The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, July 22, 1916, Image 7
rfllMT FEUS FLOOD FORCE
UAKAT DAMAGE DONE BY 8WOLL.
KM STREAMS TO INDUSTRIES
AND CROPS*
Raft way Operations Abandoned for
Prossen at Spartaaburg, Where
Vloodo Wove Bad?Waters Now Rc
eeOOeg AJtowteg EaUanate to Do
?ado off Injuries.
Spartan burg. July 17.?Slowly
receding- waters in the rivers of Pied
moot Sooth Carolina tonight are leav*
keef this eectlon of the country with*'
oot railroad connection except over'
the main line of the Southern railway
10 Atlanta and the Charleston &
Westsi a Carolina to Augusta, while
the stations of the big water power
oovcftoptnsnts are flooded and out of
eoojtmtnsion. Railway bridges are out.
adores of highway bridges have been
sate 4 away and on the mountain dl
fhdsne of the Southern railway and
Corel ton Cttnchfleld A Ohio there
are a amorous serious landslides.
The cotton mills of this Immediate
eeeUoa hare not suffered greatly,
though many of them liave been
fareed to close because of nigh water.
Moot of the cotton manufacturing
plants of this county are on the Tyger
and Pacokt rivers and thetie streams
hove not reach si danger joint.
Tha story of greatest destruction
fpenning hare today came from Polk
ooojity. North Carolina, along* the
Teller of the Pacolet river. Here for
O itafjaini of it mile* the Aaheville
ilstoluB of the Southern i all way has
noon almost lestroyed. wh le an auto
eaohT highway built by the county
two years ami at a coat of $71,000
Komppsartd. Not a bridge on the
road . between tn on, N. C.
and Saiuda. N. C. remains and at
phtces audee ltorn the mountain have
bot^od the rwud for long distances.
1h this vaUry the Southern railway
OOs throe trains marooned since last
tSOBn wore biought back to Spartan
ootg thte aftirnoon. OOciala of the
road here believe It will bo weeks,
perhaps, before the lino may again
go operated. Utile better is promised
for the main line east of here. The
Carolina, Clinch field 4k Ohio railroad
hot amen Spaitanburg and Johnson
City, Tonn.. Ii closed and, according
to statements gtvtn out hero tonight,
will not bo alle to operate trains for
two weeke. A span of the bridge over
Broad river, f 0 ml lea north of this
S. was the first serious trouble,
earn Marlon, N. C? the t ridge over
Catawoa tIvor to out mid on the
.jhsunialn dftdon serious sfldea are
sfrimlng the lino.
Railway pec pie say the i Ituatton is
t*e worst that has ever confronted
?hom In this region. Many passengers
Sold here since Saturday mo still In
the city, unable to proceed to their
dominations or to return home.
^Persona walking from Haluda to
Tfyoa today and reaching Spartan
borg tonight over the Southern rail?
way bring accounts of damage not
only to the Southern railway's line
which over the Saiuda grade has been
elmsst completely wrecked, and to
the, now automobile road built by the
ooonty two years ago at a cost of
071,000, but to farming land. The bot'
torn lands near Tryon, whe e a week
ago splendid crops grew, are now cov?
ered deep la sand and drift wood from
the mountain slopes.
A similar story may come from the
mountain division of the Carolina,
Clinch field A Ohio railway when com
mun teat ion la oatabhohed. for reports
of great destruction are reaching the
city, though the road has no wires be?
yond Cheanee, 17 ml lea north of Spar- j
tan burg, and Is not informed as to
damage beyond Broad river bridge,
whore one strand of that structure
nearly 100 feet above the stream' la
hanging This road haa not operated
trains since Saturday and'according to
statements given out here t >day will
hardly bo able t) open for two weeks.
Today the ctty had only two lluea
of railroad open, the main line of the
?oathern west to Atlanta and the
Charleston it Westarn Carolina to Au?
gusta. The main line of the Southern
to Charlotte le blocked by the de?
struction of the bridge over the Ca
tawba river, while trouble on the line
to Columbia begins at Broad river
bridge at 8helton and continues to
Alston and bsyortd.
Textile Plants Escaped.
