The Wilmington morning star., 1940-08-19
MANY ARE FORCED
FROM HOMES BY
ROANOKE FLOOD
Continued from Page One)

sisted in removing approximately
400 other persons from flooded
homes in the area.
L. L. McLendon, local FSA
estimated damage to the
project, known as Roanoke farms,
at 500, 600.
Most of the refugees were quar-
tered with private families, but
a hundred or so spent the night
in school houses, a mill, and a
warehouse.
McLendon said there we're no
accidents, and that all residents
of the government farms were &C.
counted for.
Boats for the rscue work con-
verged on Tilery by river and by
truck from miles around.
Roanoke Stops Rising
The Roanoke stopped rising at
Tilery at z pm, McLendon said.
The outskirts of the town, along
the low river banks, and one block
of the business section were under
water.
Weldon's water supply was dis
rupted and water was being hauled
in trucks from neargy Roanoke
Rapids.
The bodies of two men drowned
near Roanoke Rapids Friday had
not been discovered late last night.
They were John w. Newson, "a,
and Jack Hale, 80. Athird man
narrowly escaped death when they
were washed off an inundated
highway into deep water.
Coming on the heels of western
North Carolina floods which did
untold damage and took several
lives, the Roanoke overflow wreck
ed thousands of dollars worth Of
dmaage, threw hundreds out of
work because OF inundated factor
les, and played havoc with COM
munications.
Weldon had only one outlet. A
highway leading west to Warren
ton. A cotton mill, lumber mill and
general merchandise stores in the
town were flooded.
The damage in Roanoke Rapids
was estimated at several hundreds
thousands of dollars. Several large
factories, in addition to the burn
ing mill, were flooded. None was
homeless there, but it was said
over 1000 persons would be out Of
work.
Throughout the section, S m a !
frame buildings floated slowly
downstream. Cows and other live
stock swan in the swirling waters.
Families Forced Out
A tributary of the Chowan river
Joined the Roanoke in its rampage,
as water forced a few families
near Winton to evacuate tt e r
homes. That community will be
cut off from direct highway con-
|nection with Piedmont North Caro-
lima when the crest of time Roam
oke deluges U. S. II near Williams
ton Monday.
At the Caledonia prison farm one
official said the entire nine-nile
dyke built by slave and convict
labor to hold back the turbulent
Roanoke might be destroyed. A
portion of the wall was dynamited
early yesterday in order to relieve
the pressure, and a 3-000-acre farm
planted by convicts in crops valu-
ed at Dutnppn was given up for
lost.
The prison farm, near Weldon,
was surrounded by water. Penal
officials used boats in travelling to
and from the camp.
Meanwhile, the American R
Cross took charge of providing food
and shelter for flood victims. The
coast guard sent a boat to the
rural resettlement project near the
Caledonia prison farm.
Smaller floods were expected in
other easgern North Carolina riv-
ers.
ALI county roads crossing tn e
Neuse and Little rivers in Wayne
and Johnston counties were closed.
State officials sought to estimate
the destruction wrought by west
ern Norh Carolina floods last
week.
W. ancce Bfse, chief highway
engineer who inspected the area,
said that between many bridges
on secondary roads were washed
out and that it was impossible to
estimate the unprecedented road
carnage.
Damage to crops in western
North Carolina will total wv e IL
over a million dollars" said Rus
sell P. Handy, junior statistician
in the state department of agricul-
ture. q
1t was too early to obtain an
estimate Of damage in northeast
ern North Carolina. 3