The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1916-08-03

As Seen by Editor of BishopVflle
Leader & Vindicator.

brother was seriously hurt during the
storm of July Id, the editor took the
first train to 60 to him. Long before
he reached Kingstree he could see
from the car windows that Lee and
Sumter counties had missed the CEN
ter of the storm and, comparatively
speaking, sustained very little loss
compared to the ruin of crops and
destruction of property from Man.
ming down through the entire coun-
ty of Williamsburg. Black river was
one seething torrent of angry water
from the banks atSalters to the very
town limits at Kingstree, a distance
of more than three miles. All the
old fields that were once cultivated
on the island in the swamp or inter-
vening ridges looked like vast in
land sea or lake. Between the river
and the depot at Kingstrec the tor
rent of water pouring through the
canal at Kingstree washed out forty
feet or more of the railroad embank-
ment, which caused the train to creep
along over the temporarily recon-
structed roadbed, along which were
strewn all sorts of debris from Kings
tree, consisting of parts of negro
shanties, furniture, lumber. dead
chickens, pigs, cats or anything that
was caught in the mad onrush of the
waters. On East Main street the
water was four to five feet deep in
the stores. The flood came on dur
ing Friday night, and when the at
tendants of the Williamsburg Live
Stock company got to their stable
they found their horses standing in
water over their backs and had to
swim to get out. With the exception
of the iron bridge over Black river.
nearly every bridge in the county
was washed away.
We found our brother, DR. j S
Cunningham, at his home at Indian
town very badly but not fatally in
jured, as we at first had heard that
he was. He, with his little grand
daughter, Bessie McCutchen, and
little negro servant girl were the
only inmates of the house when the
storm came and had ragged all day
Friday. Just about dark Bessie
thought it best to make a little fire
in her grandfather's room to dry out
the dampness, as he was on the bed
asleep. While starting the fire, the
little negro girl screamed to Bessie
to run away. the chimney was fall
ing. Bess jumped to the bed grabbed
her grandfather and told him to get
out of the room, as the chimney was
about to fall. He had gotten nearly
by the fireplace when the chimney
came down with a crash that thre "
the mantelpiece with such violence
that it struck the doctor on the shoul-
der so forcibly as to knock him down
and for little while he was dazed
from the fall. Recovering from the
shock, he found his left shoulder dis
located. With splendid nerve and
strength, Bessie, with the aid of the
little negro girl and at the direction
of her grandfather, pulled the arm
back in place.
By that time the storm was at It's
worst, but the little negro girl braved
it all and went to a colored mans
house 200 or 800 yards off to arouse
him to go for help. So rapidly did
the branches and swamps rise that
all bridges were washed away and
the negro came near being drowned
in giving notice of the Doctors con-
dition.
So completely was he cut off from
help that after his sons and neigh
bors got to him they could not pro-
cure a doctor for him till Tuesday.
After an examination by Drs Jacobs
and Scott of Kingstree no bones were
fo,nJ broLon h,t b;s o.ro III 81 o,,1