The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-11-26
DISASTROUS FLOODS.
Overflow of the James and POto-
mac Rivers.
Great Destruction of Property.

WASHINGTON, Nov 25.-The signal service
observer at Harper's Ferry reports at 515 this
morning, as follows:
Both rivers are now twenty feet above low
water mark. Shenandoah street is now one
sheet of water Every dwelling hodse is flood
ed, and both rivers are rising rapidly.
The signal observer reports at o'clock this
afternoon: Great Falls river continues to rise
and spread and considerable damage has been
done to the Canal Company's property. The
river stands eighteen feet above low water
mark and isrising slowly. The Aqueduct river
is also rising slowly and is three feet above the
wharf level.
HARPERs FERRY, Nov 25-1 P. M.-The
Potomac river is now % feet above low water
mark, and is two feet higher than in 1870. All
the property on the Shenandoah has beensde-
stroyed. Both rivers are rsiog about three iu-
ches per hour. No lives have been lost so far,
BALTIMORE, Nov. 25.-Western trains on the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad due here last night
and this morning are detained at Cumberl and
on account of hight water in the Potomac the
track road at Sir Johns Run in Morgan coun-
ty, W. Va, being submerged.
A despatch from Cumberland at / o'clock saws
the water is falling and trains would leave Cum
berland in an hour or two.
RICHMOND, Va, Nov. M-Evening. The was
ter con tinued to rise steadily during the re-
maiuder of Saturday night and all of today,
and before noon had reached the high water
marx OF Tue memOraUl6 10OQ OF 1910. AT this
hour 70 p. M the water is eighteen inches
above same mark and is still rising slowly.
During the entire night and early hours of to-
day, the work OF removing merchandise from
threatened positions progressed steadily and by
this timely action many merchants succeeded
in saving immense quantities of goods In.
tense excitement prevails in the community
Three hundred and fifty feet of Mayo's bridge
spanniog the river between this city and Man
chester was swept away this afternoon. AT the
| the lowest end of the city the destruction OF
property is greatest the river having risen above
an idea of the height reached by the fresh
| ct may be had from the statement that the
| steamboat sheds are almost covered The peo-
| pie who remained in their dwellings were driv.
| en- from floor to floor, and in many instances
were finally compelled to be taken away in
boats The City gas works, located in this sec
| ton, are entirely submerged and the city to-
night is in total darkness.
| DANvILLE, Va, Nov. A-Evening.- THE
| Dan river has risen to nearly the highest point
ever known here. Damage in about the city
| amounts to over 100000. Everything border
ing on the Dan river aud Big and Little Sandy
| rivers has been swept away. The Virginia
| Midland Railroad has sustained much damage
at this point. The iron bridge over Stanton
river on that road is gone. Three other mnol
| bridges on the same road haue been sweep
away and the road bed is washed in many
places Danville tor light is IL darkness as thu
| gas works are submerged. A number of houses
have been swept away, and the destructiveDes
of the freshet is incalcElable. The river is still
rising at Charlottesville. All the streams in thu
neighborhood are greatly swollen, and adjaeen
farms are suffering. The Rivanna river is Al
high as in 1870, but is now falling. A portion
| of the iron bridge is gone and the balance is Sc
riously damaged. The telegraph lines arr
down, and the & o. Railroad is badly wash
| ed and trains are all stopped The damage can
Atn mn mil hn raof in y
vicinity.
CHAMBERsBURG, Pa, Nov. 25.-There was
destructive flood at this place last night, Como
| cocheague Creek rising fifteen feet above tn,
ordinary level and doing damage at least tt
the amount of $4,000 during the night At
O'Clock thus afternoon i've spans of the Cum
beIland Valley Railroad bridge over the Poto
mac River near Williamsport, Md, are sweep
away. Six heavily loaded coal cars were OF
the bridge and went down with it. Loss vii
be about $4,000.
NEW YORK, Nov. 25.-The following scraps
of information are obtained from specials t.
New York papers:
During the progress Of the freshet at Lynch
burg, Va, yesterday, the lime house of J. III
| Adams & Co. was set fire to and with thei
warehouse destroyed. Loss $4,000 to $50, 900
| ATT O'Clock this evening the lengthy toll
bridge spanning the river from the foot of 9tf
street, Lynchburg, was swept away. SooI
afterwards the upper bridge of the Atlantic
Mississippi & Ohio Railroad, partially iroI
structure, gave away and the six miles of rail
| road bridges lower down river were doubtless
also swept away. Fences, tobacco, barns etc.
were swept away from every farm bordering
on thd Dan and Big Sandy rivers All the
| streams in Pittsylvania, in Henry county, Va,
and Caswell and Rockingham, N. c.. arr
| overfiowing and an immense loss is sustained
| in bridges, fences and farm houses.
| By o'clock tonight all the telegraph wire!
| south of Washington had ceased working
| Roinrvnd had previously buvrI vuu un TroIf
communication south.
RICHMOND, Va. Nov. 26-Midnight-The
| water here reached its highest point at D. m .
| being nearly 20 feet above ordinary high tide
| 1t remained stationary about three hours and i:
| now beginning to recede.
| The reports from the surrounding country
are meagre, but it is expected there will be
considerable damage. The water at Lynch
| burg had fallen about 10 feet up to D. m
| Damage in that city to private property alone
| is over $4,000. Immense and probably fata
| damages are reported to the canal above and
below the city. Owing to many bridges on the
country roads being carried away reports Of
| damages to- farming interests cannot be arrived
| at
| BALTIMORE, Nov. 25.-At 10 o'clock tonight
| the officials of the Bait more & Ohio railroad
report the water in 1.-THE Potomac at Harper's
| Ferry on level with the railroad bridge al
| that point, and the Shenandoah equally high
between darpefS Ferry ana Gum berland. Al
| some places the road bed is ten feet under
| water, and no estimate of damage can be
| known till the water subsidies.
Trains from the west due in Baltimore at s. 80
last night and $50 a. m. and $50 p. m. today
are still detained at Cumberland. Trains west
OF Cumberland are running regularly between
| Martinsburg and Cumberland. Fifteen miles
of the company's telegraph wires are down.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 25.-At IL O'Clock to.
night the Patomac is still rising.
The Indians captured stage coach is the
Black Hills Thursday. The passengers es-
capped.
Cautlonary signals continue at Woods Hole.
Boston, Thatcher's Island, Portland and East