Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-11-26
The Storm.

scribel 10 Saturdays Gazette, was one o; the
most disastrous that ever occurred in this sec
ton of county, and from ell quarters como It'd
ines Of the ruiz it left 10 its track. From yes.
to-day afternoon until lsto this morning, when
q few tug boats were enabled 10 make Roadway
against the nooa in the Potomac, and the teie
graph repaired, Alexandria was cut CIT from
communication with the outside wolld by rta
son of the prostration OF the wires and the gus
pension of operations on the railroads ana fer
ry beats connecting this With distant and neigh
boring cities The following are thu latest re-
ports received up to the hour CT going to press
The Washington Uniou says:
The high water ip the river on Saturday cuI-
minated 10 one OF tn, largest frcshcts ever
known. The water commenced to rs; about 5
o'clock, aud before u o'clock, was over The
wharVcs. Before this, however, private dis
patch, dated Sandy Hook, November u, 10 46
D. NJ, was received here, AID at once handed
over to the police authorizes. This read
Move everything you can. Water over tow
path. River rising from two TO three !'ci pr
hour
Acting upon this, the police Immediately
notified all the business men on Water street,
rropariy on the street. Had it not becn Tor
this the loss would have been bsycud what it
is. As it is, those who suiFare! arr 'hj,s: "hn,
though they moved their pEop"t!y,s:j;j cot take
i: sufficient distance, believing thas lie fl )cd
woud not be Of any consequences.
As inlimated. the ircshet was tic worst yet
exI cricoccd The water had risen last night
Twelve inches above the marx OF tn, highest
water Of the flood Of April 80, 1852. and eleven
and 4 half above thst Of Ottobcr lst, 1870.
Tic rapd!ty AID strength OF the current equal.
led, if not cXoclicd, any previous ir@shct. Ihc
walcr, abou: one clock, commenced 10 cCmn
iuso Wafer street, and before t1o hours hid
passed the street, in the vic:rlty Of COng!csS
street, Tos covered With water deep eGous!! to
float boat. Steadily rising, az i've Geek the
water had cfcpt up until 1t reached l!Ou Wash
ingt0n street to High, with q depth # 1t least
three aud :..h!if ,ect. Shortly a!ttrwa!I, the
water, hitherto coniccd TO The c9ul wharscs,
south CT the street spread o7cr the curbiug,
ana il less than thirty minutes the street irO:u
Potomac street to Frederick WIS sheet OF
water SIX irches deep. Above here, near the
Aqu,duct bridge, the Sater was pouring l1to
Water street., coming underneath tie piers,
aud swccpio; onward and irIcSisaby. At ten
o'clock last night the waltr Vas still ri>iag with
| the worst yet 70 comc, for high tide was at two
o'clock this morning, and 4 large quantity of
water Wa expected irGu ;:tcvc.
Tie scGEC III the river rlvalIcu d.: cNpilcn. LD
H. c2.trc Of the stream was lie boiling tui bid
current, rupuing ut the rate OF Ten .,cs ii,
hour. Against the piers Of the AqucdGcI
bridge dashed the Wafer, spoulirg high up in
The air. The surface ct the rive: showed, 10
s)mc cxtrrt, The extent of !hc disaster above.
WhcIe trees, I'll kiods CT garden produce, lock,
gates, barrels OF fur, EhiskcY, ana Gil, kegs
of powder and fish, scows, row boats, and o
side OF 4 log house, were amo3g tic various
articles which were caught ty the ircshct aud
carried off. The whole loss to the bu-iacsS men
Of Water street brings 10 the iact that q heavy
ireshct was not expected, and therefore proper
prccaution were not takeu in every case to re.
move property which WAS in danger. Ike iol
lowing is, however, detailed account Of the
losses sustained, commencing at Rock creek ::
At the wharf Of the Consolidation Coal Com
pauy but little damage Was done. The engine
room Of the company, aud the sh&tiog which
cocpects the driving wheel. and the apparatus
for hoistiug coal, was submerged to an extent
CT over three feet. The machinery will, OF
course, have to be mnie diatclp cleaned. Twenty
cords Of wocd, belonging to j. e. Tag Il Co.,
which laid on the wharf, was nca. j. I'll washed
away.
This wharf vas also torn up, and the flooring
scattered. At the In Nbcr wharf CT Joseph snd
j. H. Libbey the whole stock was buAyed up,
and every prccaution had bcoa taken to pre-
vent the floating awgy OF the lumber. %
Whcatley Bro. s wharf, where some $40, 900
worth CT Lumbar was piled, the same measures
were taken. Nothing Ct any consoquoucc had
been lost up to 10 o'clock las. eight, although
if the water raised two or three feet more, the
current which would rush down from Water
street through the alleys between the pics,
would sweep everything before it. Tho Great
Falls Ice Company have suffered greatly. The
water rose iuto their ice house, 10 which was
stored 200 tons Of ice, and made it total loss.
The damage to the yard, together With tie loss
OF the ice. is recituned at 81, 900.
The Potomac Boat Clubs hoasc was likewise
filled with wafer. and The damage done here is
considerable. The house cJulaiucd so:1ir sixty
boats belonging to the club aud private pcra)us,
which were net taken out until late yesterday
evening. lu the meantime, tic boats cDllidcd
against cath .other, ard one, single shell tho
What other damage has been done eanao: be
or, had a number Of barrels lest. y numbcr Of
these wcre 1loating about in the Streets where
they will be high and dry when the river falls
The firm Ct Lyons & Gacg'er, commission
merchants, had few barrels OF flour wet before
they could be removed.
Their stock, about GU barrels aud IS sicas #
1ouc, aud 100 bushels of meal, were taken to
90 upper story, Just as the water covered the
floor. 10 Hyde's steamship ware house on the
wharf were piled 100 bags Of sunac. These
were removed to the basement ot INC c3m.
paDy's building ca Water strccs and piled on
barrels three feet hight. Even ti:is. !,ow"ver,
was no5 sufficient, Tor by eight clock last night
the water reached shem.
Iu the warehouse Of q. I. Dunlop {; Go. is
stored SIG, 600 worth Of guano and other fc.;il-
lzlog stuff. Tbiswls reached by the water last
night aud nearly Ill rGloed.
La the New York steamships warehouse, Oh
the wharf, we're stored 500 barrels Of four
These we're cot removed until too late for Wag-
ons to wok, the water having risco rapidly;
and 10 save the -four. holes were cut 10 the root
and i: was piled up beyond the reach Of the
water, although some barrels were dam gcd be-
fore this was accomplished. 1t was reported
last night that The root had given 10, hut this
could not be verified, as the water surrounded
81, -. I