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? < %\\t fountjj VOL. XXXL KINGSTREE, SOUTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 1916. NO. 20 VIOLENT STORM IN TOWN UNO COUNT' THE GREATEST EVER KNOV HERE-WIND AND RAIN TAKI VERY HEAVY TOLL. The most destructive storm th has visited this State in many yes struck Kingstree and vicinity in t form of a hurricane early Frid morning, uprooting trees or tearii them to pieces limb by limb, a breaking plate glass windows, tei inor awnings into threads and c y - i stroying signs until every street the town was strewn with deb and the force of the wind and rs made it almost impossible for stroi men to venture out. Practically all places of busim remained closed during the dayexce the drug stores. Telephoae a electric light wires were down many places as a result of f&lli trees or branches and the town w in darkness Friday night. " - m 11 Friday's hurricane was iouow by a tremendous pour of rain whi kept up almost without cessati from S o'clock p. ra. Thursday un T a. m. Sunday, during which tii y nearly seventeen inches of rainf was recorded by the Governme guage here, or to be exact, 16. inches. During the wind and n storm of Thursday night until 7 m. Friday only 3.45 inches were corded, while from Friday morni until 7 o'clock Saturday morni 1240 indies had fallen. From S urday's reading until Sunday mo ' ing the fall was only 0.72, maki the above total of 16.77 inches of ra ^ail. The flood which followed t downpour surpassed anything of kind in the recollection of our old dtraens. Black river rose to a heif of 15^ feet above normal, or 3} ft above flood stage. The river's hi; est previous record since trie unit States government weather bure ( _ BBBBBMUnHMMimUUIMIIIimmi j .AS p I TI3 I Guar in I 5000 ? TT/'HEN yoi I TT get some I rubber and fab I zation of the ? fV?n V11V 111U1XV1 u WI i | tion for Quali | I guaranteed in Iflfc | miles. Measur Wr I better tires by ] I B "While others a I 1| we are g %:" | ? | King Hard |rnrnn",inir,ifinlllli"11" - * w was established here in January, a 1894, was only 5 inches above flood * tide, this being in September, 18^5, * when it rose to a height of 12.5 ZN inches, washing away a part of the c s old wooden bridge at this place u and the bridge several miles be- a iat jow known as the "lower bridge". n irs These bridges are still intact,but the r ?wamp3 are so full of water that the a *y causeway beyond the iron bridge is \ * . I flooded and travel cut off between b I33 Kingstree and Greelyville. On this side of the lower bridge the cause- * Ie* way in the swamp is flooded for some ^ c 10 miles and traffic between Kingstree, ris Salters and Lanes is cut off. ^ tjn The overflowing of the drainage canal that runs through town crossing Main street between the Williamsburg Live Stock Co's place and ^ ?ss Vause's shop occurred before midQ >pt night, and the horses and mules had nd to be taken out of their stalls for jn safety. It was also seen at that time! that the buildings occupied by Rod- 11 gers & Godwin.furniture dealers, W ? raa N. Jacobs, T M Scott and M H Ja- 3 cobs,grocers, on the opposite side of if ed the street, were surrounded by wa-1' o ch ter. Upon an inspection it was 00 felind that these store rooms were 1 tU awash and that already much damage was being done the stocks of mer- E me chandise. Mr Godwin was notified 1 a" at his home and came down but s int could do nothing towards saving his 77 furniture. Mr Scott was asleep in c tjQ his store and when aroused jumped * out of bed into water up to his knees. The Messrs Jacobs were on ? re* hand, as were also the people of the n? Farmers' Supply Co and Williams- * ng burg Hardware Co, but the water e a^. was rising rapidly in their stores and v nothing could be done to check it or ^ turn its course. It was steadily 0 spreading eastward and westward, ^ and yery shortly the noor or tne ~ Nelson warehouse was two feet un- ' his der water. Then the big, river-like v its flood began to swish around the coregt ner of the new brick storehouse of c John T Nelson and by 7 o'clock Sat- 8 f urday morning the current had un- ^ ^ dermined the west corner of the * ?b- front and carried it down, breaking ^ ted one of the large plate glass windows 8 tau as it went. The large cotton stor- * _________ C II uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuiiuuiitt I n | E i i s u anteed | : t writing | b MILES | j i buy Ajax tires you \ a thing more than fine | ? iric and the vulcani- | ai oo hum Yon cet H ? VT. W. ? CJ - ^ ;eadfast" determina- S <= ty. Ajax tires are 1 ? . writing for 5000 1 a ed in miles, Ajax 9 ? L500 miles. ? ? ire claiming Quality g uaranteeing it." B t C,vW Am H 8 WW* Wg i 41 Iware Company i ' miiinmiimiiiuiiiiuiiiimimmiiniinminl 8 b ge warehouse, containing several housand bales of cotton, was surounded by water,but no damage was lone the cotton. Wooden bridges over he canal were washed away. The oncrete bridge at Vause's shop was indermined and partly carried away, nd for a time there was not an aveiue of exit open to the public. The ural mail carriers could not make heir trips Friday or Saturday on ny of the routes except that beVJnrrofyQQ onfl Pnwlpr pnrripd WCCU IVIU^OVI W nuvt& Vff >v? ) - - y F D McConnell. The last train to pass through [ingstree was No 89 Friday night, rom which time no mail was reeived here until 10:30 p.m.Monday, ?hen a local train was run here rom Florence. RAILROADS BADLY DAMAGED. The great volume of rushing waer that had transformed the little rainage canal into a raging river nd extended over its banks to the igh land on the east and the roadied of the ACL track on the west oade its way to the edge of the wamp, carrying every movable obect in its path. At the swamp trees iftd blown down,, a great quantty of lumber and debris collected ,nd formed a sort of a dam.turning a arge body of water against the roadted with insufficient outlet. By midlight Friday the water had covered he track from a point south of the - ? ' ?