The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-07-25

restore communication wiCA the OF
side wcrlI III the first time i. s1'-
eraI dsys.
T1a e~stern side oi ne watershed
e ,.a Ca,aa ba. Wasa-ec an1 santee
rivers is entirely wi,1o,:, rail- com-
munica5ion with the Western half OF.
South Carolina, and some of this sec
! ton without any touch with the out
side.
Fearful Conditions.
On account of the fearful conditions
in the food-swept territory OF TIE
Catawba and Wateree rivers was
brought to Columbia today by Roy
Spratt of Mount Holly, n. c., who has
been following the river looking for
Il 900 bales of cotton carried away By
the food waters when the Armon
Manufacturing Company was washed
away last Sunday night. Mr.. Sprat1
and Mr.. Otis Pratt were sent out in
search of the cotton, and of the 1000
bales only thirty-f1ve have so far been
recovered. The greatest part Of this
loss was towed in by negroes at Nitro
lee, at the Southern Power Company's
plant at Great Falls. Two negroes
lost their lives in the waters trying
TO corral the cotton.
Mount Holly is on the Catawba
| river, a few miles from Charlotte, on
the main line Of the Southern Rail-
way. The foods of last Sunday night
carried away the railroad trestle
across the river there and washed
away cotton mills, county bridges and
other manufacturing plants. The
big warehouse of the Armon Cotton
Mill. W. 1000 bales of cotton, worth
ove- s50,0V), were carried down the
rive i ~ food. The management
of tt instructed Messrs Spratt
and Pratt to go out and find the cot
ton. After a great deal of difficulty
they got out of Mount Holly and fol-
lowed the river as closely as possible
through York and Chester counties.
Beyond Imagination.
Mr.. Spratt says that the damage
wrought by the raging waters of the
Catawba River are beyond ones i'm
agination. At some places great RATS
miles wide. in which are collected all
kinds of debris, are seen, but It is
impossible to get out to RATS on
account of the swollen stream. He
and his companion made several ef-
forts to get boat with which to cross
to the other side, but the only one
they found was at Catawba junction,
where the Seaboard trestle was wash
ed away. This boat is being utilized
by a construction force to place a
wire across the river and was nol
available. Mr.. Spratt told of the
bridges and trestles carried away by
the mad waters in their rush south
ward. including the trestle Of >the
| Southern, near Belmont, the trestle
OF the interurban at the same place,
the Southern trestle and county be-
tween Fort mill and Rock Hill; the
county bridge and Seaboard trestIe
at Catawba junction; the Sea5oard
Air Line trestle near Lancaster ana
other structures, all of which were
loosed from their moorings and added
to the debris gathered in the great
toll of the stream as it sped On to-
wards the sea.
Saved IS Bales.
The Southern Power Company's
great dams and works on the Cataw-
ba at Great Falls were overdowed 1t
was at Nitrolee, where some negroes
attempted and did salvage th1rty-fve
bales of cotton belonging to Mr.
Spratt's mill, but two of the negroes
lost their lives in the attempt. Two
other negroes were drowned further
up the river trying to save cotton,
according to reports told to Mr.
Spratt.
At Great Falls Mr.. Spratt's compan-
ion, Mr.. Pratt, secured a boat and
rowed across to the Lancaster side
He will go down the river on that side
searching for the cotton while Mr.
Spratt continues his search on the
western side of the stream.
It is the opinion of MIR. Spratt that