Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-11-25
The GREAT FRESHET.
RAID RISE or raE poreuaC
Tie UaieF Higher fy,dn since IS52
Dcstructi0n ct Property I'm aud about
tEe Distract

tt:e Distract
THE STAR Of Saturday evening gave me
first warning to Tie PEOPLE of the DiStrlc.
cities oi an approaching iibOd In the Potomac
IN d;sIRtcu from HzrpeE's Ferry Taa
wafer continued 10 rise rapidly az that poi -
un'll 4 was higher Than ever known before
and immense damage resulted 10 railroads
bridges, farms, etc, as shown by the reports
In other columns OF Ihis paper. Saturiay
hight the signal observer A. Hampers Ferry
reported botn rivers the Potomac ani Sne1-
al ooah) 'rising rapidly; now thirteen feet
htONe low water mark rne merchants a ,t
mIllers Of Georgetown. aud along our river
front, al once took precautionary ine asures
e. gBSlBg help 10 take their goods 10 places Of
safely. Men were Kept at work continu slly
during the might. It was not long before tue
food assumed such dimensions as 20 cause
grave 'taTs Tor The consequences. TIE meg
chants, takit Z recent To bis a. the criterioa
generally removed then goOls above tGe
bis hest points Of tho So lOoiS, but the water
continue 10 rise. and Ia SOmr cases gods
had 10 be removed several times, AMI IA
O,EeT cases the floors "a Tie warehouses were
covered 10y The al yancing walters. BasOra I.
O'Clock the water was above tae wlarvas
ard yesterday afternoon the streets IN tue
lower PSri OF Georgetown were naylgabla by
row boats. while immense masses OF drift
wood, bridge tmbrrs, barrels OF iplr auI
OF, farm tools and proinc'S, pumpkins,
corn, ctc, from me upper Potomac were
sweeping along by the Iowa in the angry
EOCd.
THE SCENE FROM THE CHAIN BRIDGE
was grand. Looking up stream one no loaEAr
saw Wild mass OF rocks aud tangled s.lru D
berry with the clear water tumb,ing throagh
the rsrrow channel 10 which 1t was conf 1ei
but there was Instead a broad eNpause OF
seelliEg muddy water extending from the
CTsgs on The Virginia side ID the hills OF Ma
rylaLd. Up stream, about the l. tile Falls,
canal and river were all one Nearer ths
bridge the river water was lower and tue
tow path Of the canal was cut throu On by
tie iced Ia dozen places. From the N!r-
glnia side j; was like looking up the rapids
az Niagara Falls, except that mere the water
was almost old with iuud, and was loaded
with timber ewn aud rough. and pumpkins
snd Other farm products. Wrecks OF bridges
and houses were rapidly driven on the boil
ing GCot. As the angry waters struck the
piers OF the bridge they were forced 10 al
most 10 the qulvcring timbers nd then ART
ed again on their rapid race for the sea.
Looking down The rlV or the water was daSlat
suG io-s, q into the shape of ocean break
eis. Behind tie piers IL boiled and bubb,ei
like The contents OF some Internal cauldr0 4,
with q roar equal 10 that OF a torhadO.
Great trees and newn tnlb rs coming DIVA
stTt am would sometimes strike the piers aud
he whiIled into the air against the bridge.
In one case q tree trunk about sixty feet long
and almost two feet in diameter was swept
crossways against per and ia an instant
was broken into three parts aud yep, away
in the mighty currenf. One fralGc tnill
owner was racing wildly along the roai
lCskirg for Inc canal authorities 10 stop the
fCw OF water into that iriniat9 re river walcl
was OVERCOMING into mis- mill anI doing
some damage. As the river and canal were
one sheet of wafer al ths head OF the canal it
Is needless 10 say that the canal auth0rid =
did not interfere, no matter how mu IA dis
posed they might have been 10 dam the
THE RIVER AT WASHING TON
TIE river in ihIs vicinity co nm enc Il r.s-
ing Saturday evening, and the iiooi steadily
increased until about 10 O'Clock yest5r lay
afternoon, AT which time the water gage a.
