T he Pacolet River flows south from theBlue Ridge Mountains, becoming a slow-moving river that meanders through

pleasant valleys in upperstate South Carolina.There it mixes mountain water with the redclay and heavy sediment of the Piedmont andtakes on a brown coloration. It slides overrocky shoals here and there, but, generally, it isa river that rolls rather casually to its ultimatemeeting with the Broad River.

On the morning of June 6, 1903, however,the Pacolet became a river of danger, destruc-tion and death for some communities along itsbanks. Swollen by several days of rain and aconcluding cloudburst, the river tumed into animmediate and violent threat to all those livingand working nearby.

The Clifton Manufacturing Company com-munities, situated along the river to take ad-vantage of its water power, ironically sufferedprecisely because of that proximity. Clifton wasdirectly in the path of the rising, ragingwaters. The result was the most devastatingevent in the community's history. By the timethe Pacolet retumed to its normal tempera-ment several days later, more than 50 lives hadbeen lost in the river valley; and the propertydamage total was several million dollars.

Dozens of homes, stores and other buildingswere washed away in the torrent. All threeClifton mills were heavily damaged. In theweeks after the disaster, the makeup of thecommunity changed as many residents movedto other areas to find work and housing.

The first person to experience the power ofthe flood at Clifton apparently was W.H.Rhinehart, a night watchman at Clifton MillNo.3, built along the river on the west bank atConverse. Several days of rain already had in-creased the river's volume significantly, but adownpour upstream would have an evengreater effect during the dark hours of thatSaturday moming.

At 3 a.m., the river was about 10 feet out ofits banks, and rising rapidly. According tonewspaper reports, Rhinehart was standing ina comer of the mill at 4:30 a.m. when a largetree floated over the dam and plunged throughthe boiler room roof. The machine shop andboiler room were flooded within seconds, andthe horror had begun.

The dam burst seconds later. The power-house was swept away, and a corner of thehuge mill began to crumble.

Then, according to a report in the Spartan-burg Herald several days after the flood, "Mr.

Streetcar tracks and assorted debris at No.1 bear witness to the fury of the Pacolet River floodwaters.

79

House rests askew near the No.1 dam theday after the flood.

water roared, slamming into three mills atPacolet and causing heavy damage.

Machinery, timbers, bricks, iron rails andcotton-hundreds of bales of cotton-werepicked up by the churning waters. The Cliftonmills lost about 700 bales; others were savedbecause they were on higher ground. The balesbecame lifesavers for people who were able toreach them in the river and hold on until theywere rescued.

Many people were saved by the efforts ofheroes whose names may never be known. Formany others, however, the waters were tooswift, too deep, too deadly.

The Spartanburg Journal reported that spec-tators witnessed "the body of a woman cold indeath, being carried down stream by the tor-rent. Near the woman and clinging to thewreckage was a little boy who called loudly forhelp as he passed before the eyes of the gazingbut helpless crowds watching the flood. An at-tempt was made to reach the child, but no onewas able to brave the fury of the waters and

Rhinehart ran up the bank to get a safer andbetter view of the scene and upon turning sawthe smokestack go down with a crash. In 10seconds after this and about 10 or 12 minutesfrom the time the dam broke, the magnificently

..50,800 spindle mill was washed fromfoundations, crumbled and the wreckage

.down Pacolet river."The collapse of the Converse dam left the

of the valley in serious jeopardy. The forcethe water had incredible power, and its

nature multiplied as it picked upits way downriver.

The water destroyed houses on the riverbankthe Converse mill, ripped bridges away at

.land slammed into the mill, causingdamage. Houses between River Street

the river were easy targets, falling into thecurrent like tiny toys. The electric railway, orstreetcar, tracks running from No.1 to Con-verse along the riverbank were uprooted andtwisted like pretzels.

The force of the water crumbled the riversidecorner of the No.2 mill, causing severedamage. Riverside homes at No.2 also werecarried away in the current, along with thepost office and the two-story company store.

