The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-12
CORDOVA PEOPLE
 MUCH EXERCISED Resent Report That Water Practically Covered the
 Town

To the Editor of The Age-Herald
 The people of our town are much exercised over a report in your valu- able paper of July II that Cordova was practically covered by water, the same being the statement of Rev. J. M. Hurst, pastor of the Hamilton (Ala.) Methodist church, who passed through Cordova Monday afternoon on the Illinois Gen. tral fast train. Owing to the prom thence given the report in the paper and the large headlines used on it, would like for you to make this correc- tion, please:
 Pastor Hurst states that almost a cloudburst descended upon Cordova Monday evening just before his train passed through. I don't know just how he figured this out as he says he passed through here after the rain had ended. At the government substation at Cordova, the shower that occurred about the time the Seminole passed here. the record shows a fall of one eighth of one inch of rain for one hour, and one and quarter inches for the day. The cloud that came up was one of the blackest looking we have ever seen and is probably the cause of Pas tor Hurst's fears. It seems to have
 
 report he gave your reporter on reach ing Birmingham. He says the entire town was practically covered with wa ter. As a matter of fact the back wa ters from the river. or overflows frorl the creek. covered less than 500 feet of Cordova's streets. these being two streets that cross the creek leading to the river. Outside of the bakery. which was partly covered. and two livery sta hfeS rar rtlU fbara n business house in the water anywhere, and only about half dozen one, two and three-room houses along the creek bank in the lower section of the town, the average rent on which Is less than $2 per month It would take another flood fully equal to that of Noah's time to ever get the water up to the resi- dences in the principal part of Cor dova and in the mill village, and as for the entire town being practically un- der water" as MT. Hurst states, it is a preposterous statement Pastor Hurst states that Lock IT has backed the water up into Cordova until the entire town is practically under water" and thereby attacks Cordova's pride and joy, for we are proud of what Lock IT means to Cordova Lock r has done nothing of the kind. The wa ter has twice been higher than it was during this rise and both times it was before Lock IT was built. In fact, if it had not been for Lock IT the rise would have been much greater than it was. Neither are there numerous brooks here. We have two large gutters that carry off rapidly all the surplus water from these hills into the creek and thence into the river. It would be well for the pastor to take a trip to Bir- mingham oftener and get out little and get used to clolldS and riyerS of water and enterprise.
 Again he states that the water was not over the railroad. but was tapping the ties. Some tongue this had that it could lap ties that were 10A feet away at their nearest point. He says: "One can sit on the railroad track and wash his feet in the river" This is another statement that would be characterized by our eX-President by a shorter and uglier word. One of our mines has a mine track running down into it's mine which gets under water whenever the water gets up in that section, and an- other company has spur running down to the creek bank for unloading coal but since a mine is something under ground and coal is unloaded on the oth- CT at the creek bank. it is reasonable that these should get under water, but these are not what MT. Hurst refers to, as both were completely under wa. ter at one end. Thd water lacked 101z feet reaching thf ailroad track where the Rev. J. M. urst says yor could sit on the tract and wash your feet. Trust you wt4 favor us who have been damaged 'yy this report, a: several million dollars are pending in. vestment here. A. G. SULLIVAN,
 Secretary Commercial Club.