The daily gazette., 1877-11-28
FLOOD In RICHMOND.
SOME OF THE SCENES AND IN
CID ENTS.
IMMENSE DAMAGEDONE

noOd there
In Rockets, which is nearer the river
than any other portion of The city, acres
of streets, thickly built, were surrounded
and many of the houses completely bur-
led beneath the water. No warning
could have prepared the inhabitants for a
flood so terrible in its effects and so swift
in its desolatlon. After the midnight
hour the city gas works were submerged
and the city was thrown into darkness.
Steadily, stealthily, swiftly the seething
tide rushed through the city into the
darkened houses, giving no warning save
when it crashed in windows, and then
by its increasing volume broke down the
f1imsy barrier of doors like reed stems in
the path of cyclone.
Boats enough could not be gotten to-
gether to do what was necessary. Sturdy
fathers could be seen moving cautiously
through the water bearing their little ones
on their shoulders people crawled to
their third floors, and as they saw the
water climbing upwards called out tor
boats to take them of. Horses and
wagons, which were first in demand, were
now set aside for skiffs and barges.
Great trunks of trees, portious Of
bridges and masses of timber swept down
the stream and tore up such shanties and
buildings as stood in their path. Nothing
stayed the progress Of the destructive
flood. A single timber fell from a bridge
mile up the stream. 1t gathered strength
and fury as it went on and tore up a
small outhouse on the river bank, and
clinging close to this, gathered timbers as
it moved, when the whole mass was
hurled against the roofs of the houses in
its track. 1t went on down the stream,
gathering strength, and being on the swift
current, a very animate engine of terror
and anuihilation. AS it tore down the
James river, crushing everything before
| il, this confused mass of timbers looked
in the ghoslly light of the moon like a
living monster, finging huge arms in
fierce contortions where the river cur
rent was not broken. Such was the sight
! in Rockets.
In the vicinity of the gas works on
Main street, between Fifteenth and
Seventeenth streets, the appearance of the
water was more insidiouS, and came In
more slowly. Here there was no current
and the water backed into the city by
way of Shocker creek. AT 10 O'Clock il
was over the doors in the old market and
covered Main, Cary and Franklin street.
for distance of three squares.
The headquarters of the Chief of Po'
/ lice and the First Police Station House
were blocked up, the water rising rapidly
until it was above the first story, SO th'
policemen had to climb from the secont
story windows into the flatboats in the
street.
ga line of ferry boats was quickly es
tablished to enable communication be
tween the upper and lower sections Q
the city. The very centre of the busl
iness portion of lower Richmond was un
der water at 10 o'clock. The bus1nes
signs of the wholesale and retail house
floated, and the only mode of egress wa
from second story windo ws, While a
half-past o'clock to-day the New Yorl
sheds were under water and it was owe
the caves The second floor of the com
pany's office could only be seen, Will
the current swept through the building
and over the office counters.
0At O'Clock the New York steame
. Isaac Bell, of the Old Dominion Line
which was anchored near by the roof
the shed, broke loose from her mooring
and was hurled broadside down the cul
/
houses in Rockets. At one moment
looked as though she would tear he
path through Main street and swee
down the houses whose roofs held thel
trembling owners at another, as til
current laden with trees and tlmDe
struck her, she looked as though sh
would careen and fall on her side. Sh
danced on the water like cork, an
looked from the streets she was nearln
as large as the Great Eastern, for the pee
pie were below the level of her huu. Th
sight of large steamboat bearing dow
to ward the narrow streets was terror-i1
spring, but her officers succeeded in find
ing an anchorage down the river, nea
Youngling's James River Brewery, an
guided her from the streets In time {
save them and her from damage.
cats o'clock the Baltimore Steamboa
Company's sheds succumbed to the tide
and with crash, fell, a ashapeless mas
of fshattered timbers and splintered plank
leaving not even post or pillar to mar
its site. The James River Steamboa
Company's sheds, with the immens
heaps of new timbers piled near for thei
enlargement, followed about II o'cloeR
as the current rushed on and the Volum
of water struck the city with increasln
force, and the new sheds of the Ne'
York Company shook and vibrate
throughout their Wnole lenS6n du
breadth, but stood bravely for the timt
although the water was over their eavei
and beating against their tin-capped roo
buried far out of sight, and loade
brigs and schooners sailed where Doc
: street was. At three o'clock this ever
ing the red-shirted and bronzed-face
crews swept their oars throughout th
whole length of Dock street, and tn
/ streets running thereinto. The trest!
work from the Chesapeake and ON
: Railroad tunnel was surrounded .
water, and the engine, which once a a
, tempted to rush over it, looked from afa
) as though she were sailing through waite
"The Richmond, York River, au
Chesapeake Railroad track at and nei
Richmond was submerged, while the 81
tire depot shook in the current OF I'll
= waters that engulfed it and It's plan
sides were torn off and hurled away.
"The extent of the losses and damag
both to public and private property, ca
not be estimated. In this city alone u
figures will reach into tho millions al
in the State the losses will be immense