Jesse Thornton, now a resident of CedarStreet at Clifton No.2, was two years old onJune 6, 1903. His family-parents JohnThomas " Jack" and Fannie Thornton and five

children-lived in a house near the river at No.2. Thornton remembers being told what hap-pened in the Thornton home that morning.

"1 woke Daddy, up to get me some water," hesaid. "Daddy got up to get me some and sawthat the flood water was already up on ourporch. He got us all up and brought us out overon the hill. Then he went back and got a fellow, was tangled in chicken wire and brought

out. The house washed away not long aftergot out. Everything along where our house

down the river."At the settlement of Santuck, below No.2,

deaths occurred as the water struckI hou~es near the river. On down the valley the

I The raging river left trash and debris scattered among the remains of the Converse Mill. The house at right hasbeen moved from its original site by the waters.

81

Devastation describes the scene at No.2 mill after the flood. The dummy line tracks lead into the damagedmill. At left is the debris from the destroyed company store. More remains rest against the mill at the end of thedummy line tracks.

was awakened by the raging water. With noother means of escape, he climbed to the roof ofthe building, then was dumped into the waterwhen the building collapsed. Near the mill hegrabbed a tree and managed to hold on, but hewas trapped there in the current without any

clothing.A woman who was stranded in a tree nearby

threw her apron to Stribling. He stayed in thetree most of the day, along with a large snake,and later was rescued when a baseball pitcherfrom Converse tied string to a ball and threw itto him. The string was tied to a rope, and Stri-bling finally was pulled to safety.

Another who survived the flood was an eight-year-old boy named G .M. Hill. Hill, who laterwould move from Clifton to Spartanburg andwould serve in the South Carolina House ofRepresentatives, lived with his parents,Thomas and Mary Hill, on River Street. In aninterview 63 years after the flood, he remem-bered the terror of that morning.

"If it wasn't for a bean stick, I wouldn't behere today," Hill said. He said the members ofhis family were awakened by someone runningup the street and yelling for them to leave theirhouses. "My mother had my little brother and Igrabbed the bean stick," he said. "She told meto hold on until she could get to the bank. Myfirst cousin, Miss Dolly Holland, pulled me out.

the little fellow was carried down stream call-ing pitifully for help."

The Spartanburg Herald reported that thegreatest loss of life occurred at No.2, where itestimated that 40 people were killed and 60houses were destroyed. According to a Heraldstory on June 9, "James Elders, Bud Emory,Oliver Johnson and Lige Hall were caught onthe roof of the cotton warehouse. They wentdown the river and a great concourse of peoplewatched anxiously but could not aid. Theyfinally went down with the exception of JamesElders, who grabbed the limb of a tree and LigeHall, who was found yesterday near Pacolet."

The swift, swirling waters claimed 11 mem-bers of one family.

The life-and-death drama occurring on theriver had its effects even on those who sur-vived. "1 tell you, mister, I will never forget tillmy dying day the cries of the people as theyfloated down the river," one woman told theHerald. "1 hear the cries now, I hear them as Igo to sleep, and I am sure I will hear them aslong as I live."

Some amazing stories came from the ex-periences of those who cheated death. Perhapsthe one repeated most often is that of HickmanStribling, who was a clerk at the No.2 com-pany store along the river. Stribling slept onthe second floor of the store and apparently

82

The Spartanburg Herald of June 9 reportedanother narrow escape at No.1: "Mr. and Mrs.Coleman were caught in the second story (ofthe mill). The roof fell in and they managed tograb a rafter in the water. They floated downstream and then came back near enough forthe people to climb into the second story win-dow of Mr. Pet tit's house. Here they awaitedthe rescuers who were devising means forrelief. The water, meanwhile, was risingrapidly and was half way up the window in thesecond story. The house was tottering and itwas evident that if anything was to be done itmust be done quickly. T.S. Upton and othersfound a well rope and the Upton Colemansclimbed out the window, the mother still cling-ing to her two babies. Stout hands and bravehearts pulled at the rope and the raft movedshoreward. An angry wave dashed it to oneside almost upsetting it. There was an openingin the housetop and through this one of thelittle infants fell as the raft was about to cap-size and just as it was going out of sight to cer-tain death, one of the rescuers grabbed its

was holding to that stick with all my-The water was so swift it knocked my

from under me and I was just swingingwhen I was snatched up. I sat on the

and watched homes being washed away."George Willis was 17 at the time of the flood

interviewed by a Spartanburg J oumalthe subject in 1965.

