The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-07-14
THOUSANDS SUFFER
IN TRACK OF STORM
Federal Government Comes to Rescue
of Those in Stricken Districts.
Dead and Missing Nearly
Four Score.

With thousands of persons home
less and destitute and with growing
death list, the federal government
Tuesday took official notice of the Sc
rious flood conditions that have fol-
lowed the tropical hurricane in the
Southern States. At the request Ut
Senator Underwood, the war depart
ment has ordered an engineer to in
vestigate conditions in the ICahaba
and Alabama river valleys, where
| 1000 families are reported without
food or shelter.
The floods have entered into Tast-
ern North Carolina and rivers, creeks
and branches in six Southern States
are out of their banks and flooding
thousands of acres of rich farm lands
as a result of unprecedented rainfall
since last Wednesday.
Eleven deaths reported today
brought the storm toll to Is dead and
missing. Of these 55 were members
of the crews of the schooners report
ed unaccounted for at Biloxi. There
is a possibility that some were saved
but marine men hold out little hope
for them. The others are known to
have lost their lives, about half of
them off the coast of Mobile and the
others in the interior Of Mississippi.
Alabama and Georgia. The damage
will total millions of dollars.
Take to the Boats.
AT scores Of places boats are being
used to bring marooned sufferers
from their flood surrounded homes
and from tree tops.
In Alabama conditions have as
sumed the most serious aspect. A
rainfall that has continued for more
than 100 hours at some places has
crippled wire and rail communication
and demoralized business. Railroad
yards and manufacturing plants in
Montgomery are threatened by the
rising waters of the Alabama river.
Back water has overhown the greater
portion of North Montgomery but
warnings by the weather bureau pre-
vented loss of life.
Selma citizens today organized re-
lief parties for work among the food
victims along the Cahaba and Ala
bama river valleys, where 1000 fam
lilies have been driven from their
homes.
Prattvile, Ala, a town of 5000 in
habitants, is mostly covered by wa
ters of Autauga creek, nominally a
stream dozen feet wide, but now 6
miniature Mississippi.
Main Street Flooded.
Geneva county is suffering from the
overflow of the Choctawhatchie river.
At Geneva the postoffice floor is three
feet deep in water and in the prin-
cipal business street of the town wa
ter is standing five feet deep. Inhabi-
tants of about so dwellings have been
forced to abandon them and boats
have been busy all day rescuing peo
pie from tree tops. Two negroes
were drowned when boat in which
they were riding capsized.
The Ocmulgee river at East Macon,
Ca, has left it's banks, surrounding
many houses, interrupting the opera
tion of manufacturing plants and rem
dering many families homeless.
VAT Columbus the Chattahoochee
river is threatening industrial plants.
Moultrie, Ca, is entirely cut of
from telegraphic communication and
reports from throughout southern
Georgia tell of serious crop damage
and loss of live stock.
Hurricane Toll at Mobile Nine.
Mobile, Ala, July 10.-The death
toll from last weeks terrific hurri-