Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-10-07
FEARFUL FLOOD.
Terrible Freshet in Vir-
ginia and the District
of Columbia.
Great Destruction of Property and
Loss of Life.

w %NeobSi - 4 Aiio'oc
destructive flood is raging through
out the whole upper valley of the
Potomac. Half of the chain bridge,
FIVE miles. above Georgetown, was
carried off this morning, and has
lodged against the centre Of the Long
bridge, where it has helped to gath
er and pile up an immense heap of
drift, and it seems almost certain
that it will result in pushing off a
considerable portion of Long bridge
and the railroad bridge just below
it. 1t was feared that the spans Of
Chain bridge which tloated down,
would carry away the aqueduct at
Georgetown, but at. the time they
passed the water was Just sufficient
to prevent damage. Tonight, how
ever, the water at Georgetown
reaches to the base of the arches,
and the warvcs, nearly all river bust
ness houses and yards, are submerg-
ed. AS the flood reached tide-water
at this place, it was partly thrown
back, which causes a strong current
to set through the canal. The con-
sequence has been that over half of
Washington, between Pennsylvania
avenue and the canal, and a wide
strip along the Smithsonian grounds
and public greenhouses below, is
under water. There is no commune
cation for foot-passcngers between
the portions of the city separated
by the canal at some of the bfidges.
Carriages cross, but even that is
not attempted at some of the cross
ings. At Tenth and Eleventh
streets the water reaches within a
few yards Of Pennsylvania avenue,
and many of the cellars on that side
are full. Boats and carts are very
busy removing families and goods
from the submerged section, and
the work goes on briskly for fear
that the turning Of the tide at mid
night, it being now on ebb, will
cause a great rise. Persons Just
from the island report that the cur
rent has broken over the causcway
of Long bridge, and is rapidly wear
ing it down. No one is allowed to
60 upon any portion Of either the
railroad or wagon bridge, and it is
now feared that both will be serious
" damaged. Those last over from
the Virginia side report that the
western spans are badly crushed,
and i'll some places entirely gone.
WASHINGTON, October l.--Chain
bridge, at Georgetown, has been
washed away by the flood, and all
railroad travel between Washington
and Alexandria is suspended, owing
to the insecurity of the bridges.
The Orange and Alexandria,
Chesapeake and Ohio, and South
side Consolidated Railroads are
seriously injured. Nearly all the
bridges are carried away.
RICHMOND, October 1.-The river
here rose twenty-five feet last hi ht,
and this morning is within foot Of
the Danville jl.aiiroad and Mayo
street passenger bridge. The streets,
for four or five blocks in the vicinity
Of old market, the lowest point Of
the city, are submerged in four feet
Of water. Thousand of persons are
on the river banks waiting to see
bridges go. The lower portion of
Libby Prison took fire, this morn
ing, from Il quantity OF lime being
wet by the flood. The fire WAS stop
ped before much damage was done.
RICHMoNn, October l--p. m
The water is still rising. At 80
in the afternoon between three and
hundred stores were in seven feet of
water Between Fifteenth and
streets the street cars
piled until noon, when, water com
ing in at the windows, the ears
were stopped, and q ferry boat now
run on all the main streets from
Fifteenth to Eighteenth.
At noon the Manchester end Of
the Mayo street bridge gave way,
and half Of the bridge hoated down
All OF the wharves are are
deep under water, and York River
Railroad is completely submerged.
Sereral small manufacturing estab-
lishmcnts along the river bank are
swept oil. All day the river has
been dotted with small houses and
wrecks of houses, fencing, dead
cattle, etc., drifting down the stream.
The gas works are submerged.
RIcnMoND, October 1.-The first
wave from the Lynchburg treshet
struck here at this morning, and
the river commenced rising with
much greater rapidity than before,
when it was only swollen slightly.
In three hours the lower end OF the
city, known as Ricketts,, was under
water, and the scene there bcggars
description; two or three small
stores were swept off with all their
contents. The families who had re-
manned in their houses, hoping the
flood would subside, commenced
crying from the upper windows for
help. Boats were brought, and
they were saved, but y large por-
ton of the furniture was lost. Two
hundred families in that portion of
the city are houseless tonight,
camping on neighboring hills. At
this time the whole Mayo passenger
bridge, built by the United States
authorities after the evacuation, was
swept of. The bridge was quar-
ter of mile long. The water en-
tered Mayo's tobacco warehouse,
thirty-five feet above low water
mark. All the teams in the city
are impressed to save tobacco, much
of which is for the French and Ger
man Governments. With exception
Of about $50 hogshcads the tobacco
was saved. At this time it was
found that the upper portion of the
city was in danger from an over
flow Of the canal, down which an
immense body of water was rush
ing and spreading over. The banks
threatened were two miles above
the city, and the danger abated in
the lower portion Of the city. Street
lamps are under water, and the city
is in darkness tonight. The loss
to the merchants will reach $780,
900. Persons we'll ACQUAINTED with