"We stood on the river bank with the waterour ankles as we watched several persons

to housetops that were floating downmuddy waters," Willis said. "It was a help-

"

Willis said he and two other teen-agersrope from a well bucket to help a

floating in the river between No.1 and2. "She had two sticks of cord wood under

keep afloat and her head above thetorrent," Willis said. "We threw the rope

her and she grabbed it. While pulling herthe river bank, a small oak tree popped

in the water and she grabbed hold of theWe finally persuaded her to let go of the

we could pull her into the bank."

The comer of the No.2 mill alongside the river was heavily damaged. With brick and wood strippedfrom the, , of the plant, machinery is visible on the milljloors.

83

The flood waters removed aportion of this house. The

family's organ (infront of thehouse) was rescued.

Workers begin cleanup in theweaving room at the No.1mill after the jlDod.

.

In

84

Tracks along the river showthe power of the flood waters.

The flood caused heavydamage to the streetcar line

between River Street and therivel: The section of the line

between No.1 and Conversewas not replaced.

awful and"

85

flood waters beginreceding in the Con-

verse area. Therailroad trestle was

the only structure leftacross the river after

the flood, according toarea residents. Some

of the houses alongthe riverbank weredamaged and later

were moved to No.2and restored. Note a

convenience of thetimes in the field be-hind the homes: the

outhoUSe.

Debris remains on the No.2 dam the day aJ-ter the flood.

machinery, the broken timbers, the wreckagepiled up to the second and third floors," thepaper reported. " Across the river that part of

the mill village located within 150 feet of thebanks of the river is gone. The long coveredbridge and the gangway for the hands areswept away as also are a livery stable, a storeand other structures."

A reporter covering the aftermath of the floodfor the Atlanta Constitution rued these wordson Monday, June 8: "Sadness and sorrow haveclaimed the town of Clifton for their own. Inevery street that separates the whitewashedhomes of the mill operatives, the angel of deathin passing by has left behind some mark ofbereavement. The suspense in regard to thosereported missing is even greater, if possible,than the grief of those who mourn for thedead... Four more bodies were secured today,two of which were bruised and discoloredbeyond possibility of identification. The effortsof fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers toidentify some of these must ever form one ofthe saddest chapters in this awful calamitythat has befallen Spartanburg County. ...Theshadows that hang above the little town of Clif-ton, Spartanburg County, South Carolina, arethe deepest and darkest."

clothes and the family were all finally saved."When the waters finally began to recede, the

grim task of searching for the dead, clearingaway the debris of a crumbled community andfinding homes for the homeless began.

The Spartanburg Journal reported some ofthe devastation on June 8, two days after theflood: "In some places the sites occupied by thehouses are buried beneath great sand banksand only an occasional piece of plank projectingthrough the sand would indicate that a housestood there. The destruction in places is total,awful and complete. The force of the flood hasso changed the banks of the river and the flatborders on which numerous houses stood, thatit will not be possible in some cases to rebuildon the former sites."

Some of the houses carried away by the floodwaters suffered only minor damage. They wererelocated on property close to the points wherethe river left them and were claimed by newfamilies. Some houses affected by the flood atConverse were moved to Mitchell Line at Clif-ton No.2.

The Journal called the scene at No.1 "in-describable," and then proceeded to describe it."The upper end of the mill is gone and the sec-tion thus exposed shows the crooked and bent

88

Manpower replaces steam power as workers haul debris on the dummy line tracks near the No.2 mill area ascleanup operations begin. In the leftforeground is a ledger book rescuedfrom a mill building.

90

The tower of the No.1 mill, standing alone, shows

flood damage.

