The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-07-21
FRENCH BROAD FLOOD
CAUSES MUCH DAMAGE
With Streams Returning to Banks,
A>heYiiie Counts Up Toll in
Eleven DeatiS and SlG,9GG,G03
Property Loss.


..ai.,,605: the destruction of GO
:.or.os: 400 people homeless; - man
ufacturing and industrial plants par
TALLY destroyed and the compIet"
paralysis Of all railroad traffic in anil
out of the city except on the Muir
ply division, are the results of the
disastrous flood which swept through
the French Broad valley from sun
rise yesterday until l o'clock this
morning.
Leaving a trail Of disaster ana ruin
J in their wake as they recede the wa
ters of the French Broad and Swan
annoa rivers are rapidly returning to
their normal levels and it is stated
tonight by official gaugers that both
rivers will be inside their banks with
in the next "a hours.
The known death list reported yes
terday has been reduced by two, it
being definitely established that Mrs.
Leo Mulholland and Miss Nellie Lipe,
the two daughters Of Capt. J. C. Lipe,
who lost his life when the rescue
| boat overturned in front of his house
at Biltmore, were rescued by boat
men who took the two women off tree
branches which they had grasped as
they were swept down stream. Be-
yond severe nervous shock, the wo-
men received no injury and they are
now recovering at Biltmore hospital.
| Three Women Drowned
1t is also definitely known that the
two nurses Of the Biltmore hospital
Miss Mabel Foister and Miss Charlotte
Walker, and the latter's aged sister,
Miss Marion Walker, were drowned
in the food waters when they at
tempted to return across the railroad
tracks to the Lipe house at Biltmore
after rescue there by boatmen. The
rush of water carried them off thei1
feet into the river and they caught
hold of tree when they were being
swept away. One of the nurses tied
her sweater to the tree and to this
the three women hung until carriet
away by mass of wreckage which
came over the Biltmore bridge Tht
bodies of the Walker sisters were re
covered about half a mile below tn
bridge early this morning but that o
Miss Foister has not yet been found
The total property losses caused b
1 the flood throughout the Frenc
Broad valley embracing the countie
of Henderson, Buncombe and Madiso
\ will not vary much from the earle
estimates which placed the total dam
age to woodworking and powe
plants, including the municipal plan
which supplies Asheville with Iightin
current and motive power, the cit
gas works, the Asheville cotton mills
the National Casket company's plan
and the Southern railway shops, a
$10,O00,0OO.
Death Toll Tleven.
So far as can be ascertained, tn
death toll of the flood stands at clever
people, two of whom, Walter Trexle
and Luther Frazer, the latter negro
lost their lives in trying to pass foot
to marooned guests of the BIen Rocl
hotel. There are many conflicting re
ports, however, to the effect that sew
eral lives have been lost in the food
ed districts of Henderson and Madi
son counties. 1t is also feared that
an II year old boy Of West Asheville
Edward Mcdowell, was drowned
when Smiths bridge, stell and
wooden structure below the city, was
carried away yesterday afternoon.
His parents reported him as having
been missing through the night and
at noon today nothing had been heard
of him.
The city supply of gas and cleo
tricity is still cut off and, it is fe.red
will remain so for several days, DotL
plants of the Asheville Power & Light
company being still under water. 1t
! is now stated that not more than 80
houses were destroyed by the floods
in the cotton mill and railway section
but the number of homeless people is
placed between 400 and 500. All
these are being fed and housed by re-
lief committees organized at a public
mass meeting this morning when the
sum of nearly $4,000 was subscribed
for relief work.
In the flooded districts of this and