The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1916-07-20

The Catawba rampant, with waters
flooding cities and towns situated
along it's banks, submerging houses,
cotton mills and manufacturing en-
terprises almost without number,
smashing great railway and highway
bridges spanning it's tempestuous
course, twisting great trees and do
ing incalculable damage, ranging in
to the millions, such was the record
of the most destructive food that
ever visited the Piedmont section Of
the Caroinas. AS though the mighty
stream sought to shake itself in one
mighty protest against the almost
superhuman efforts of man to con-
scribe its course and limit its activ-
tiles it gave an exhibition of its al
most irresistible power which result
ed in many mighty steel railway
bridges going down; three, four and
possibly five or six state and county
highway bridges, including the new
steel bridge at Mount Holly, and &C.
cording to reports the elegant $780,
900 built-for-the-ages reinforced con-
crete structure at Sloan's Ferry, the
partial submersion of dozens Of cot
ton mills unfortunately located too
close to the banks Of the stream,
such as the East and West Monbo
Mills, near Statesville, Woodlawn and
Mount Holly Mills at Mount Holly
and various others, and of damage to
roads, crops, houses, timber that can
not be estimated at this time.
One Of those who had witnessed
several fierce Ohio and Mississippi
floods likened the Catawba to one of
the tributaries Of those streams dur
ing the food tide Of their irresistible
sway, when there was nothing that
could Withstand its fury. The dam
age to the immense concrete dams
and power stations of the Southern
Power Company on the Catawba
could not be figured but it will range
into the hundreds of thousands of
dollars. No big dam was washed
away but the power houses of every
description were flooded, thus cur
failing operations and of course en-
failing much injury to machinery and
equipment. At Lookout Shoals, IL
miles north Of Statesville, the water
had washed over and carried away
a great embankment fill on the Ca
tawba side which, while it relieved
part Of the pressure on the dam
proper, turned loose such a flood of
water that the old West Monbo Mill
below, with its 5000 spindles was
submerged and the East Monbo new
mill directly across the river partially
put under water. he warehouse was
flooded and hundreds upon hundreds
Of bags and bales Of cotton washed
away.
Passing down the river, the Sea-
board Air Line bridge at Mount Holly
was the first to break, the middle pier
being smashed which dropped down
the two central spans. Later in the
afternoon at 5:35 the Southern's steel
mainline bridge across the Catawba
near Belmont, on the direct route
through to Atlanta, went down, the
shock carrying a force of workmen
engaged in seeking to relieve some
of the driftwood pressure on the
lower end of the bridge. This bridge
was built about II years ago and was
regarded as one of the best on the
line.
The Interurban new all steel bridge
at Mount Holly went out about $3.50
when all telephone connection with
the river was lost. This break was
almost inevitable when the Seaboard
bridge fell, thus superimposing all
the pressure on the already heavily
burdened structure below. The re-
ports as to the Southern bridge on
the line to Rock Hill indicated that
the structure was holding but the
crest of the flood had not reached
that point at that time.
On the South Fork of the Catawba,
the damage was almost unbelievable
The mills, which hover close to the
banks Of these streams were flooded
and the damage to reservoir dams,
power stations and textile machinery