With the exception of a dam wash?
ed out at Fltnorvtlle mill. In the
northern part of the county, the tex?
tile plants of this Immediate region
escapsd serious damsge, moat of these
bsl^g on the Pacolet and Tyger rivers,
where the floods were somewhat lower
than on the Iiroad and Catuwba
rivers.
Ths plant of the South Carolina
Light. Power A Rallwny company at
Gaaton ahoela on Hroad river, six
miles north of Oaffney. is out of com?
mission, having been flooded und sus?
taining a break In the Island side of
?Ire dam. officials of the company
left Spartanburg for the dam today
but have not return*. !. On Hroad
river below Oaffney. the Ninety-Nine
Irland plant of the Southern Power
eompany was flooded.
In Hpsrtanbui'S county there has
on two of
I
BLEASE APPEARS TO BE THE
FAVORITE WITH THE AUD?
IENCE.
'< I . frt^vfc mm
Oflloe Seekers Well Received?Crowd
Cheer* Every Suggestion That Fac?
tionalism Oca?e In Soutli Carolina,
Hampton, July 1?.?Judging from
the cloee attention given his address
and from the applause from time to
time. Ex-Gov. Blease was the favorite
with the crowd of seven hundred peo?
ple who attended the State campaign
I meeting hers today. A special fea?
ture of the meeting was that every
mention mads by various candidates
to do away with factionalism in
South Carolina met with applause
I from all In attendance. The candi?
dates spoke in the following order:
For railroad commissioner: G. McD.
Hampton, W. T. Thrower, Jas Cansler
and Albert S. Fant.
For lieutenant governor: E. C. L.
Adams was the first speaker. He at?
tacked Lieut. Qov. Bethea's record
I from various angles and poked fun
at the Ford peace expedition. Lieut.
Qov. Bethea made a plea to do away
with factionalism. Hs would speed
Iths day for the abolition of personali?
ties on the stump. He favors bien?
nial sessions of ths legislature, four
year term for governor and other
State officers. He favored the rural
I credit bill.
1 For secretary of State: W. Banks
I Dove and Oeo. W. Wlghtman. Both
[addresses were well taken as was
I shown by the generous applause. For
State treasurer both candidates, S. T.
I Carter and D. W. McLaurin, spoke.
I For governor, R. A. Cooper led off.
He wants factionalism abolished In
South Carolina. He stated that he did
not think the Columbia State ought to
ask him in what respects he consid
I ered, the present administration had
failed, when The State had stated that
I he (Cooper) was making a clean cam?
paign. "1 will not criticise the ad?
ministrations of either of my two op?
ponents who have filled this office/'
I said sir. Cooper. "A man who goes
I into public office," he said, "for ths
I purpose of rewarding friends or of
I punishing enemies Is not fit for public
I office." He discussed education in
ISouth Carolina. Mr. Cooper was gen*
Jsrously applauded.
I J. M. DesChamps spoke on "Lead*
ershtp." He kept the audience laugh?
ing from the beginning to the end of
Ihis speech. His address was remark
I ably well received as indicated by the
[applause.
I John T, Duncan paid his respects to
most of the candidates and took a rap
I at the newspapers.
Qov. Manning was greeted with ap?
plause. He gave an account of his
administration, in which he depicted
Improvements from every angle, es?
pecially economy and law enforce?
ment He said Charleston is now gov?
erned In the same way and under the
same laws as the other sections of
South Carolina; that hs had made
good In enforcing the laws all over
the State; that If necessary he would
spend all of the $50,000 appropriated
for the purpose of law enforcement.
He stated that his had been one of
the most economical administrations.
Governor Manning was amply ap?
plauded, being second to Ex-Governor
Blease In this respect
Ex-O0vsrnor Bleass was the ias:
I speaker. He was greeted with :ip
I plauss and presented with a large
bouquet of flowers by a charming
I young lady. His speech was charac?
terized by his attack on the present
Iadministration, which, he said, was the
I most lawless and extravagant in the
[history of the State. He criticised the
failure to publish the last acts of
the legislature, and said that it had
been seven months since these laws
were passed, and It seems that they
were! ashamed of them and would not
publish them; that a judge last week
had to mark all of his cases "contin?
ued" for the reason that he could not
get a copy of the laws. He stated that
he, too. wanted to clean up the asy?
lum, but that he was handicapped in
doing so for the reason that the leg?
islature was hostile to him. Mr. Blease
was cheered throughout his address at
intervals and seemed to have the ma?
jority of le crowd with him.