The south draw OF The Long Bridge res,stersd
four feet above high water marx, where IL
stood, varying but litte mp % nightiall, at
which time there We're indie &tions of a still
higher rise on The flood tide.
The SCENES ON THE Long BRIDGE
and along our shores al Jay yeStsr las were
exceedingly animated, thousands OF persons
being assembled ia see The fioct aud drifJ-
wood pass doSn. There has not b en- such
quantity OF debris pass dowa during any
feed foT many years. This continued with.
cut iniernlission throughout the entire day
yesterday, and he drift was still coming
down when night SHUT IN the scene.
SUSPENSION OF TRAVEL.
The water rose above the low lands on the
south shore, covering them completely, as
we'll as tie carriage track running parallel
with the railroad, from the south end of the
bridge TO Roach's spring, and reaching near
To a level with The rails. OF purse, travel
ling with vehicles across was impossible,
and but few trains passed, owing TO the dam
ger OF weakening culvcrts, several OF which
Showed signs of breaking away. The owners
OF small boats, as is usual on such occasions
drove a thrifty though perilous business i'm
CATCHING DRIFT WOOD,
and many cords OF fence rails, plauks, &c.
are piled up at this end of the bridge aud
along the wharves. This dangerous employ
melt was carried On both above aud below
The bridge most OF the day until the tide
turned on the ebb in the afternoon, which so
Increased The swiitness of the current that
many abandoned it, not caring TO run the
risk OF life, and so tugged with their crap.
ping irons and hooks from the shore.
SOME PUMPKINS,
Among the debris were hundreds OF yell
low pumpkins swept from OF the corn fields
on the bottom lands many miles above. and
The scramble for them was lively, some OF
the skilis coming in loaded with them. Men,
women, and boys could be seen going homs
with large pumpkin under each arm, and
rows of them lined the bridge aud shore. Toe
damage 10 crops on the river farms must
have been considerable, judging from the
vast quantities of hay, corn, and fodder, that
was afioat. The damage up TO last night
along our river front was very light compIr-
a,iyely. This was owing TO the cal al s. ate
of the weather throughout the day. Il sd
there been heavy gale accompanying the
fiCod the loss to our river men and wharf
owners must have been heavy. AS IL was,
constant vigilance hal TO be exercised TO
keep lumber AID light material from float
ingt fl. most OF tie waarves being submerged
the entire day.
SHIPPING SWEPT OFF.
Several schooners moored too far out in
The stream parted their cables aud drifted
down. y schooner belonging to Capt. Henry
hn1snt broke away near the south draw OF
the Long bridge and dr.fted to Giesboro',
where She went ashore. The seine boat also
belonging 10 Capt. Knight, used by him in
fshir above the south end OF the bridge.
fOated of, the last seen of her being OF
Alexandra. This boat was hauled up high
cid dry some distance from the river in the
rear OF the fish house. The tavern at the
south end OF the bridge was completely sur
rounded with water, and the proprietor aud
bis wife busted themselves In fishing for
6rif,woo1 from their doorway.
About L O'Clock yesterday the schooner
Julia A. Ward, Capt. Atkins, loaded with
ice, laying at the kennebec Ice company's
wharf, parted cable, and swung out into the
current. Two anchors were thrown out, one
OF which broke. The other dragged until
the vessel came opposite Libbeys wharf,
where she hung, aiad was al anchor last
night, in dangerous proximity 10 the Ana
lOstan Boat Club house. She was directly in
the current, which was rushing with con-
sidei able force against the boat house, rem
deriDg ii necessary TO remove the lower
clalboards.
THE SOUTH DRAW OF THE LONG BRIDGE
was Lot opeled at all afoer O'Clock in the
m orning, The gear underneath IL having be.
come cloeged with drlft wood, rendering AZ
unsafe 20 open, and several tug boats were
Kept nom passing through. The trains ceased