MAKION PROGRESS
A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE OF McDOWELL COUNTY.
established 1896.
MARION, N. C., THURSDAY, JULY 20. 1916.
VOL, XX—NO. 47
Great Damage in
McDowell County
Marion Cut Off From Outside World—
No Trains, No Light or Water.
Although four days have elapsed
since the storm, very little is yet
known of the amount of damage
done. Our people were slow to
believe the first reports reaching
here thinking they were greatly
exaggerated but everyone has about
come to the conclusion that it is
simply impossible to exaggerate
anything in connection with this
great storm. From Friday to Sun
day morning nearly twelve inches
of water fell. On account of the
streams already being full, it took
very little time to get the Catawba
river out of bank. Along this
stream from Greenlee to Bridge
water in this county, the greatest
damage was done. Both the Dan
Dobson and J. R. Ledbetter farms
near Greenlee were almost com
pletely destroyed. The Geo. Carson
farm three miles from Marion was
probably the worst damaged farm
in the county. The river at this
point has apparently changed its
course and is now running much
closer to Mr. Carson’s house. Mr.
Carson and family moved out Sat
urday night just before the water
reached the house. Mr. J. L.
Morgan and family were compelled
to move out about eight o’clock
Saturday night. Thay all managed
to get out safely although the water
was waist deep at the time they
left. Every bridge on the Cataw
ba river in this county has been
swept away with the exception of
one span of the bridge near George
Carsons. The bridge near J. L.
Morgan’s had stood the big flood
of 1901.
It is reported that five or
people were drowned in the North
Cove section. Names of thesa peo
ple cannot be learned at this time.
The greatest loss Marion suffered
was the damage to the water sys
tem. From the intake at the head
of Clear Creek to where the line
crosses Catawba river more than
two thousand feet of pipe has been
entirely washed away. It is esti
mated that it will take at least six
ty days to repair the pipe line and
have water running in the reser
voir. The town authorities have
already arranged to pump water
from the well at the old distillery
place. This was the source of sup
ply before the line was built to
Clear Creek.
The Marion Light & Power Co.
was out of business about eight
o’clock Saturday night. The of
ficers of this company have not yet
been able to reach the power house
on Toms creek and therefore do not
know the extent of their damage.
It is feared that both dams have
been washed away and if they have
it will be several months before
they will be able to do business.
From a financial point of view
the railroads have been hit harder
than any cftie else. Several people
who have walked here from Alta-
pass on the C. C. & O. say it will
be six months before trains can be
operated from here to Altapass.
They say most of the cuts have
filled up and the fills washed away.
The C. C. & O. people think they
will be able to run trains from
Spartanburg to Marion this week
The Charleston Division people
have a train at Thermal City, four
teen miles south of Marion, and
think they will reach Marion Wed
nesday night.
The Southern west of Marion is
in a mighty bad fix and it is believ
ed it will be several weeks before it
will be possible to get a train over
the mountain to Asheville. The
worst trouble east of Marion is at
Bridgewater where the river wash
ed away more than a mile of track.
The company has a big force at
work &t this point and all along the
line and trains will probably be
operated east of Marion by the end
of this week. The railroads have
be^D badly handicapped in doing
and Buck creeks, a number of
houses being washed away but so
far as is known no loss of life. It
is reported that the Club bouse be
longing to Buck Creek Fishing
Club has been badlv damaged.
Mr. George W. Conley and
family living in North Cove had a
narrow escape. Just before their
house was washed away they were
taken out by means of a cable.
The food supply need worry any
one as there is plenty in Marion to
last for weeks. Some things have
already run short but no one need
sufi'er for something to eat. Ice
has about given out but enough has
been saved to take care of the sick
folks who will need it. There is a
car load of flour in a train here that
can be used if necessary. It is
thought there is enough kerosene
oil here to last for sometime. Al-
I together Marion is much better off
than any place in the western part
of the state we have heard from.
