Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-08-06
DEVASTATING STORM.

the IdInlly OI MIS-. f1elen AQlckeS.
DEVASTATING STORM.
Devastation and ruin have been left
in the wake Of terrific wind, rain, and
hail storm that passed over the north
ern part of the county, including the
f1ourishing town Of Glover, Saturday
afternoon, and although fortunately
none Of the inhabitants were killed or
even seriously hurt, the property loss
quarter of q million dollars.
The Glover cotton mill plant was
badly wrecked, five cottages were COM
pletely demolished, and eighteen others
were more or less badly wrecked, ev-
cry house in the town sustained some
injury and more than three thousand
acres Of growing crops were ruined.
And all this wreck and ruin was ac-
complished in the brief space Of very
few minutes.
The storm came up at about o'clock
and the Glover people had practically
no warning before it struck them. This
was true Of most of them. Some are
able to describe it however. They say
1t came out of the northwest in the
shape Of an awful looking black cloud
that extended across the horizon, and
which was fringed underneath with
angry purple. The cloud was laden
with rain and hail for two things and
the mass moved at terrific rate, es-
timated at one hundred miles an hour.
From the most intelligent descrip-
tions to be had, 1t appears that while
the storm evidenced some Of the charac-
teristics of cyclone, 1t was more In the
nature Of hurricane. Spiteful gusts
Of wind was shortly followed by a
stiff steady blow that gathered strength
rapidly. This wind grew harder and
harder until presently the rain began
to fall in torrents and with 1t a terrific
outpouring of hail. With the coming Of
the hail chimney f1ues began to fall,
trees went down, the air was filled
with flying shingles, metal roofing and
debris Of every description. There fol-
lowed q still fiercer squirt and down
went much of the mill building, along
with cottages, two negro churches,
q corn mill, numerous other trees and
outbuildings almost without number.
Although the people comported them
selves as we'll as it was possible for
any people to do under such terrifying
circumstances, it Is not to be denied
that most Of them were frightened.
Generally they stuck to their homes
and waited with all the courage and
resignation they could muster for such
developments as they knew not what.
Many however, fearing that their
homes could not possibly stand such a
strain went on the outside to take
chances there. Few Of those who went
out however, were able to stand on
their feet, and they hugged the ground
as closely as they could. Some went for
their cellars; but as general thing
there was nothing to do but just wait,
and this Is what most Of the people
did.
II the mill had been in operation
there would have been much loss Of
life. The certainty of this is at once
apparent to any one who has viewed
the wreck. But fortunately the mill
was not in operation. 1t Is the custom
Of the management to shut down Sat-
urday afternoons to allow the employees
time to attend to weekend business,
and everybody was out except a few
employees whose business 1t Is to re-
main on guard all the time. These were
at their respective posts which posts
were fortunately in positions that es-
capped the general destruction. In the
heighth Of the storm one Of the en-
ployees opened the switch that shuts
off the terrific current from the lines
of the Southern Power company, and
this averted danger from the power and
telephone lines which were afterward
broken and twisted into what might
have otherwise been most deadly con-
fusion.
Among the demolished mill cottages
was one in which there were twelve
people. 1t was occupied by Mr.. w. T.
Robinson. The framing was blown
away and the roof came down with a
crash, knocking the people to the floor.
All got out unhurt except Mrs. Robin
son whose back was badly wrenched.
How anybody escaped Is little short of
a miracle When the reporter saw the
place yesterday 1t seemed to him that
it would be difficult for any one to get
in much less get out But 1t was just
as the storm had left 1t. The roof was
being sustained at one place by the
headboard of a bed and at another
place by broken chair. Furniture and
smashed. In the case Of two Of the
cottages that were completely carried
off, one family had moved away the
day before and the other was out visit
ing.
Two negro churches in the town were
blown down and two others outside the
corporate limits were pretty badly
wrecked. A mule that had been left
hitched near one Of the town churches
was killed. There was a big crowd Of
negroes having some kind Of to-do in
a hall that belongs to them in the
eastern part Of the town. The house
was full of people and when the build
ing began to creak and bend there of
course followed panic. The whole crowd
was terror stricken and a number of
Inv nj nf or N
dows; but nobody was seriously hurt.
The biggest single item Of damage In
the town of Glover was to the cotton
mill. This mill though all in one
building, has been constructed at diff
ferent times in three different sections.
The original mill Is known as No. l,
the first addition on the south end Is
known as No. 2 and the second ad-
dition on the north end is known as
No. 8. The old mill No. l, was COM
pletely demolished. The roof went
down on the machinery and the walls
are fallen in. The tall smoke stack was
left standing. A part of the north end
fell out Of mill No. and a part Of the
roof was blown away but the four story
tower remains intact with exception Of
numerous window lights, broken by the
hail. There is very little the matter
with mill No. 8, embodying the north
end Of the plant. 1t stood the storm
stoutly and 1t was evidently because Of
is superior construction, because the
strongest of the wind was still north
of it.
While the worst and most conspicu-
Gus damage has been stated, 1t Is prob
ably a fact that every house in Glover
has some scars to show as the result Of
the storm. Some Of them were unroof-
ed and some lost only few shingles a
part of their tin roofing, stove fiue or
something like that. The graded school
building does not appear to be hurt,
and the oil mill suffered only slightly.
Some work that Is under construction
was more or less twisted and some
pieces Of roofing were scattered about
the premises; but the total loss will
hardly go over a few hundred dollars.
The home of Mrs. James Hedgepath
on Main street suffered more than any
other house in the town proper.
AS heavy as was the aggregate loss
in the town of Glover including the
cotton mill 1t is not nearly so great as
the loss sustained by farmers to their