History of Columbia, South Carolina, USA

Columbia city, capital of South Carolina, and sent of justice of Richland district, on the left or E. bank of the Congaree river, immediately below the confluence of the Saluda and Broad, 124 miles N. N. W. from Charles ton, and 500 miles from Washington. Lat. 33° 57' N., Ion. 81° 7' W. It is pleasantly situated on a plain, and regularly laid out, with streets about 100 feet wide, bordered with ornamental trees. The greater number of the dwellings are of wood, and others are of brick. Columbia is the seat of South Carolina College, founded by the state in 1804, and liberally endowed. It has 8 professors, and a library of 17,000 volumes. The main buildings are of brick, 210 feet long, 25 feet wide, and 3 stories high. The other public buildings are the State house, 170 feet long by 60 wide, court house, 8 banks, a market house, the Insane Asylum, and churches of the Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Baptists, and Methodists. The Insane Asylum is richly endowed, and well conducted, under...

Augusta, Ga., May 1. - A fearful tornado struck Columbia, S.C., at half past 4 this afternoon. The steeple of the Presbyterian Church was demolished, and the roof of the market blown off. Although hundreds were in the neighborhood, no one was seriously hurt. The depots of the Greenville and Columbia and South Carolina railroads were unroofed and otherwise damaged. Threes were uprooted in every direction. Only one death is reported. The storm struck a passenger train on the Georgia railroad leaving Rutledge. Dr. Montgomery's house, near Rutledge, was blown down, and his son, four years old, blown away. John Norton's wife and child were badly hurt at Covington.

Columbia, a handsome city, the capital of South Carolina, and of Richland co., is on the left or E. bank of the Congaree River, at the confluence of the Broad and Saluda Rivers, 130 miles by railroad N.N.W. of Charleston, and $6 miles E.N.E. of Augusta, Ga. Lat, 33°57'30" N.; Lon. about 80° 51" W. It is at the head of steamboat navigation, is on the Charlotte, Columbia & Augusta Railroad, and is the southeast terminus of the Columbia & Greenville Rail. road, which connects here with the Wilmington, Columbia & Augusta Railroad and the South Carolina Railroad. The site is a plain, elevated 100 feet or more above the river, which is here crossed by a bridge. The plan of the city is regular, and several of the streets are 100 feet wide. It contains a new granite state-house, which cost about $3,000,000, a new city hall, a handsome United States court-house, built since 1873, 2 national and 2 state banks, the Ursuline Institute, an asylum for the insane, which is under the direction of the ...

Columbia, S. C., June 2. - A few minutes after 1 P.M. fire was discovered in the laundry of the State Insane Asylum, where nearly 1,000 patients are confined. The local appliances were unequal to cope with the flames, and a general alarm was rung in. The flames had gained much headway, before the arrival of the engines, however, and the laundry, electric, and heating plants were all lost, the main building being saved only by heroic efforts. Meanwhile the attendants had a horrible experience controlling the patients. Several hundred of the latter were walking in the grounds when the fire commenced, and, panic-stricken, they would have broken away but for the efforts of the authorities.

At one time it was feared that a lynching would result from an attack of two negro attendants on Fire Chief MAY. They had been placed as sentinels to keep the crowd out of the laundry, and refused to admit the firemen, one of the striking the Chief with a brick when he tried to force his way...

Columbia, S.C., February 15. - (Special.)
The connections of the Seaboard between Camden and Casey s, just across the Congaree river from Columbia, have been delayed by the freshet in the Wateree river at Camden and the Congaree at Columbia. Pending the slow building of the steel bridge over the former, a wooden trestle had been constructed, over which trains had already been run, all the iron and material from the north for this end of the line being brought over that trestle. This wooden bridge has been swept away and besides causing considerable financial loss, will delay the connection with the Florida Central and Peninsular for an indefinite time. Had the wooden bridge not given away as soon as it did, the timbers would have taken away the uncompleted steel bridge, but the wrecked structure passed under the steel works. Two hours later it would have demolished the other. At Columbia the temporary bridge has been carried away. This was used to carry material to workmen on the...

Columbia, a city, the capital of South Carolina and of Richland co., is on the left or E. bank of the Congaree River, at the confluence of the Broad and Saluda rivers, on the Southern R., the Atlantic Coast Line and the Seaboard Air Line, 130 miles NW. of Charleston. Lat. 33° 58' N. ; Ion. 81° 3' W. It is situated at the head of steamboat navigation and on the Columbia Canal. The site, in the district of the Pine Barrens, is a plain, elevated 100 feet or more above the river. The plan of the city is regular, and several of the streets are 100 feet wide. It contains an imposing granite state-house, city-hall, a handsome United States court-house, the Ursuline Institute, an asylum for the insane, which is under the direction of the state, a theological seminary belonging to the Presbyterians, the Presbyterian and Columbian colleges for women, Alien University, Benedict College (the last two for colored), and a state penitentiary. It is also the seat of the South Carolina College, which...