
Engineers family Saved.
An incident of the flood came to
light when Harry Davis, the aged
engineer, who was standing near
the dam when 1t broke, found that
his family had been saved. He
was first to give details of the ca
tastrophe to the American Press
Among the victims of the flood |
were Mrs. Elliott and her daughter.
They were walking on the street
when they heard the roar of the |.
approaching avalanche. They ran
into the nearest building and had
scarcely entered the doorway when |
the roar was upon them. The |
The house crumbled and persons on
the hillside saw it lifted in the air. |
MRS. Elliott was seen to reach for /
ner daughter and with arms clasped |
about each other they were swept
from view. With them went a
boarder at the house they entered. |
d.n T..