Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1859-09-24
Heavy Rain, Freshet and Damage.

Heavy Rain, Freshet and Damage.
On Friday and Saturday last. the pro
tracled drought which prevailed IN TIM
section of country was terminated by
storm of rain which has probably neve'
been exceeded in point Of violence and du
ration, and which, as We learn from on
exchanges, has extended over the gTeaIel
par, Of The United States. In this county
the rain commenced descending very gent
ly on Friday morning, and continued lC
do 50 until after nightfsll, when il came
down in torrents as if the windows o.
Heaven had been opened, and never aba
ted or ceased until late on Saturday, be-
ing accompanied all the time by high
North east wind, whired and drove i
INFO every crack and crevice. causing the
best of roofs 10 leak, and welting the in
teliors Of nearly all the houses. 1t lasted
about thiriy-six hours and more than a
foo, Of water fell by measurement. The
Potomac River, Conococheag Creek
and the other streams of the county were
all swollen beyond their banks, and there
are reports flying about (al present writing,
Monday evening" that an immense amount
Of damage has been done TO mill dams,
bridges, fencing and other property, bnt
we have been unable TO trace them 10 an
authentic source or obtain reliable paIlIc-
ulars'
Its more than probable, however, that
the Canal has been injured, and that a
large amount Of various kinds of property
has been destroyed by the freshe', which
is said to have been higher in the Poto-
mac river than that Of the last spring, and
higher by several feet than any ever
known in the Conococheague Creek. On
The latter the new Dam al the Broad ForG-
ing Mills, belonging to Mr.. John Fiery,
has been broken and swept away. and
farther down the creek saw-mll was
hoated off, and several fields of corn were
merged, and the fences and corn carried
down the stream. Samuel Pry's Mill
Dam on the Little Antieiam Creek, in the
lower part Of this county. is also reported
to have been washed away, together with
several County bridges on that stream and
Big Antietam, but we can't vouch for the
correctness Of the report. 1t is said that
Dam No. 5 on the Canal has wilhstood
the f1eshel. as il did before, while No. 4
has again sustained damages, but 10 what
extent, or whether sufficiently 81 TO inter
rupt navigation. we did not learn, and
meanwhile let us hope for the best.
After the above was prepared, we re-
ceved authentic information from the Ca
nal. Dam No. 5 and the WiIliamsport
and Hancock Divisions are uninjured, but
al Dam No. 4 the new guard bank on the
Maryland shore, together with a cole!
lam some derrcks and other property be.
longing to the Contractors, have been
swept away by the flood, and on the VIr'
GINA side $50 feet of the new masonry
dam, put up and completed two years ago
by Humberl & Robinson, shared a like
ATE, while all the remainder OF the work,
including that recently done by Messrs,
Brown q Stanhope. nobly resisted the
pressure of the swollen waters. AS the
bid dam remains, it is thought that these
INJURIES will not interrupt navigation long.
There is also break in the Antetam Ac-
lueduci, but not serious one.
The Sun crosses the equator to- day,
when the days and nights are of equal
ength, and tie remarkable storm Of last
week was doubtless caused by the near
pproach of this celestial translIlon.-
Herald, 2ISt inst.