EDICT AGAINST GERMAN GOODS.
Italian Ruler Says They Must Not Pass
Through Italy.
Home, July 20.?King Emanuel to?
day issued a decree forbidding the
passage of German goods through
Italy. Relations with Germany are
severely strained.
been a great destruction of highway
bridges, over K0 having been reported
to the supervlHor'h otheeH hh out. It
is estimated* that the eost of replaelng
theae MtriietureH will reach $60,t0*.
From all sections injury to crops, es?
pecially corn, is reported. The rail?
road officials tonlnht are Just as far
from predicting with any assuranee
when trarffe will l?e normal as at any
time. In many places bridges are to
be rebuilt and miles o| road are to be
constructed.
Herbert Epperson, Sumter Boy, Commanded
Boat Which Made Trips From
Hector to Wellington.
Was Quartermaster on Biff United States Craft and Showed
His Mettle in Time of Need-Other Boats Crushed, His
was Sole Surviving One on Which Transfers Could Be
Made?Men Worked Hard and Were Exhausted During
Storm?All Saved.
Herbert Epperson, nineteen, son of
J. A. Epperson of Sumter, a quarter?
master of the Ill-fated collier, Hector,
which struck a reef last Friday off
Cape Romain, was one of the heroes
of the rescue of the crew and marines
from the doomed vessel to the tug
Wellington, which loomed up on the
horizon at the critical moment and
probably was the means of saving the
lives of the men on the United states
vessel.
Herbert Epperson arrived In the
city last night from Charleston,
where he is on the United States bat?
tleship Hartford until such time as he
is removed, or his term of service ex?
pires, which will be at the first of
August. At that time young Epperson
expects to enter the service of one of
ths biggest American merchant lines,
which he does not think will be so
dangerous, and whose duties will not
he so onerous.
Toung Epperson gives a very graph?
ic picture of the hardships ai\d suffer-1
lngs of the crew and marines on the
Collier Hector until they were rescued
by the Wellington and the tender
Cypress. And as quartermaster in
command of the motor boat which
made ths transfer of men from ths
Hector to the Wellington, he was in a
position to know all of the hardships
the men had to undergo. Young Ep?
person entered the navy two and a
half years ago and served for one and
a-half years, when he "bought him?
self out of the navy" and entered ? the
the United States naval auxiliary ser?
vice, in which the enlistment was for.
a period of only one year. On the
Hector Epperson was at first in the
radio room, having become very ranch
interested in the wireless telegraphy,
but becoming dissatisfied with condi?
tions, he was transferred and became
one of the quartermasters of the ves
sei. He Is how visiting his father here
and expects to return tomorrow even?
ing to the Hartford, at the Charleston
Navy Yard. His mother is seriously ill
in Columbia, and he had hoped to see
her, but has been unable to do so, on
account of the high water which pre?
vented his going to Columbia today.
Quartermaster Epperson thus 1 de?
scribes the accident to the Hector and
the rescue of the crew by the Welling?
ton: I
"On Wednesday, July 12th, we stood
off Charleston with orders to take
sixty-live marines to San Domingo,
where a revolution was in progress.
The marines were brought out to the
Hector in the afternoon by a small j
tug and we at once set out to sea,!
bound for San Domingo, at about I
four knots an hour. It was about a
hundred miles off Charleston harbor
that we ran Into the hurricane. The
wind was blowing a gale of more
than a hundred miles an hour and
struck the Hector with full force. The
vessel withstood the blow, until tho
hatches were crushed in like paper by
the winds and waves and the water
poured into the hold, wetting the coal
and causing the vessel to gradually
sink lower In the water. The firemen
had a hard time to keep up steam with
she wet coal, most of which was cov?
ered with water, but they strove
manfully to do their work, until ex?
hausted. They were helped in this
work by the marines on board, who
also worked hard in the gale to get
the ship to rights, but it was Impossi?
ble to keep up steam with the wet
coal. Tho collier was In a monsoon
and seemed to be going round and
rcund, as soon us the engines were no
longer working and it was impossible
to control the ship. We did not know
a here we were and had to ascertain
our position only by dead reckoning.