Travel to the area was difficult, as flood-waters also had ravaged parts of the rest of thecounty. J.C. Garlington, editor of the Spartan-burg Herald, reported that "it is impossible toreach Clifton except by boat and travel fromone mill to the other is difficult... On horsebackwe made the trip to Glendale and started tocross when the horses mired almost to the brid-les in the quicksand. We had to resort to theboat and leaving the horses hitched on this

side of the river, we made the journey afoot, adistance of about five miles to No.3."

The railroad trestle at Converse was the onlystructure left standing across the river fromthe Converse mill to No.2, according toresidents. People wanting to cross the river af-ter the flood had to travel to the trestle, whichwas much lower than the current railroadstructure across the river.

The dismal task of burying the dead began

91

The river tore this sectionfrom the mill at No.1.

92

some going to cotton mills in this state andothers to mill towns in N.C., where help isneeded. The greatest impediment (to) the ex-odus at Clifton is that wagons cannot besecured to haul families and their belongings tothe ( train) station-Converse-and in someplaces wagon travel is impossible."

Representatives from other textile companiesarrived in the Clifton area to recruit workers.Newspapers reported at least 17 companiesseeking workers in Clifton and Pacolet, and anewspaper story two weeks after the flood es-timated that 25 percent of the mill workers inClifton and Pacolet had left the area and ac-cepted jobs with other mills.

For those who stayed in the community, thedays following the flood brought trying times.There was assistance, however. The federalgovernment sent a "carload of rations" to thearea, and a relief committee was formed to ac-cept donations and provide food, clothing andshelter. The committee ultimately receivedmore than $20,000 from individuals, churchesand communities in the Carolinas and Georgia,including an Episcopal church in Vienna,Georgia, a Catholic church in Greenville, andcitizen groups in Abbeville, Johnston, Andersonand Lenoir, North Carolina.

A relief committee spokesman reported sixdays after the flood that there were "no cases ofdestitution whatever and aid is being given inthe form of clothing, food or money. Clifton isreceiving the closest attention as the destruc-tion of property there among the operatives(mill workers) was greater than at Pacolet."

The Free Lance, a Spartanburg newspaper,also reported the presence in Clifton of "Capt.Hayes' squad of convicts," who were transfer-red to the area to work on the roads.

The flood cut to the heart of the CliftonManufacturing Company. Its showcase mill,the almost new Liondale Mill at Converse, wasvirtually destroyed. The company's other twomills were heavily damaged. Equipment wasdestroyed. Cleanup costs were staggering.

Six days after the flood, the company's boardof directors met in the city of Spartanburg. Thedirectors decided to authorize company presi-dent A.H. Twichell "to take immediate steps torebuild mills Nos. 1 and 2 and put them in

as soon as possible. Several of those whodrowned at No.2 were buried on Vinegar Hilloverlooking the river. Their graves are un-marked and covered with undergrowth. Onlyone of the tombstones remains, and it has beenremoved from the gravesite. Its inscription:Julius A. Biggerstaff, May 30, 1876 to June 6,1903.

Newspaper stories published in the days af-ter the disaster differ on the number of deaths.Estimates range from 50 to 70. Most historiansagree that the Clifton No.2 area was the har-dest hit.