- -1 1 tation ana naa carried away several lundred yards of roadbed to a depth if 15 feet in some places, leaving he track suspended in the water. There were only two serious washmts between the depot and the iridge across Black river, but beyond hat point and Lanes there were sevral bad places. Sunday morning a rork train with a large force of lands and a pile driving machine got n the job and worked night and lay until the track was put in order or temporary use, the first train rom the south passing over the washouts Tuesday morning. The work of getting the tracK m ondition at this place for the passge of trains looked as if it would e a hard and tedious undertaking 0 the average person, but when W 1 McCullough, general roadmaster, ot on the job with his big force he track was rapidly replaced, the hasms bridged and ready for trains a less than 36 hours. Between Kingstree and Florence luch damage was done the A C L racks, and Mr McCullough inform-, d us that the company was sufferag the greatest damage it had exerienced in 30 years. AMAGE TO CROPS AND LIVESTOCK. It is a question as to which of the lements has caused the greatest amage to crops?wind or water. !orn was badly stripped of its fodanA Klnicn rlnum vpru liftlp WAS tl OUU UIVTTU UVff M| t V.J .. rokenoff. Tobacco was whipped and ruised by the wind until it is in bad sndition, to say the least. Some elds, of course, are in a worse conition than others, and the extent of he damage depends largely upon he handling and curing of the disbled crop. The crop is badly damged; just how badly no one knows. Cotton is thought by some to be jriously damaged while there are there who believe that with proper ultivation it may yet come out and lake a fairly good yield. True, it as been severely whipped, bruised nd wrent by the wind, but it is still oung, and if the land drains sufciently and rapidly enough for arly cultivation it may not be so eriously injured in the end. A large number of hogs and catle have doubtless perished in the wamps by the rapid rise of water, t is impossible just now to estimate he number, but it is safe to say hat the loss is heavy. Hundreds of hickens have also been drowned. Gardens, at least in Kingstree, are one. Tomatoes look as if they had een scalded with hot water, while pole and lima beans have much the same appearance. Peas seem to have stood the onslaught of wind and rain better than any other vegetation. | THE STORM AT FLORENCE ' Florence, July 14:?The tropical storm which so suddenly swept in on the Southeast Atlantic coast early last evening struck this section shortly before midnight last night and grew in intensity as the night passed until today it is sweeping the Pee Dee section with hurricane proportions. The wind was accompanied by torrential rains that did heavy damage to business houses and residences. The water was driven through the roofs and sides of the buildings and through every crevice, so that hundreds of buildings are soaked with water. The streets of Florence are a mass of uprooted and broken trees and broken telegraph, electric and telephone wires and cables and many buildings are damaged from wind. So far no person has been reported as being injured but the streets and roads are almost impassable from fallen trees and limbs, while many bridges .have been washed away. The storm at 4 o'clock this afternoon had not abated in force or in rainfall with little prospect for * * ? 4 Ml A _ 1 _1 A an eany lecup. it win cane aimosi a week to clear the streets of Florence from trees and rubbish caused by the storm. The tropical storm reached Dillon last night and the rain and wind have lasted all day with unabated fury. Much damage to tobacco and corn crops is feared. THE STORM AT LAKE CITY. Lake City, July 18:?All thoughts and all conversations relate to and revolve about one subject, and that is the storm. Details as to the time, velocity of wind and rainfall would PLAY BALL We all need exercise in the open air. Why not play the good old American Game of Base Ball. It's the most healthful game of all. Get a supply of DIAMOND BRAND BASE BALL GOODS. Get up a Team. It will be great fun and exercise combined. Call and see our supply. Let us help you select the right kind of Bats, Balls and Gloves. We guarantee them to give satisfaction ? they're the best made. Kingstree Hardware Company Kingstree, - - S. C be but details common to this entire country, and would not be news to the readers of The Record. It was, however, unquestionably the worst storm