We took deep sea soundings and as?
certained from our chart that we were
off Charleston, but this turned out to
be wrong and the vessels which re?
sponded to our S. O. S. call went to
the position wc gave them, but did not
reach us at all. After twelve hours of
this we were driven by tho seas,
which were running thirty-five and
forty feet high, and wind against a
reef. The ship was split in two and
the men had to remain where they
were. The captain and twenty-one
men were In the bow of the boat and
the others were all In the stern. Sev?
eral of the men had been injured dur?
ing the storm, hut were willing to do
anything that they could to help the
ship in its deplorable situation.
It was at this point that the Wel?
lington, In search of the two barges
which hnl escaped from her In the'
storm ran across the Hector and of?
fered assistance. Oi the larboard
side it was impossible to launch the
three life-boats because of the high
seas running there. However, orders
were issued and the three boats of the
starboard were lowered. One of these
boats was capsized when it Was low?
ered. Another of the boats ran
against the side of the tug and was
I smashed. However, the bottom held
until the men were taken on board
the Wellington when it gave way and
dropped out, the boat immediately be?
ing washed away.
Quartermaster Epperson was placed
in command of the third boat, the
largest and * strongest of the three.
This boat had a four-horse motor en?
gine which was the means of saving
about one hundred men of the Hec?
tor. Epperson was placed at the
tiller, another man at the painter, or
rope, and the third man was in charge
of the engine. These men ran their
boat up under the stern of the Hector
and about twenty men were let down
Into the boat. The trip was then
made to the Wellington, which stood
by all the time and hove to as they
approached, In order to take on board
the men from the life boat. They
could not go too near the Welington
and the men were taken on board ono
at a time, until all were on board.
Each man tied the rope from the Hec?
tor about his waist and as the Hec?
tor's boat passed on the crest of a
wave, the man was picked up and
pulled on board. This took time and
the men in charge of the boat had to
exercise the greatest vigilance all of
the time to keep their boat away from
the Wellington, but at the same time
bring it up close, so that the men
could be taken off It
Four trips were made by the lifo
boat. Each time it came up under
the stern of the Hector and the men
dropped over its sides into the life?
boat. All this took much time and the
four trips consumed nearly three
hours and the men in the boat were
nearly exhausted, when the fourth trip
was completed. All the ' while the
Wellington had been hovering about
the Hector, unable to approach close,
as she was afraid that she too might
be smashed upon the reef which had
been the Hector's undoing. She was
about two miles off at times, while
at other times she approached up to
within a quarter of a mile to the Hec?
tor. At the conclusion of the fourth
t**'p the men in charge of the life boat
> ere almost exhausted and it was
feared that they could not make an?
other trip and take off the captain and
other twenty-one men still left on the
bow of the Hector. All of the men,
however, had been removed from the
stern of the big collier. At this time
the life boat was deserted and through
the megaphone Captain Newell of the
Hector and his men were notified that
other vessels were coming to their
rescue, and that the tug would pull
out for Charleston. One hundred and
eleven men had been saved by Epper?
son and his comrades and twenty-one
and the captain were left on the bow
of the boat.
I During the rescue of the men the
storm had somewhat abated, but
heavy swells were still running and
the men were never out of danger for
a single minute. Later Friday night
the light house tender Cypress, in an?
swer to the calls of the Welington,
which in the meantime had given the
accurate location of the Hector, stood
off and her search light revealed the
Hector. She sent a life line aboard
the Hector and the men who were
left on board were all taken on the
Cypress, the captain, in his neatest
dress and with suit case in hand, be?
ing the last man to leave his ship.
The rescue, by the Cypress was not ac?
companied by the danger which had
attended the rescue by the life boat,
as the Cypress was fitted out for this
work and her searchlights showed
just what was to be done, while there
were no searchlights when the life
boat was making its trips. The storm
had further abated and the waves
were not so high, nor heating with
the same great force as previously.
