Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-10-13
Washington letter.
WAsHTNGTON, Oct. 3, Is


WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 1870.
Edjt0r Rutland Herald Illness pre-
vented me from giving you an earlier OF
more extended a count of our recent in
undation. | am, however, now able t.
give you a more reliable statement since
as is usually the case in such times, much
that was first reported is found to be in
correct
Once only lin 1854 has the Potomac
at this point been known to rise to snoh =
highth, and so sudden and unanticiPated
was the flow that erybody seemed I'M
prepared for its coming and as matter o.
! course, great destruction followed. -Four
spans of the Chain Bridge was demolished
and past Washington three miles below Al
! five o'clock on Saturday morning, which
shows that as a thief in the night" il
came while men slept. The Chain Bridge
it will be remem bered was constructed al
a military necessity during the war anC
was after ward transformed to a wood anC
]
strength and security, nothing but the
piers appearing of an adamantine char
acter. These four spans having previous
| " manifested an inclination Washington
ward had been made fast by stays Oh
chains fastened to the bed-work above, a.
the river began to TEEN with Lockwood
/ houses, barnes, pianos, Bureaus, hedsteads
etc, these stays became freighted with
debris and breaking under the weigh
left the bridge, unable to stand alone, a
liberty to go whether it wouldst, The
report that two vvoro nPon If anf
were lost was incorrect, also the report
OF two men being drowned at Georgetown
while gathering floating treasures. The
report that Two colored children were seer
hoaring down the Classic Tiber, upon one
which three live rats was perched, finally
condensed into the fact that a boy had
fallen in but was rescued thereabouts
But allegorically this well represented the
condition of the rats throughout the lower
portions Of the city.
/
propriateness of name than Water street
Georgetown presented. Ships were
noored high above the wharf (if indeed
there was a harf,-msny were known to
be torn away, and among the mountains
piles Of bjtuminous coal the angry cur
rent was cutting its sapcy FRANKS, adding
- ! Il, 1v,o hon g
pect OF It's surroundings, and presenting q
picture not calculated to raise the admi-
ration of the dealer, although the disinter-
egted artist might pronounce it in effect
grand That portion of the city of Wash
ington adjacent ~ the CANAL, aud between
the canal ard Penpa. Avenue haa suffered
materially from back water, no current
could reach there. Teams in passing
through at Sixth street were nearly sub
merged ~ Sa9 lowest points, much dam
age was done TO siores in Easements, so
sudden was the rise that they gould not
be removed after danger was discovered.
Much of "Hooker's Division" has been
under water, apd the general impression
is that as this part OF the city gave less
trouble, and appeared better than com
mon. and that where the water was deep
est, that the general good of the city, and
the ~eoFld, would haye been enhanced it
the water ct shis point had continued to
rise for six months Or go.
Reports reach us of terrible loss of prop
ertv and of human life at Richmond,
while at Harper's Ferry the inundation of
Fllicot city seems to have been repeated
to great extent. Loss of life at this
point is placed as high as thirty persons,
while there, as at other points, the loss OF
property cannot be Appropriated at pre-
sent.
Before the days of telegraph and rail-
roads it was found advisable, in case of d
sudden rise of water at Harper's Ferry,
TO dispatch messenger on horseback to
give timely earning at Georgetown OF the
danger, and it vas found to work well.
The river is said to run at the rate If
about eight miles per hour, but the utility
of storm and especially flood signals seems
to have gone ont Of fashion az the facili-
ties for transmitting them improved Gull
pable neglect seems to rest somewhere in
this matter. SIX"