New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-07-25

side of the sbochoe Creek We also have to record
loss of life by drowning " 49,. I'D.
Yesterday morning about 0 siocA 'uo I'''''
which had been gathering over Us s'hoo uNy ~
.irrad sithout internissio Cor one hour. OWING,
~. suppose, 70 the quantity OF esrtn lying ABOUT
,he .,reets from the gas excavations, TOE mouths OF
the Main street sewers scon became Stopped up,
srd Mainst from Fourteenth TO the Geek, be
trvsen the coal holes Of the Pavements on either
eide was completely submerged tor three quarters
~ an boar. Many cellar floors were inundated
thefeirUm A.
Meanwhile the storm had extended along the
..hoIa line OF Adams Valley, and every rlvale,
roured into Shockoe Creek its flood and stream OF
waters ShOckoe Creek rose some twelve feet IN
thirty minutes and the quantity oil water 10 1t De-
came so great that the archways under Broad,
Franklin, Main and Cary sts. became unable .
pass il with sufficient freedom and II commenced
Immediately to overflow all the low grounds and
carry of ali the loose timber, fences aud oathouses
that il reached. The inhabitants OF the houses GA
the hsts such was the rapidity OF the RISE had TO
betake themselves IN macy instances, 10 the upper
stories Of their dwellings, from which they were
subsequently rescued by boats conveyed In wagons
from the Tiver.
One good sized frame building was only kept
from being swept away BY It's chimney IA the
centre. Others hoated oil or fell in as they were
undermined by the current. About ii O'Clock, when
the torrent was at the hight Of It's fury and violence
q brick building which was being built Tor MI W
GOddin ear the LaDcssterian school on arsn ALI
street, fell in cary ing with IL beams, rafters, &c
Mir. Parnell, q brick mason aud four negroes were
in il at the time tOge Their with horse, tied IN the
basement story. The horse broke the bride and
escaped A boy named Emanuel hired by Mr..
Lewis Hill TO Mr.. p and insured in the FIRE assoca
ton for three-iourth Of bis value, was lost
When last seen he was cingng TO window
frame which was floating on the current, bat was
soon washed off and drowned.
The Frank lin st. arch became stopped up by
floating out house hch backed the waters up TO
Lumpkins negro jail, carrying away Two SIDE ana
end brick walls quite high, and causing them to
reach to the floor fthe central railroad depot Inc
water then flowed over the portion OF Franklin st.
near the end Of the old markethouse, submerging
the small groceries near by, running into the cellars
of Messrs. Burton, druggists, and Newbern. hard
ware merchant and attaining foot in depth In the
stores themselves On the other side, the base.
ments of the meat houses Of Mr. John Womble
were filed.
The brick pavement in the lower end of the old
mark etbouse was covered to the depth OF or
inches, and the water flowed freely through II to
the srchway from East Seventeenthst. to West
The hucksters, vegetable women
&c had to take 10 the tops Of chairs for the sale Of
their products and buyers had TO purchase while
standing in the turbld element az best they could
We noticed a man standing in the rear OF bis cart
whose horses feet and wheels were now inches
under water chaferiDg with a purchaser and sp.
parently moving each moment higher upon the
pavement TO give way for the incoming flood
Many Of the cellars IN East Seventeenth-st. were
filed and the floors Of the row of groceries on the
other side OF the market covered to the depth
of feet in q short space Of time. The loss by in
jnry will fall hard upon their inmates.
Under marke bridge, on Main s. the water rose
suddenly some Is feet The cellars in the vicinity
were immediately filed. Mr.. Winiton's young
man, who had gone down for the purpose OF secur-
ing some valuable liquors. had TO swim for 1t on his
return. In little while the water was in every
cellar on both sides Of Msn-It from the creek near
ly to Eighteenth st. and from the creek TO the cellar
Of the City Hotel corner of Fifteenthst. Such was
the rapidly with which they were submerged that
the occupants had no time TO remove their contents
and many valuable articles were destroyed, or so
damaged as to be Of little value.
Guano, in bags, was quickly dissolved, and sent
whirling down the impetpous current to enrich the
bottom OF the James River. In one cellar near the
bridge, the water rose FIVE feet in thirty minutes
man named BridgewRter, who was stansing
upon the upper portion Of the Franklin st ARCH lost
bis balance and fell in. The rapid current quickly
carried him under, and the drift who'd kept him 80
for some time just before reaching the Maln'st
arch one Of bis arms was visible, and remained so
until he was hurried under. Below Main st. rope
was thrown him. but not quick enough to be OF any
service In q little while he wascarrIed under the
low archway Of Cary.st. and driven down with i'm
mense velocity In the direction OF the atone aque-
duct which runs under the dock
Here a quantity OF drift wood, which had choked
ND the archway, impeded his progress Tor & mo-
ment, but he was soon Lost to sight, and supposed
to be dead but most extraordinary 70 say, he came
out on the other side-still alive and negro who
was hooking drift wood in the outlet at James
River, seized him by the hair and saved him. The
sufferer il is said upon recovering his breath and
speech, remarked that he was "qulte wet, and
walked home. The OF Bridge
water is one of the most miraculous ever known
The distance which he was carried must have been
a quarter of n mile, and that too with drift wood
pressing him down all the while. His name was
fully verified.
The loss to the Virginia Central Railroad in tim
Der washed from the upper part OF the valley, must
be considerable. A large amount Of household far
niture was also carried away. Negroes were to
be seen in the large basin above franklin st. pad
ding about like many Chsrons saving or playing
salvors to whatever they could. The loss to the
dry goods.merchants, hardware merchants, drug
gists, grocers, &c near Market Bridge, on Main'st
we have not heard estim ated, bat it must be quite
large The rest Of the loss above this point falls
on those who can badly afford to encounter it.
A large tin rooted shed erected upon the margin
Of the creek and attached to the fine tobacco fac
tory Of MIR. Poitaux Robinson, was threatened
with destruction in an early stage OF the flood, in
consequence Of the stone walk upon which it was
built having yielded to the violence Of the current
A short time before IL, the waters having partly
subsidized. the building was deprived OF their sup.
port, and the larger portion OF it fell with crash
into the turbd stream, damming up the Cary.st
arch for while with its timbers and crushing the
wall on the pavement
The abutments Of the James River X Kanswha
Company to their aqueduct over the creek, will be
very much injured, we fear, from the washing
away OF the earth which supports them A por-
lion Of the atone wall bad already fallen in yester
day morning.
This is q mere outline OF one OF the most severe
and destructive freshets 70 which city has been
subjected ior long time Ii was as disastrous as
unexpected. We will endeavor TO give more par.
ticulers as we shall obtain them.
Last evening the water had subsidized. EST
mated loss So, 600 Mr.. Winston loses $4,000 in
9uano.