Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1877-11-27
HEAVY RAINFALL.

HEAVY RAINFALL.
IMMENSE DESTRUCTION OF RAILROAD PROPER
RY-BRIDGEs SWEPT AWAY AND TRACK DE
STROYED-DAMAGE ON G. d o. AND D. o. y, |
RAILROADS-MANY STREAMS HIGHEh iHAN
IN THE FLOOD OF 1S70-GREAT LoSS OF PHoF-
ERrY-JAMEs RIVER TWENTY INCHES HIGH.
Err AT RICHMOND THAN IN loIV-GKEAl " Ao TS
OF MILLS CORN FODDER, FENCES, &C, IN
AUGUSTA CoUNTY-NO LOSS OF LIFE 50 FAR
AS HEARD.
It began raining here on last Thursday morn
ing. but the rainfall during the day and night,
until ten O'Clock Friday morning, was only
sixty-five hundredths of an inch. FROM thls
time the rain began to descend heavily anu
continued until twelve o'clock Friday hlght,
during which time there fell three inches ana
sixty-six hundredths of an inch, making a TO-
tai in the thirty-six hours of four ana thlrty-
one hundredth inches.
This was not near so heavy rainfall as oc-
Cured in 1870. when it amounted to over nine
inches within twenty-four hours but 1t seems
to have extended over much larger portion OF
the watershed of the James and shenandoah
rivers and both of these streams were hlgher
than during that memorable HOOD. Inc de-
struction of railroad bridges and telegraph
lines has cut us off from all communication
with the outside world. We have had no mail
east, north, south or west-since last Thurs
day evening, and consequently can give no de-
tails of the damage done along the James river
and the lower part of the Shenandoah river.
c. & o. RAILROAD.
On the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad the dam
age has not been SO great as was at first appre-
hended. West of here the greatest injury was
at Millboro' Tunnel, where the stream which
runs through the tunnel washed away the
track from under the rails and cross ties. This
was repaired and freight trains from as far
west as Williamson's arrived here on Sunday
evening. At the Rivanna bridge below Char
lettesville the supports of the trestles on the
approach to the bridge were injured and and a
considerable portion of the road bed below the
bridge was washed away. A large force was at
once put to work and it is thought that the
train which left here yesterday (Monday) morn
ing will be able to get through to Richmobd.
LYNCHBURG.
We learn from kilograms that all the railroad
bridges at Lynchburg have been swept away.
RICHMOND.
At Richmond, a telegram received yesterday
morning, says that the water is 20 inches high
er than in the flood of 1870. Thewater at seven
o'clock Monday morning was around the st.
Charles Hotel on Main street and was still ris-
ing. The large boats belonging to schooners
y
streets and around the Old Market. The dam
age to property must be very great
VALLEY RAILROAD.
On the Valley Railroad the embankment at
the bridge at Mt. Crawford was so much injured
that trains could not pass. The river is said to
have been CHER than in the flood of 1870
Trains have been run from Staunton to the
bridge where the transfer of passengers has
been made
B. & O. RAILROAD.
The B. &. o. Railroad has sustained serious
losses in the vicinity of Harper's Ferry. Four
| bridges have been washed away and about two
miles of the track. A telegram received here
| Sunday evening from Superintendent Averill
said that the water, at eleven o'clock Sunday
| morning, was running over the big bridge at
Harper's Ferry, and that he thought it would
| take weeks to fully repair the damage which
had been done. 1t was rumored that the Big
| bridge at Harper's Ferry had also been swept
| away, but this lacks confirmation. The dam
age to the town of Harper's Ferry must be
very great.
AUGUSTA COUNTY.
/ There has been a great destruction Of proper
ty in this county. Middle river was nearly as
high as in 1870, and South river was higher
Mills were injured, fences swept away and
large tracts ofland greatly injured if not utter
ly ruined. There was little or no damage done
in the city of Staunton. Lewis creek though
very high on Friday night did not get out of
bounds, and was not so high as a heavy sum-
mer thunder storm has sometimes made it.
MIDDLE RIVER.
Middle river though not SO high as as in 1870
did considerable damage to the farmers and
millers along its banks. Every one Of them
loo i1,o MOI or1 Lose
The dam at Dudley's Grist mill was washed
away.
Hundley's bridgewas swept away as was also
the wheel Of his -four mill and a portion of the
foundation of the mill. The bridge cost seven
hundred dollars.
Col Anderson lost considerable quantity
of corn and fencing.
At Clines mill, now owned by Mr.. Andrew
Boiling the water was eighteen inches in the
second story, within ten inches of the high
water mark in 1870. Mr.. Boiling saved all his
| offaF by removing it to the third story. There
l was about seventy-five barrels Of flour on the
second floor belonging to Mr.. Boiling and GUS
| toners which were doubtless injured by the
| water.
| About twenty or twenty-five yards of the
Valley pike adjoining the north end of Middle
| River bridge was washed away, rendering ap-
proach to the bridge impossible. The bridge
itself was not injured.
Further down Middle River, near where
Lewis Creek empties, Mr.. S. H. McCue lost all
but seven shocks of the fodder from which he
had shucked twenty-five hundred bushels of
corn. He also had 80 acres of wheat completely
covered with sand He also lost large guam
tity of fencing. Mr.. N. E. Lyman and Edward
Furr of the same neighborhood lost largely in
1ver fOrtunatn N
having secured their corn before the mood canle.
Mr.. M. A. Wilder, living on the "Harper''
farm lost all his corn and large quantity of
I fencing.
BUFFALO GAP.
At Buffalo Gap the rain was almost a deluge.
| The branches coming out of the mountains
| were higher than In 1870. The Elliots Knob
| branch swept everything before it, The stables
| of the Buffalo Gap Iron and Steel Company
which have been standing for twenty years,
and were not touched in 1870, were swept off,
/ with quantity ofhay, oats, harness, &c. But
| for the courage and daring of Vim. M. Rowron.
| the consulting engineer of the company, all
| would have been lost. About II o'clock atnight
he noticed that the water was around the stables
and went to get out tho stock, mules &c. On
entering the stables he found that pert of the
building next the creek had been undermined
ceeded in getting out all of the stock. AS he
came out of the stables the water was splashing
over his shoulders and the stables moving Off
In a few moments not vestige could be seen of
the buildings. The damage to the Staunton
and Parkersburg Turnpike liz yariOusly esti-
| mated at from one to three thousand dollars
All the other roads jim the Gap were almost
completely destroyed.
MIDWAY.
The South River below Midway was five feet
higher than in 1870. The destruction of prop
erty was terrible. Corn crops, stables, grana-
ries, tobacco houses, &C., were washed away
| 1t is said the fertile Valley, known S9uth
| Bottom, has been completely rnined, all of the
soil being washed away. We have as yet been
unable to get at the details of the loss.
Mr.. Hite; a poor man, had his tobacco
house washed away, containing the whole re-
| suit of his years labor rs also lost horse,
/ which was swept awayin the Good.
The chimney of the house of Mrs TAYLOR 0l