Asheville Citizens
Claimed by flood
Five Known Dead and Property Damage
Estimated at Ten IVIillion Dollars.
repair work by reason of all tele
graph and telephone wires being
down. The only telegraphfc'wm-’
munication Marion has had since
Saturday night has been with Nebo,
six miles east. The local telephone
has been working all along.
Train No. 12 with about two
hundred passengers was caught
here Saturday afternoon. Most of
the passengers stayed in cars Sat
urday night and some are still
sleeping in the Pullmans. The
dining car had supplies enough to
last until Tuesday. Since that
time the passengers have found
places in town where they can get
their meals. They all say they are
very comfortably located and speak
in the highest praise of the people
of Marion and Train Conductor
Hanger, Pullman conductor Luter
and Dining Car Conductor Beattie.
These gentlemen, together with
every member of the train crew,
have done everything in their
power to make the passengers com
fortable and well deserve every
nice thing that can be said about
them. There is a young lady on
this train who was on her way to
Statesville for an operation for ap
pendicitis. This young lady has
been given the best of attention
and is getting along very nicely.
Among the passengers are United
States Marshal Charles Webb and
wife of Asheville; Mr. and Mrs.
Fred Mer^’itt of Washington; W.
C. Dowd of Charlotte; Judge H. B.
Lindsay of Knoxville; Chief For
ester Henry S. Graves; Jas. W.
Toumey, director Yale Forest
School; Prof. H. H. Chapman of
Ifale Forest School; J. G. Peters,
in charge of State Cooperation in
Forest Service; L. S. Murphy of
Forest Service; J. H. Holmes,
State Forester of North Carolina;
R. C. Jones, State Forester of
Virginia; W. G. Schwab, assistant
State Forester of Virginia; Mr.
Reynolds, Secretary of Massachu
setts State Forestry Association,
and Mr. Maddox, State Forester
of Tennessee.
Great damage was done on Clear
Great Damage in Burke.
According to the Morganton
News-Herald of the 18th, every
bridge in Catawba county is gone
except one over South Fork river.
The cotton mill at Rhodhiss has
been damaged possible irreparably.
Yesterday afternoon connection
was re-established between Hick
ory and Newton, thereby connect
ing Morganton and Newton.
Tb# %ridges~«ver the~ Ca-
tawba river in Burke county were
swept away Saturday night.
Bridges and buildings have been
swept away by the flood. The old
Turner mill is gone and the report
is that the new Turner mill was
submerged and damaged consider
ably.
All the bridges to Charlotte, the
railroad, interurban and highway
were demolished and it is impos
sible to reach Charlotte by any
route.
The water reached the secopd
floor of the McK. Kincaid dewell-
ing, near Fleming Ford, and the
family were rescued by means of
boats after midnight Sunday night.
Fons Duckworth was rescued
Sunday morning from the top of
his father’s store where he spent
the greater part of the night.
State News.
J. H. Clarke, United States Dis
trict Judge at Cleveland, O., was
I nominated by President Wilson
Friday as an associate iustice of
the Supreme court to succeed for
mer Justice Hughes.
A special term of United States
District court has been called by
Judge James E. Boyd to be held
in Asheville August Y. This ses
sion is called particularly for the
hearing of matters in bankruptcy
and cases in equity.
Under the annual readjustment
of postmasters’ salaries made the
first of each fiscal year, July 1,
North Carolina postmasters fared
very well this year with 71 increas-
This showing of postal re
ceiptis is excelled by but a very
few states. Old Fort is among
the 71 postoffices to get the in-
creasies, the salary of the Old Fort
Postmaster being raised from $1300
to $1400.
It is reported that Ruth Grant,
12-year-old daughter of Mr. T. L.
Grant, of Old Fort, was drowned
during the storm at Old Fort Sat
urday night.
Through the courtesy of J, H.
