Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-08-14
Great Flood Racing Down
Upon South Carolina
Towns
WARNING SENT AHEAD
Enormous Body of Water P6urs
Quickly From Reservoir-Several
Places in Danger

Asheville, N. c., Aug. 18th
Southern Railway agent at LAX
Toxaway reported last night that tn
big dam there had broken and tina
a food of water was racing down tn
valley. Messages have been sent from
Asheville warning Greenville, Ander
son, Seneca and other South Caro-
lima joints of the danger.
Later the Lake Toxaway Inn a
Lake Toxaway reported that the
whole dam had been washed ava!
and the lake practically drained. Nc
important damage was done at Toxa-
way.
The released waters are rushing
through the Toxaway River Valley, a
comparatively uninhabited section, to-
wards the Chuga River in South Car
olina, Anderson, Walhalla, Pickens
and Seneca counties comprise the ter
ritory Immediately threatened. ard
warnings were telephoned to all
places that could be reached.
it was estimated that the food
would not reach Seneca before today
and persons familiar with the ter
ritory believe the waters will spread
out over the uninhabited country i'm
mediately south of Lake ToXaway
and thus minimize the possibility. OF
extensive damage.
The waters ultimately. will flow in
to the Savannah river through its
tributaries in Western South Caro-
lima.
No loss of lives has yet been re-
ported.
Lake Toxaway, with an average
depth of 80 feet. was the largest body
of water in the western North Caro-.
lima mountains. 1t was in the heart
Of the Sapphire county, some 60
miles southwest of Asheville, near
the boundaries of Georgia and South
Carolina. Z :;
The dam was constructed of stone
and concrete. there were special canals
and sluieeways to carry off surplus
water and the builders were sure il
was strong enough to withstand the
heaviest floods. For years the people
living in the valley below have fear
ed, however, that some day the dam
might burst and waters. of the Jake
sweep the country for miles. They re.
called the breaking of the dam that
caused the food at Johnstown, Pa.
and they never, felt safe in times OF
heavy rains. When the recent cloud
burst swept that region, breaking the
dams of the lakes at Hendersonville
and Lake Kanuga, whose waters
swept down the river and caused cpn-
siderable loss of life at: Biltmore,
there were reports That's the dam at
Toxaway had burst. But, while the
dam held, it must have been seriously
weakened by that unprecedented
food. 8.
Lake ToXaway was a beautiful
body of water. In sight of the dam
stands The Toxaway Inn. the largest
hotel IN that section to which mum
bers Of people go every summer IRON
Atlanta. Augusta, Columbia, Mobile
Montgomery and New Orleans. Tn,
lrmans and other prominent Allan
tiaps have built attractive summe
homes along the lake, but the hote
and cottages stand on higher g1oun
some distance above the dam, out O
danger from floods or high water.
The lake is fed from mountai
streams which pour down from numer
Gus peaks. There are said to be owe
hundred waterfalls in the SAP
phire Country along these picturequ
little streams. The waters flow dow
small river into South Caroline
where a number of cotton mill: town
are located along the streams. Th
section Immediately below Toxawa
is sparsely populated, but from 40
GO miles south there are valuab
farms and thriving towns, which al
in the path of the food.