The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1843-09-18
GREAT FLOOD

On Saturday last we published an account of the
damage done to buildings and other property in this
city and its vicinity by the late equnoctIal storm
We now feel ourselves called to notice much
more extensive injuries done to public and private
property in this city and in Georgetown by the I'M
precedented rising of the water in the Potomac and
in the Chesapeake and Ohio and Washington Canals
on Saturday last. The water in the Washington Ca
nal completely overlooked It's banks and at the Sc
venth street bridge was at ten O'Clock P NJ at least
two feet higher that the embankment. Most Of the
cellars the south side of Pennsylvania avenue
| from Seventh street to Second street Ceuged
with water; and the wood merchants on the margin
Of the canal and basin suffered considerably In the
| low grounds on the margin of the canal in the Fifth
Ward there was an extensive sheet of water, which
rendered some Of the streets impossible TO foot pas
| sengers.
| In Georgetown we regret to state that the flour
and wood merchants along Water street have suffer-
ed heavily The water has inundated all the cellars
and many of the principal warehouses in the princi-
pal business streets and the wharves and warehouses
presented scene OF great waste and desolaton DUR
ing the whole of Saturday. Many fine wood piles
were carried away by the flood So serious is the
damage done to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal that
1t is thought by many competent Judges it will take
many weeks to repair it. The Georgeto wn Advo-
cate Of Saturday evening thus notices this unfortu
| nate visitation
"The stormy weather Of late has been unusually
long continued for this meridian and season. and its
consequences have been less felt town and
counry-in the latter particularly on both fields and
streams. The storm OF last week, Which did so
much damage in the country for miles around to
roads, bridges, sc. has been followed up by continu-
| ed wet weather. which on Thursday night last grew
into tremendous storm of wind and rain which on.
ly abated vi h the morning. when evident signs we e
visible in streets, in the uprooting Of trees and
raZeeng OF gardens OF It's probably more destructive
effects in the vicinity The farmers have suffered in
the breaking down OF their corn though not so severe
y might have been from its being nearly all made,
and also in the flooding of nearground crops The
orchards, too have suffered much and the fruit
peaches in particular, which were abundant been
stripped from the branches.
Judging from the immense body Of water which
| is rushing down the Potomac and from which
already begin TO hear of destructive results
above and which, too, has been the means of serious
! injury here the storm must have been most widely
extended and less violent in all the Potomac re-
gion. Ever since yesterday morning the river has
been the rise, and from toward dusk last evening
until this morning most rapidly, and it is believed yet
continues, until it has reached height of some
three feet beyond any former period in menoru All
the cellars and many of the floors above Of the sto
and warehouses the lower side of Water street are
completely flooded, and in part of the same street
for Some two squares and half the Street is under
water to the depth of three four feet while num-
Der Of the houses the upper side thereof are also
reached by the flood As TO the wharves TO the length
of the whole town, not one Of them can he seen
The damage is of course immense for notwthstand
ing many of the merchants labored throu rhout the
night in he removal Of their goods large amounts of
-four, sugar, melasses, SALT and other merchandise
| completely hidden from view and much has been
IN the course Of removal throughout The morning in
a damaged state. Some accidents also befeu the
shipping and caused no little scare 10 portion of
| the seamen.
"The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. we arc sorry r.
say has again suffered severely, but the water cover
ing It's banks for miles it IS impossible oct to
say TO what exact extent. This morning found !,
empty at this place, it having been necessary dnrino
the night, so immense was the body of water r,rshinS
down IT. to cut away the bank about four miles above
the town. The breech above, it is believed, is some
hundred and fifty feet, whilst in the other places the
banks are SAID to be more or less injured"
The preceding account Of the obstructive freshet
copied from the Advocate, furnishes the particular.
of the disasters TO our Georgetown neighbors ND &c
noon on Saturday. We made visit TO Georgetowt
about o'clock in the evening and remained there
until sunset in full view of Water street which
from the basin 10 near High street. was one confirm
| Gus sheet Of water. 1t was singular and nove
spectacle to canoes, boats and scows PLYING aoro
Water street, and in front Of the prncinal wars
houses and stores. The amount Of the injury done
by this disastrous fresbe to the merchants and CHI
zens oil Georgetown was estimated by an nteIlige,,
merchant with whom we conversed AT betwe.n
100000 and $4,000. The principal sufferers arc
Messrs r. q A. II. Dodge, Messrs Pickrell. Lowry
Davidson, Pearson, Brown, Dixon, Radcliffe M :.
Pherson, SmoOt, and Miller & Duvall So disastrous
ireshet has not occurred in Georgetown for the Ia
forty i've years. as we are assured by an old inhab
| tant.
! lt was feared, when we left Georgetown on Satur-
day even ng last that the wa err would rise higher
about two O'Clock next morning; and such was the
fact
Yesterday, as late as three o'clock p. NJ when we
close this paragraph, the water had fallen consdera-
ply. AT The seventh street canal bridge near the
Centre market, m this city, the water had reccded
he froo f.,
nundotion Many, however, of the contiguous Gel
lars, yards, and enclosures were still completely
overfowed. Some Of the city wood merchants are
sufferers by the iesbct but the greatest losers are
"o "oo' ana lumber merchants in Georgetown
Al 6 o'clock 7. NJ the water in the basin of tbe
Washington canal had fallen little below the level
oil lhe banks, and was still receding
MoNpAY-Fhe waters have subsided-MAp.
haSee, aiIedged to be connected with The Saunders