|
Floods of July 1916 How the Southern Railway met an emergency Reprint
The Floods of July 1916
Hard Cover with dust jacket
131 pages
Copyright 1917 Reprinted 1995
CONTENTS
Page
Introduction .... 5
Map of Southern RailwayFacing page 7
United States Weather Bureau's Record of the Floods 7
The Storms in Southern Railway Territory 15
The Gulf Coast Storm 17
The Storm in the Carolinas 25
Asheville and Biltmore 29
Asheville-Salisbury Line 41
Asheville-Morristown Line 73
Asheville-Spartanburg Line 79
North Wilkesboro Branch 85
Catawba River Bridge near Belmont, N. C 93
Catawba River Bridge near Fort Mill, S. C 97
Charleston Division 1o1
Spartanburg Division 104
Hendersonville-Lake Toxaway Line 104
Coster Division 195
Telegraph Service 105
Equipment and Materials 107
How the Southern People and Other Railroads Helped 110
Keeping the Wheels Moving 110
The Men Who Took the Lead 112
The Appreciation of the Public-Editorial Comment 117
President Harrison's Executive Order No. 76 130
In Memoriam 131
DUST JACKET INTRODUCTION:
In July of 1916, the American Southeast received nothing less than an unexpected punch in the gut when the remnants of a hurricane collided with a massive low pressure weather system. The ensuing floods ravaged Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. Although Western North Carolina was the hardest hit area, the entire region covered by the Southern Railway received damage in varying degrees. In an age of poor or few roads, railroads were the lifeblood of each town along the line. When a bridge went down or a mudslide covered the tracks, small towns were isolated completely from the rest of the world. No news, no mail, no visitors, no food. Only silent rails. When the floods hit in 1916, the impact was more than lost business on a railroad. In fact, the greater impact was that families were cut off from each other, as well as from the goods which sustained life.
Against this backdrop of disaster, the Southern Railway rose to the task of rebuilding its line and restoring service to those it served. Huge trestles were rebuilt in a matter of days, and the men struggled to clear out slides and collapsed tunnels. Within weeks, service had nearly returned to normal; and within months, the line was in as good a shape as it ever was prior to the flood. The men who did the work accomplished a Herculean task, often at the cost of human life. The stately and aristocratic president of the railroad, Fairfax Harrison, was so moved by the efforts of his men that he desired to thank them in a special way. In 1917, this book was published by the Southern Railway in honor of the working men and those who died valiantly fighting the flood and its damage.
Glance then through this book, unedited from its original contents, and glimpse at the tender heart and fighting spirit of the Southern Railway. Find out why one newspaper proclaimed that "The Southern Railway is a big railroad run by big men in a big way." In this story you will see not only the tale of a railroad, but one also of the enduring South-em spirit....
-Matt Bumgarner (from the reprint/Foreword)
All pictures are of the actual item. If this is a railroad item, this material is obsolete and no longer in use by the railroad. Please email with questions. Publishers of Train Shed Cyclopedias and Stephans Railroad Directories. Large inventory of railroad books and magazines. Thank you for buying from us.
Shipping charges
Postage rates quoted are for shipments to the US only. Ebay Global shipping charges are shown. These items are shipped to Kentucky and then ebay ships them to you. Ebay collects the shipping and customs / import fees. For direct postage rates to these countries, send me an email. Shipping to Canada and other countries varies by weight.
Payment options
Payment must be received within 10 days. Paypal is accepted.
Terms and conditions
All sales are final. Returns accepted if item is not as described. Contact us first. No warranty is stated or implied. Please e-mail us with any questions before bidding.
Thanks for looking at our items.
| 