Morrison, who walked here from
Asheville Tuesday, arriving late
Tuesday evening, the editor of The
Progress was in possession of a
copy of The Asheville Citizen pub
lished Monday giving a detailed
account of the storm of Saturday
and Saturday night in and about
Asheville and a summary of The
Citizen’s account is as follows:
Exacting unknown, with the
property loss exceeding three mil
lions of dollars, Asheville is abso
lutely isolated from the outside
world and finds herself helpless in
the grasp of the most terrific flood
conditions ever known here. The
loss in the vicinity of Asheville is
estimated at $1,000,000. The dead
are Capt. J. C. Lipe, Biltmore;
Miss Nellie Lip%, Biltmore; Lon
nie Trexler, Asheville; Mrs. Leo
Mulholland, Biltmore, and Luther
Frazier, colored, who was drowned
while passing provisions through
a window at the Glen Rock Hotel.
Miss Mabel Foister and Miss
Charlotte Walker, Biltmore hos
pital nurses, are reported drowned
but this is not confirmed.
The bodies of Capt. Lipe and
daughters had not been recovered
up to last night. ^
Added to the list of four known
dead is an account of an eye wit
ness who stated that he saw four
bodies crushed by the wreckage
floating in the stream being swept
through the arches of the cement
bridge.
At a point above Biltmore a
house was carried almost whole
out in the river with two men
clinging to the roof.
The Weaver Power plant, sup
plying Asheville with lights and
power, has been seriously damag
ed by the flood. It will be a period
of several days before the machin-
ery can be put in order. The sub
station is almost submerged.
The unknown dead will long re
main a secret of that angry flood
swirling a mile wide through the
lower portions of the city, and
men, women and children were
seen on wreckage and buildings
down the river by thousands of
spectators massed on the West
Asheville bridge who were help
less to aid. ^
All trains are suspended in all
directions and the Southern rail
way does not know when traffic
will again be resumed. The South
ern railway depot is under water
almost to the ceiling of the first
floor. Guests at the Glen Rock
hotel have taken refuge in the
second story of that building and
boats are being used to rescue
them.
There will be a shortage of ice
and all farm products, and the
supply of gas is almost exhausted.
The gas plant is ruined. The sub
station of the Asheville Power and
Light company was out of busi
ness yesterday and it will be many
days before the city again has cur
rent for lights^or car service.
Any number of railroad bridges
have been washed away by the
flood. Freight cars, oil tanks,
scores of dr^ellings and entire lum
ber yards have been swept away.
At Biltmore the number of
houses swept away is not known.
The waters are now in Ail Souls’
church on an elevated place.
The Biltmore passenger depot is
under water and the Southern Rail
road leading to Salisbury has prob
ably gone by now.
The Southern railway is undoubt
edly the hardest hit as result of the
terrific flood. The tunnel at Old
Fort is blocked and slides on Saluda
mountain are still coming. The
Southern Railway has no definite
idea as to when traffic will be re
sumed. They have bridges down
in all directions.
The town of Marshall is probably
gone.
In Henderson county the loss
must be enormous, three dams giv
en away there, and narrow escapes
from drowning are many.
LakeToxaway still holds, accord
ing to information last night.
Conservative estimates of dam
age to roads and bridges is placed
at not less than half a million dol
lars.
Property losses suffered *by in
dustrial plants in and about Ashe
ville is estimated at ten million
dollars.
Little is left of Azalea and the
lumber plants, while property at
that place suffered a loss of $120,-
000.
Hendersonville Isolated.
Hendersonville, July 16.—Hen
dersonville is cut off from commu
nication with the outside world,
with the exception of badly crio-
pled wire service, as result of the
heavy rain storm yesterday, last
night and today. The plant of The
Hendersonville Light and Power
Co. was put out of commission last
night and the city reservoir over
flowed with muddy water, render
ing its contents unfit for use. Not
a train has arrived here since 9
o’clock last night and the railroad
is said to have suffered heavily
from slides, wash-outs anddamaged
bridges. Many persons were driv
en from their homes by rising
water and the property loss will
no doubt be enormous.
Murphy Branch Hard Hit.
Conditions along the Murphy
branch are said to be almost as bad
as within the immediate vicinity
of Asteville. It is believed that
the champion fibre mills are out of
commission and that much serious
damage has been the result of the
most terrific flood in the history of
Western North Carolina. There
are no trains being operated on the
Murphy division and will be none
for several days.
(Continued on page eight.)