The men when they were rescued
were mostly In undershirts and ding
aree trousers, overalls, and this was
practically everything that any of
them saved. A few had their watches
ami cash money in their pockets, hut
everything else was lost. The first of?
ficer of the Hector lost tlve hundred
dollars In cash. All of the men lost'
mmm chub dies.
FIRST DEATH OF INFANTILE PA
RALYSIS SO FAR REPORTED
IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
Patient Was 14 Months Old?Other
Cases in die Piedmont City Said to
Be Getting Along Nicely.
Greenville, July IS.?One death
from infantile paralysis in Greenville
waaf reported today at the city health
department. This was one of the
cases that had until Tuesday night
been listed under the head --of suspect?
ed, but physicians decided Tuesday
that it was a true case of infantile
paralysis, and It was so reported. The
patient was about fourteen months of
age. The other cases of the disease
are reported getting along nicely. No
new cases were reported today. So
far only one other case has been re?
ported in the State outside of the
Greenville cases. This is at Buffalo,
in Union county. Homes in which
cases exist are quarantined and Sun?
day schools, churches and motion pic?
ture shows have been notilied to re?
fuse to admit children. A campaign
which promises to extend State-wide
In scope was Inaugurated here for the
prevention of the disease.
Guarding Against Paralysis.
Columbia, July 19.?The State
board of health has taken prompt
steps to prevent the spread of infan?
tile paralysis, several cases of which
have been reported in the State. The
cases and families are Isolated and
put under a rigid quarantine wherever
reported and everything possible is be?
ing done to prevent the spread of the
disease.
Greenville has reported three cases
of Infantile paralysis, one of which
has proven fatal. The one case at
Greer resulted in the death of the
child, the one at Buffalo in the death
of the child, and there is a case re?
ported from Clifton.
The State board of health discour?
ages gatherings of all kinds in com?
munities where infantile paralysis is
reported, and have requested moving
picture shows not to admit any chil?
dren under sixteen years of age, and
have advised against children attend?
ing any kind of gathering. These pre?
cautions extend so far only to Green?
ville, which Is the only place, accord?
ing to the health authohitles, where
anything like an epidemic has been
reported.
Bulletins have been shipped out to
the local boards of health in all parts
of the State and large posters, telling
of the dangers of the disease have
been sent to the postmasters in sev?
enty-rive of the largest towns with
request that they be posted in the
postoffice. The State board of health
requests that any cases be promptly
reported and a physician immediately
called In. They advise that all dogs
with distemper be shot.
Dr. J. A. Adam Hayne, secretary of
the State board of health, dot s not
fear any spread of the situation.
Plant Burns with Heavy Damage.
Dalton, Ga., July 18.?The Duane
chair plant was burned this morning,
causing a loss of $125,000. The insur?
ance was $90,000.
their clothes and had nothing when
they came to Charleston. However,
at the navy yard they were given sailor
suits which they could wear until they
could get other belongings. The ma?
rines when they saw that they must
take to the life boats, according to
their custom, cut off their trousers
about the knees, so as not to be en?
cumbered in case they were dumped
into the water.
Quartermaster Epperson stated that
he was in a much better conditon
than many others, who had been
saved. He had sixty-live dollars in his
pocket which was saved with him.
However, he had just purchased four
new suits at Norfolk In anticipation of
his release at the first of August at
the return from the trip to Santo Do?
mingo, which was to have been his last
on the Hector, and which was the last
for that unlucky vessel. Besides this
he lost his gold watch and other val?
uable belongings, which he prized
highly and regretted much to lose.
The men, Epperson stated, at some
times during the storm worked foe
hours and hours on a stretch until
they fell from utter exhaustion. As
they did so others took their places to
attend to the duties the others had
done their best to perform.
One incident of the rescue which
seemed to have impressed the young
j naval non-commissioned officer was
the heroic act of one of the injured
men, an act which uns itself such as
wo Id impress any one. One of the
injured men on the Hector, his leg
broken just above the ankle during the
storm, had been lying in the ship un?
til the rescue work was going on,
when he managed to crawl up on
deck and assisted by his comrades over
the side of the vessel, notwithstanding
his broken lpg, leaped from the ship
into the unsteady life boat below, an
act which no doubt required the high?
est type of courage and determine"
tion.
WANTS SANTEE CBOSSlNfi.
