Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-05-23

THE FRKsHET ON SUNDAY NIGHT.-0n Sunday
evening, the morning and afternoon of which
were marked be- intense heat, black thunder
cloud gathered over the city, and about half past
six o'clock burst on il in full force. 1t was no
gentle shower no dash Of rain" but the win
dows of heaven were ruly opened and a pouring
food came down upon US. In five minutes after
the commencement of the rain, each street had
strong water course of its own, foaming, rush i
ing, and pushing even the paving stones out of
their places and rolling them down with the tide.
Boards, barrels, boxes wood and all sorts OF
Hoatables which had long lain high and dry
were caught by the street wide streams and sail
ed downward tow ards the great receptacles, the
Shockoe creek and the river.
The first storm lasted about one hour, but in q
short time another one, nearly as severe as the
first. gathered and burst over the city. BY eight
o'clock TIE creek began TO rise with great rapid.
ty, and by one clock in the night had attained
some eighteen feet above its ordinary height. An
immense raft of drift wood and trash had gath
cred and lodged against the bridge on Fifteenth
street, when, with sudden crash and roar, the
bridge broke from its fastenings and was carried
on by the resistle1s current till it lodged on the
south side CT Marshall street, where it now re.
mains. On the Marshall street bridge the water
was at least five feet deep. All the cellars
and ground floors along the course of the
creek we're flooded with water. In some in
stances it rose half way up to the ceilings Of
the lower stores of the houses and ropes, horses,
boats and washing tubs were brought hastily
and often into requisition to resc ue the scared
inhabitants from their inundated dwellings. Bu-
iesus, beds, trunks "chists," and household traps
of all descriptions foated freely. Pigs goats
and cats swan bravely down stream, but the
current being too strong to allow them to steer
for the shore, one head after another would go
down, an the poor animals would drown. Oc-
casionally some housed up COW would be sudden
ly released fr,m her shed by the undermining
torrent and with plunge and snort, like great
behemoth, tn, beast would push through the
creek to terra frma As yet no lives are known
to have been lost for the reason, We opine, that
the jewellers hereabouts are aware that Shockoe
creek has risen just so in past time, and they
made timely Efforts to escape. But large
amount OF property has been destroyed, and
much damage done to the streets. tenement
belonging to Henry Massie, occupied by family,
was washed down the valley, and all the furni-
ture lost. The row of wooden buildings on Elf.
tenth street, running northward from the jail
and the gable ends of which rest near the creek
are all undermined, and will, doubtless, have to
be pulled down.
On Franklin street. between Fifteenth and
Sixteenth streets, the water did immense damage,
rising over the counters in the stores. The gro
Gerry store of Mr., F. Mansena was undermined,
and the floor fell in He lost his all. Mr.. Bar.
rattis loss will reach between six and eight
thousand dollars. That of Mr.. Scot. the drug.
gist between two and three thousand dollars
Messrs. Flegenheimer, Lotzier, Westcott and a
negro man, Ned Waller, also lost heavily. Mr..
Bodeker lost a very fine horse which was drowned.
The creek has never been so high SO said a cele-
brated parsonage who passed by when the flood
was at its height He was "the Oldest inhabi
tant."
Daring the prevalence of the second storm, the
lightning struck two trees on the Manchester side
of James river, and split than in fragments about
the size Of kindling wood.