ever witnessed by any living person here. The wind was somewhat higher than in August, 1893, while the rainfall far exceeded anything ever before known here. Unofficial estimates, based upon the height of buckets,tubs,lard cans and garbage cans that were in the open, range from twelve to twenty-six inr>hoQ R#? thin no it: mav wp arp sure of this, that no such amount of water was ever upon the ground as was here Saturday morning. It was over the Coast Line tracks all along the station and almost to Main street. In Acline avenue in front of the Rowell store it was five feet deep. In the yard of Major S M Askins, which is within twenty feet of the exact center of the town, the water was about 16 inches. Some boys navigated a raft from the Coast Line station to beyond J A Green's residence on Thomas street. Several stores were flooded to the depth of as much as 20 inches in some cases, and goods were damaged. FlowersNesmith Co and Joseph Khetter were the worst sufferers along that line. Hundreds of chickens were drowned all over the town and country. Hayden McKenzie had some hogs in a pen near Thomas street. The water rose so high that the hogs swam out over the top of the pen. These things are mentioned to give an idea of just how much water we had. The trestle across Lynch's lake was undermined badly and the abutments washed out for several feet. The first train went over it Monday night. Every road bridge across this ha ?n v? o 0 loorwo^ maa ttqqKoH tin iai\C OKJ lai Micaiuwu nug *? mw?<vm ?*|#. Of course practically all small bridges were carried away. There was no travel in any direction except a very few miles. Monday a party succeeded in reaching Lynchburg, where a few copies of the News and Courier, the first paper we had seen since Friday, were obtained, The damage to the crops :s enormous The proportion of loss is estimated all the way from 25 to 75 per cent. A very significant fact is that the estimates are rising each day. The significance in this is that the extent of the damage is more and more clearly reyealed each day. Today (Tuesday) since the sun has had an opportunity to demonstrate what heat on the water-soaked earth and plants would do for cotton and tobacco especially,the extent of the ca ? 1 i tastrophe is beginning to De reanzea. The truth seems to be that the amount of damage varies greatly, owing to the elevation of the land, exposure and other things not understood, and no man can possibly tell just how much this country has suffered. Peanuts and peppers seem I WFS II Tata <C cctulut i I I ^Mliwukiii tti&Jwo Boauu I YOU HAVE HEARD ALL YOUR I YOUR BEST FRIEND." I IF YOU ARE LETTING YOUR I I STOP IT. I YOU CAN STOP IT IF YOU W I PENDENT. THE ONLY WAY YOl I YOUR MONEY. niMK Iutimm WE PAY ? PER CENT INTER! Farmers & Mercba "ABSOLUTELY SAFE" Authorized by Federal Reserve Board It Acf a | | | | GREAT DAMAGE IN GEORGETOWN. THE CITY ON THE SAMP1T HARD HIT BY THE RECENT FURIOUS WIND AND RAIN STORM. For several days no word was heard here from Georgetown, and the general belief was that the town had suffered great damage. All communication with the outside world was cut off from Friday until a report was given out by Capt J H Porter,of the Atlantic Coast Lumber Co's tug.on which he earried a party to Conway. Capt Porter said: During the storm the wharves and stores on the water front were flooded with water several feet deep, and the Seaboard Air Line railway's tracks were washed away around Georgetown for three or four miles. The damage to the Atlantic Coast Lumber company's plant is estimated at $50,000. The whole town presented a mass of wires and upturned trees and wrecked buildings. A number of tugs and craft were sunk, among them being the Palmetto yacht owned by E W Kaminski and a number of gasoline launches owned by J E McQuad, of the Georgetown Canning factory. As many more craft were washed ashore. The Winyah Lumber company's plant was practically a total loss. The smoke stacks of all the mills were blown away by the high wind. The power house was almost a total wreck and wires were blown helterskelter about the streets and wound about the trees. It will be many days before it can be repaired. The Scurry garage was demolished by a large tree falling on the building. The high school building was unroofed and considerable damage wrought inside by the beating rains and terrific wind. The crops in the county must be practically a total loss, judging from the gardens in the town. They were literally torn to shreds and leveled to the ground. The buildings on the island did not suffer correspondingly as those in town. No lives were lost. least harmed. Conservative approximations place corn at 50 per cent, tobacco, 50 to 60 per cent, cotton, 25 to 35 per cent. All this may prove wrong,either up or down. As things appear today, this section is face to face with the most dismal future that ever confronted it. Following on the heels of 1914 and 1915, this t . third and greatest calamity is well nigh stunning. jj^ I 'QHXO-&- ran LIFE THAT "YOUR MONEY IS | rtONEY SLIP AWAY FROM YOU, I ILL. YOU WANT TO BE INDE-1 j CAN BECOME SO IS TO BANK I WITH US. 1 EST ON SAVINGS ACCOUNTS. I nts National Bank, I LAKE CITY, S. C. I s Admioistrator, Executor. Trustee and Registrar. I