The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1916-07-19
The Recent Storm.

People are given to saying that all
storms are bad, and in this they are
correct. Manning has had much ex-
perence in storms, but 10 the present
instance not only our town, but the er'
tire county, and many counties in cas-
tern Carolina share with US the de-
struction and devastation which visited
South Carolina ou Friday July 18th
1916.
The terrible cyclone which visited
Manning on May 7th 1915, demolish-
ing brick buildings and stores, and
killing and wounding maoy people, is
fresh in the minds OF our people. But
that was only a local disturbance. 1t
came from the clouds above and struck
the earth like base ball, bounciog as
it We're, its hardest hit being only a
few hundred yards wide and extending
for about a half mile in length right in
the business part Of the town OF Man
ming, leaving death and destruction in
its path.
But the great disturbance which yis-
tied US last Friday was of a different
nature altogether. The national weath
er bureau reported it Thursday off the
coast Of Savannah, Ga, moving up the
coast, and hasty alarms and warnings
were given out az Charleston. The
disturbance seems TO have gone up the
coast in a north easterly direction, turn
ing eastward in the Georgetown aud
Horny section and then turning down
TO the southwest. The wind on Friday
morning early reached a very high ve-
too,t,, Eo;rrr norJaH vyith h1oCp
beating rains. This coneinued prac-
Lically all day, and so beating was tne
rain into cracks and crevices that peo-
pie 10 the best of covered houses had
great trouble in keeping dry. Trees
were o!own down and splitup, and torn
up by the roots, and the entire earth
was flooded with rain fall Of some 10
to y inches 10 24 hours. Roads and
bridges have been washed up and the
roads out of town in nearly all dlrec-
tions have been rendered impossible.
The road towards Sumter was for
time cut off ard the causeway across
Black River was being run over with
the water The road leading out OF
town in an eastwardly direction across
Ok swamp was impossible. only by peo
pie on foot, and then by wading Oh the
causeway. The large steel bridge
across this swamp :Tas crushed in by
the falling of that lonely old sentinel
cypress tree and people on that side OF
the county were entirely cut off from
town The chaingaug are at work on
the Ok swamp bridge trying to get the
roadway in temporary passable condl-
rioa. Mauv hands are at work upon
the streets cleaning up the brush and
debris.
Manning had no train from Charles
ton on Friday or Saturday, as the brid-
yes at Goose Creek, near Charleston:
were washed away. The railroad oe-
tween Lanes and Florence WAS upset oy
the washing away of bridges, and on
Sunday what few traius that came
through from Charleston to Florence
were routed around by Manning. Flor
ence, Williamsburg, Darlington, Hor'
ry, Georgetown, Clarendon md Berk-
ley counties seem TO constitute the Sec
tion where the greatest damage was
Goue. But all over the State the DAM
age vas great, and many bridges we're
washed away. AL farming operations
udNe oeeU COIPiSteIS plh Z" -"
fields are soboed and boggy from the
excessive fall of raiu. Streams are
full 10 the top notch, and the Santee
and Black Rivers will scarcely reach
their highest stages before the middle
Of this week, when the water from the
up-country comes down. There IS n
way of estimating the damage 10 South
Carolina or even il Clarendon county.
When house is blown down it can
be rebuilt. When a bridge washes
away it can be put back as soon as the
water recedes. But the thousands OF
dollars in damage 10 the crops OF the
farmers and poor people who are de.
pendent upon this for their bread and
their existence cannot be estimated,
The rel.rts are not all in from differ
ent parts of the county as TO the DAM
age to roads and bridges, but it is very
conservative to say that the extra cost
to the county will be several Thousand
dollars.