The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-17
BRIDGES ANDDAMS ! GO DOWN BEFORE
 RUSH 0F WATERS Southern Main Line Struc- ture Over the Catawba Is Destroyed CONSTRUCTION MEN REPORTED MISSING
 Many Thousand Cotton Mill Spindles Are Inundated-Wide Territory Absolutely Cut Off From Outside World

Charlotte. N. C., July 16-What are
 said to be the worst floods ever known in the Catawba and Broad rivers today have done damage that will run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars in the territory within radius of 50 miles north and west of Charlotte
 Eighteen men. II construction officials and employees of the Southern railway and four linemen of the Western Union Telegraph company, are missing tonight
 and are either drowned or marooned in trees on the Catawba river about 12 miles from Charlotte. The river is ris- ing rapidly. The men were swept into the river late today when the Southern
 railways main line bridge was washed away.
 Just above the Southern's bridge, the Piedmont and Northern interurban bridge and the Seaboard Air Line bridge were washed away. Farther up the river, near
 Mooresville and Statesville. two highway bridges went out, while at Catawba the Southern's bridge on the Salisbury-Ashe- vile line was washed away.
 At Mondo, below Catawba, the West Monde cotton mill of 5000 spindles is un- der water and the East Monde mill acrcss the river is almost submerged, while cotton warehouse with 400 bales of cotton has been washed away. Still farther up the Catawba. the Lilidoun and Alspaugh mills are under water The damage to the mills is laid to a water spout in Alexander county that ca used section of the earth embank- ment of the Lookout Shoals power plant of the Southern Power company to give way today, adding 15 feet of water to the already more than 20 foot tide in the Catawba That volume of water also caused the last two or three of the bridges to go.
 Reports of loss of life in the Tender sonville and Toxaway sections have not been confirmed. as there is no telegraph or telephone service in that territory. | Dams at Kanuga and Osceola lakes. near Eendersonville, went out last night and 1 early today. The Dravo Power com 1 pany's dam on Broad river near Shelby. went out late today, menacing ithe Southern Power company's plant near 1 Biackburg, s. c. M
 {! Near Winston-Salem, the town of Rondo was cut off from the outside world ] for several hours until telegraph op- orator, driven out of his office, carried this instruments to a high hill and cut lin on a telegraph wire. Trains cannot he l go tten to North Wilkesboro, and will not | be operated west of Donnagha tomorrow because of the tide on the Yadkin river. which is s1a feet higher than known in 1 43 years A Southern railway train SUD- posed to have left North Wilkesboro yes l terday' afternoon has not been heard l from. while one that started from Wins | ton-Salem to that town had to stop al Elkin. Residents of Jonesville and ad- 1 jacent towns are moving to high land. Spartanburg, S. O., July 16.-Crops have suffered great damage, highway bridge: 1 have been washed away and railroad ser l vice has been badly interrupted by the un precedented rainfall in the Piedmont sec
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