THE ELKIN TRIBUNE. ELKIN, NORTH CAROLINA
Thursday. July 29, 1943
ALAN
BROWNING,
JR.
DAY OF EXCITEMENT
We were turning through the pages of The Tribune file
for 1940 when we chanced across the issue of August 15,
which was published the day after the record flood of the
Yadkin river of August 14, and which contained numerous
pictures and other news of the event.
Since getting into the newspaper business, first in
Greensboro, then Durham, and lastly here, we have bumped
into considerable excitement, including train wrecks, mur
ders, million dollar fires, etc., but we believe the day of the
flood on August 14, 1940, was the"’"
most exciting day of our life—to -yyg (jj-ove back home then so
date. the family could become more
suitably dressed and then came
back down town. By that time
the water was snaking along the
ground of Mrs. Ipock’s coal yard,
while down on South Bridge it
had reached a height where it was
flowing between the railroad and
the Elkin Bottling Company. The
Elkin Lumber & Manufacturing
Company, the Carolina Ice &
Fuel Company and the Carolina
Service Station were already
flooded. Several old wooden build
ings down the street had already
gone out.
crest and then began to recede,
leaving muck and slime over
everything, and wreckage every
where. Where once had stood the
laundry was only wreckage and
mud covered machinery. Where
once had stood brick filling sta
tions were prostrate brick .walls.
Where once had been the Elkin
Motor Car Company’s used car lot
was a tangle of overturned auto
mobiles, piled one upon the other.
Banked high against the Hugh
Chatham bridge were numerous
gasoline storage tanks, wreckage
of buildings, lumber and other as
sorted debris.
Remember how an ordinary
thundercloud came up in the west
on the afternoon of the 13th? And
how it began to rain, but instead
of clearing off after a while, it
just kept on raining? A steady
downpour that continued on and
on into the night.
We were working here at the of
fice that night, and could see the
steady downfall from the front
window by the light of a street
lamp. Just before leaving for
home about 9:30 we remarked to
Howard Windsor that if it kept
raining like that the river would
likely get out of its banks by
morning.
Then we went home to bed
thinking little more about it. But
around 7 o’clock the next mom
ing Howard called us and said the
creek was the highest he had ever
seen it. So we dressed and got
into the car, along with the entire
family, and drove down town.
When we crossed the creek
bridge the water was already in
the home of John Ratledge, on
Front street, and was rising fast.
On South Bridge street it was
flowing swiftly across and creep
ing up for entry into the Ford
place.
We took some pictures and
stood around to watch. Already
boys from the CCC Camp had
started unloading freight cars oh
sidings back of Cash & Carry
Store and F. A. Brendle & Son,
while worried merchants watched
the steady rise of the waters with
one eye on their basements. Then
swiftly, the waters were over the
railroad tracks advancing into
basements of Main street stores.
ADMINISTRATRIX’S NOTICE
Having qualified as administra
trix of the estate of WiHiam B.
Welbom, M.D., late of Surry coun
ty, N. C., this is to notify all per
sons having claims against said
estate to present them to the un
dersigned, whose address is Elkin,
N. C., duly verified on or before
the third day of June 1944 tliis
notice will be pled in bar of their
right to recover. All persons in
debted to said estate will please
make immediate settlement.
This the third day of June,
1943.
MRS. WUJJAM B. WELIiBORN,
Administratrix of the Estate of
William R. Wellborn, Deceased.
7-29-c
Shortly thereafter as merchants
and their sales forces worked
frantically to move as much mer
chandise from threatened base
ments as possible, the large Texa
co gasoline storage tank down
near the White Swan Laundry up-
! ped itself and took off down
stream. A few minutes later the
eddying waters had pushed it
against the grandstand of the
Chatham Athletic field, and a live
wire (it is believed), set it on fire.
The fire siren screamed, a black
pillow of smoke went high into the
overcast sky, and people living on
higher ground near the ball park
were pretty sure all hell was
breaking loose.
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Rushing to the scene went the
Hkln fire truck, only to find it
couldn’t get near the blaze due to
the flood waters. And the grand
stand burned down standing in
several feet of water.
Up town excitement continued
to mount. Now the Vadkin river
had entered numerous basements.
The Penney Company store base
ment was awash with enough
water to float a large motor boat.
The Eagle Furniture Company and
Hayes & Speas had water in their
basements measured in feet. And
as the yellow flood came higher,
it entered the basement store of
Spainhour’s, flooding the lower
part of the store to a depth of
about 15 inches.
In the meantime the approach
to the old bridge suddenly turned
upon its side, swung around, and
disappeared beneath the water.
And the White Swan Laundry,
biggest and most modern building
in the bottom, suddenly gave up,
and much like an old lady gather
ing, her skirts about her, sudden
ly nosed off down stream.
There was little anyone could do
but watch. Already the waters
had backed into Big Elkin creek
and covered the bridge. Until the
water became too deep, many cars
attempted to cross, some making
it and others stalling. Some mo
torists disconnected exhaust pipes
and came across that way. As for
us, we waded it twice, with water
almost up to our hips. Then some
one got the idea that the bridge
was unsafe and all traffic .— even
wading — was halted.
But other troubles were upon
us. Due to damage to power
lines, electricity went off. Outside
communication with the world
was cut off when telephone lines
failed. Western Union was in the
same picklement. In West Elkin
the water was off. Things were
sure happening fast.
At the office, although it was
Wednesday and always the busiest
day of the week for The Tribune,
everybody practically took a holi
day. With the electricity off, ma
chines wouldn’t run. As for us,
we took dozens of pictures, dozens
more than we really needed, and
late that evening, thanks to the
Duke Power Company who rigged
us a temporary line from the tele
phone office, where power had
been restored, we were able to de
velop and print a dozen or so of
the best shots for the paper next
day.
But troubles didn’t end there.
A member of The Tribune staff
took the photos, still wet, and
headed for Winston-Salem to
have printing plates made, but
two attempts to cross the Yadkin
between Yadkinville and Winston-
Salem failed because the guards
there were afraid the bridge was
n’t safe, so back to Yadkinville
and on to Winston-Salem via
Lexington, where after getting a
member of the engraving staff
out of bed in the night, the plates
were made and brought back to
Elkin early next morning. It was
all night business, but we had our
pictures.
By morning the river had again
entered its banks and was soon
down to normal. But many a
month passed before the destruc
tion it had wrought had been
partly erased. And if you will
take a stroll down through the
bottom today and look around,
you can stil see signs of Old Man
River’s biggest spree.
Yeah, we know you were here
and saw the flood, but a fellow’s
got to write about something,
don’t he?
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At noon the water reached its
w
m
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