Six days after the disaster, the ~ ,re nvilleDaily News ran what it called a comple list ofthe Clifton families whose homes an posses-sions were swept away by the flood waters. Thelist (and number of members in each family):C.H. McCall, 4; M.P. Henderson, 5; Mrs. M.M.Rodgers, 5; J .F. Langston, 3; F.M. Langston, 3;B.F. Cannon, 5; G.W. Pet tit, 7; Mrs. J.V.Clayton, 7; Robert Burgess, 2; J .P. Hanse, 2;Arthur Hughes, 3; H.J .D. Lewis, 8; R.B. can-non, 4; Henry Coleman, 4; L.A. Tinley, 4; H.L.Tinsley, 2; J.B. Lee, 5; R.S. Upton, 13; T.S. Up-ton, 3; Mrs. Lou Green, 1; Frank E. Clayton, 2;Jasper Bookout, 4; Jack Thornton, 7; E.P. Seay,3; B.B. McClarey, 4; J .P. Bradley, 5; J .M.Noblett, 4; O.L. Wilson, 4; R.R. Thornton, 5;Ina Mayton, 2; Roland Quinn, 4; Bud Holland,3; J .W. McQuinns, 3; Tom McQuinns, 2; T.A.Portee, 5; J.D. Stone, 10; R.R. Rollins, 9; J.A.Hinson, 4; W. T. Ross, 5; Mary Hill, 9; MackHenderson, 3; Jack Crocker, 3; Rome Jones, 4;Tilda Slanford, 4; Joe Crocker 2; A.L. Green, 6;Dr. Bates, 3; Miller McKinney, 13; L.P. Calvert,5; C.H. Lavender, 7; J.G. Franklin, 9; M.J.Cash, 8; L.E. Wright, 5; Jane Williams, 3; M.E.Powell, 2; Jno. W. Crocker, 3; T.M. Massey, 3;J.T. Powell, 3; Sam Eleles, 5; Luly Osborne, 4;J.G. Belch, 4; J.J. Calvert, 3; John Calvert, 5;Henry Henley, 10; J as. Elchers, 1; B.S.Johnson, 1; W.A. Camp, 7; B.H. Littlejohn, 3;John Stewart, 9; J .B. Finley, 4; Mrs. BudEmory, 3; Hickman Stribling, 1; J .D. Guy, 2;C.E. Rollins, 3; G.C. Thornton, 3.

Some who survived sought work elsewherein the days following the flood. The GreenvilleDaily News on June 14 reported that "peopleare leaving in groups of 10 and 12 families-

93

Machinery sqgs the weakenedjloors in the No.2 mill.

94

working order so that we may resumethere as soon as possible." The

also voted to rescind a stockholderthat had been scheduled to be paid

1.The company's first stockholders meeting af-

the flood was held July 23 in Spartanburg...reported that the No.3 mill was

except for the picker and cloth roomand that one-third of the No.1 and

.2 buildings was destroyed or damaged. Hesaid the company lost seven warehouses1,794 bales of cotton at No.2, although

of the damaged cotton had been

was awarded a contract to rebuild the No.3mill, and work there began Nov. 1 after about900 cubic yards of rock and debris had beenremoved from the site. The mill was rebuilt ona hill above the river, away from the destruc-tive power future floods might produce.

On May 10, 1904, less than a year after theflood, the company's stockholders were notifiedthat the new No.3 mill was completed "and isone of the finest mill buildings in this section,being 345 feet long, 125 feet wide and four andone-half stories high." The stockholders' meet-ing also heard a report that the No. 1 and 2mills had been "substantially rebuilt and otherbuildings which were completely washed awayor partly destroyed have been rebuilt and arenow in better condition and more convenientlyarranged than before our late disaster."

The report estimated that repairs at No. 1and 2 had cost $400,000. Mill No.1 resumedoperations in January 1904, and mill No.2 wasrunning at half-capacity in May. No. 3'soperations began later that year.

Most of the rest of the country will remember1903 as the year Orville Wright made the firstairplane flight near Kitty Hawk, NorthCarolina, or the year the United States decidedto build the Panama Canal, or the year thefirst World Series was played. In Clifton, SouthCarolina, however, it always will be the year ofThe Flood.

.Twichell's report estimated that $300,000

.be needed to repair the No. 1 and 2 mills.machinery.

T.C. Thompson and Bros. of Birmingham,began tearing down the damaged walls at

1 and No.2 in late June. Also working atscene was J .B. Garfunkel of Columbia.c .bought the scrap iron from the

mills and removed it. Included in hiseffort was a 100,000-pound flywheel

had been broken into pieces by the floodat the Converse mill. Cleanup work at

No.2 mill included the removal of aboutcubic yards of debris.

On Oct. 27, the Thompson company, one ofnation's leading cotton mill contractors,

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Copyright@ 1987First Printing March 1987

Second Printing November 1987

All rights reserved. No part of this book may bereproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,or by an information storage and retrieval system, withoutpermission of the authors.

Printed in the United States of America by Jacobs Press

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 87-80575