If. II. MED LIN POINTS OUT LOCA?
TION FOR ROAD WHICH WOULD
COST LITTLE.
To Build up Good Route Through
Swamp at T?te'? Landing, He Says
Would Not Cost More Thau $25.000
?Thinks Tliat Four Counties Inter?
ested Would Aid in Securing Road.
For many years the good people of
the counties of Orangeburg, Calhoun,
Sumter and Clarendon have felt the
great need of a crossing across the
Santee river. And while no doubt a
great deal of thought and some time
has been spent relative to this cross?
ing, as yet nothing has been done.
Many places for crossing have been
suggested, we might say, from Remini
to the lower part of Williamsburg
county. And it seems now that the
people in Williamsburg are very anx?
ious for this crossing, and they argue
that the best place for this crossing
would be Gourdins, or Murray's Fer?
ry, and it may be that this place
would be allright, but we are of the
opinion that it would suit the four
counties above named far better to
have this crossing many miles up the
river. Mr. W. R. Davis, our county
supervisor and Mr. D, C. Mason, a
hi siness young man of St Paul, re?
cently went over a route leading from
the road to Prence's Pond to the riv?
er at Tate's landing, which they say
is only about two miles through the
swamp to the river, and across the
river is a high bluff and two miles
from the river on the other side we
struck the highway from Charleston
to Columbia, and on this roue of two
miles through the swamp is a natural
island of several hundred yards, which
would not only save the building of a
road bed that distance, but would fur?
nish plenty of dirt for the road build?
ing both ways for seme considerable
distance. It is said by men of good
business judgment that this road could
be built for about twenty-five thousand
dollars. Of course this does not mean
that a bridge could be built, but a
ferry could be used for the time being
and a bridge built later.
Well, no doubt, that some fellow
who is not so very much interested in
this proposition will say, "Well, where
is the money coming from to do all
this road building?" In the wiper's
opinion there are at least thre-fJ hbi
to raise the "dough" fogg/hi^
which are as follows: 'Em
personal subscription, se("j
nation from corporations, an^
of trade, and thirdly the w riter thflf^sf
that arrangements could be made to
have the chain gangs from the four
counties above named help do this
work. While we are of the opinion
that we could hardly expect anything
from the national government or of
State funds. And too there would be
some cost for the right of way and the
timber along the route,, but we are
inclined to think that this right of
way and timber could be secured at a
very small cost, as no doubt the par?
ties owning this land will be interested
in this road. And we believe if the
people will get in behind this propo?
sition, and we cannot think otherwise
than they will, it will only be 66 miles
to Charleston, and 55 miles to Colum?
bia from this place. We see no rea?
son why the people of Lee and Flor?
ence counties should not be interested
in this proposition as it would only be
just a little over one hundred miles
from either county, a drive of about
four hours at an ord'nary speed with
an automobile, and there are hun?
dreds of people in these counties men?
tioned that would make the trip to
Charleston and return in a day.
Now come on good people let's have
a ciossing and quit talking. There are
hundreds of colored people in Claren?
don county who will give many days
work on this crossing. It can be done.
Will the people pull together?
H. H. Medlin.
S immerton, July 17.
WEEKLY CROP REPORT.
Storm Proved DitsaMrous to Farmers
and Waters are Increasing Dam?
age.
Columbia. July 19.?The tropical
storm that passed over the Carolinas
on the 14th and 15th was attended by
disastrous winds and an enormous
downpour of rainfall over portions of
the northern and eastern counties,
ranging in amount from 10 to 14 inch?
es. As a result unprecedented floods are
running in the Hroad, Catawba,
Lynches and Hlack rivers, with prom?
ise of record breaking stages in the
Watercc. The remaining upper tribu?
taries of the Santee and Great Pee Dee
systems are in high flood, but the
Congaree and tributaries are falling.
Crops were beaten flat into soggy
ground, were badly washed In large
areas and are a total loss in the inun?
dated districts, where replanting will
be necessary. The continuous rains
have kept planters from the fields, ex?
cept In the southwestern portion and
sections of the western counties, and
mass is becoming a menace. Outside
the stricken districts, crops are grow?
ing Sell, and cotton In clay soil is is
excellent condition.