The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-07-18


toll of FIVE human lives with prop
erty loss estimated from s6,0OO,O0O to
s1O,OO.00O and with hundreds OF
people rendered homeless by the de-
struction of more than 100 houses, the
worst food in the history of the State
swept the river section of AsheVllie
and the French Broad valley early
this morning, and at s o'clock tonight
the waters of the Swanannoa and
French Broad rivers were 10 feet
above their banks, although believed
80 be receding. G:epor=s from towns IN
the French Broad valley, covering a
territory from the Lake Toxaway Sec
aion to Hot Springs, near the Tennes-
zee line pu, ,.c property losses at
nearly $10,O0OOO. Reports from these
sections are diff Il. to obtain OWING
to the interruption OF telegraph ami
telephone communication, lines being
down everywhere AT 1 o'clock today
the Western Union Telegraph COM
pany succeeded in looping up a tele-
phone wire to Atlanta, thus getting
thu only line of communication to the
outside world at that time.
The dead, so far known, are Capt.
J. C. Lipe, Miss Nellie Lipe, an unmar-
ried daughter, all of whom were
drowned in the Swanannoa river at
Biltmore while efforts were being
made to rescue them from their food
,ed home near the river bank. Two
Others, Lonnie Trexler, white labor
j er and Luther Frazer, negro, were
drowned this evening while attempt
ing to carry food to marooned guests
at the Glen Rock hotel. At noon to-
day the water had reached the second
floor of this hote: driving a.; guests
to the third and fourth floors. The
Southern passenger railway station
opposite the Glenn Rock hotel has
eight feet of water in it. ALI train
service in and out of the city has been
suspended.
Sweep Through Valley.
An estimated rainfall of from six
TO eight inches throughout the French
Broad valley during the last week
was the primary cause of the floods
which reached their highest point
shortly after daybreak this morning.
These conditions were further aggra-
waited when the dams holding back the
waters OF Lake 0sceola ct Henderson
vile and Kanuga at Kanuga were
carried away, the tides thus liberated
sweeping down through Henderson
county past Ashevil1e and into the ad-
Joining county of Madison. Commu-
nication with the latter section by
either telephone or telegraph has not
yet been established, but, it is feared
that the entire town of Marshall has
been wiped of the map.
TAT o'clock this afternoon fears
were entertained for the big dam at
Lake Togaway, the bursting of which,
it is said, would send the waters
sweeping through South Carolina and
would create conditions worse than
those of the Johnsto@1 1ood.
Hundreds of children from the cot
ton mill section of the city, whose
homes were swept away early this
morning, crowded the city hall this
afternoon. Hastily formed relief COM
mittees are making every arrange
ment for the sheItering and feeding
of the city's homeless.
Bfltmore Under Water.
The town of Biltmore, laid out Is
years ago by the late George W. Van
derbilt, is almost entirely under wa
ter, ranging in depth from three to
five feet, and is completely cut OF
from the city of Asheville by a rag
ing torrent of water, the Swanannoa,
which at some points is a mile wide.
1t was here the first loss of life so
far reported was recorded when Capt.
Lipe and two daughters were drowned
in an effort to escape by boat from
\ their home, which was swept from its
5esopndation by the rapidly rising wa
ters. Three women who reached the
tree tops from the second floor of