Volume 03 Page 0096

cause Argyle Island did not suffer in the least. I have reference to the
crops upon the river, not to any breaks, as there were none.

Phases of the Moon for June 1876.
Full Moon 6th June; New Moon 21st June

The following exact Statement of how the Freshet took Gowrie, is furnished by Mr James B. Heyward Jun'r

June 24 Saturday, Morning dry _ took in water _ evening we commenced to feel
water over Barclay
June 25 Sunday, Covered one foot over mound rising slowly. Evening Carolina
freshet bank broke water stopped rising
June 26 Monday, Water steady
June 27 Tuesday, Some fall in tide at Gowrie not perceptible at E. Hermge
June 28 Wednesday, Water fell a good deal at Gowrie and about one foot at East Hermitage
June 29 Thursday, Water fell inside river banks
June 30 Friday, Check dams could be walked on.
July 1 Saturday, Dried Swamp
July 2 Sunday, Dried Gowrie
July 3 Monday, Dried E. H. above Canal

Not to dwell too long upon this harrowing subject I might state, for
future reference, that the effect of the June freshet was disastrous to Gowrie
in the full extent of the term, and the loss to me through this cause was great.
The depth of water in East Hermitage Settlement as measured with care upon
my kitchen foundation, was five feet one inch, and I would consider that
over the entire rice crop of Gowrie the freshet when at its heighth must
have been from four to five feet. Not one foot of the entire tract (650
Acres about) was out of water. We fortunately had no breaks. On the
morning of Saturday the 24th June whilst Dr King and Mr Barclay had
already been under water for several days, we were dry, and Mr Heyward
had all Hands hoeing in No 7 E. H.; the rice in this part of the plantation
was the most advanced, and over one foot in heighth, looking finely. On the
evening of this 24th June these squares were flowed by the freshet. These
squares Nos 6. 7. 8. 12. 13. E. H. stood the freshet pretty well and Mr Heyward
estimated when threshing that No 7 E. H. made forty five bushels per acre.
The "Swamp" known as Gowrie 12. 13. 14. 15. (70 acres) withstood the effects of the
water tolerably well from the rice being only a shade younger than 7 &c. E. H.
We thought this section turned out about forty bushels to the acre, and our
Seed for the next year was kept from these squares. With the aforenamed
exceptions, the remainder of our crop was composed of much younger rice
and the plant was either drowned by the weight of the water or never came