Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1881-02-22


FLooDED-UP THE AVENUE IN boats
REsCUING PEOPLE FROM THE SECOND
STORY wINDows-Tlm long BRIDGE
GONE.
Especial to the Philadelphia Times
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12.-Onc Of the
most extensive freshcts ever witnessed
in this region paid its respects to This
city to-day, doing immense damage TO
property and filling the capital with eX-
element. Fortunately the warning of
the breaking Of the ice above Hapcr's
Ferry and the rapid rise Of the river at
that point yesterday prepared the wharf
owners and Walehousemen in 4 measure
for the threatening destruction. All
last night was spent in getting such per-
| ishable goods rs could be removed i'm u
place Of safety. The extent, however,
Of the Hood was wholly unlocked for
More than Il square mile of the business
section Of the city is now under water,
and boats have been plying up and down
| Pcnnsylyan aiyenue all the afternoon.
The food still shows little signs of abate-
ment. Great fields Of ice came sweep
ing down early this morning and gradu-
ally formed Il gorge against the Long
| bridge. As most Of this bridge is u SOL
id casucway, the ice soon formed a COM
plctc dam from the District of the Vir-
ginia shore, piling high above the road
way, crushing the foot and wagonwayS
like so much paper and bending the
trestle-worll over the channel into seq
mcnt of q circle. Here the railroad men
and and bridgc-tenders, with n big gang,
fought the blockade until given to ilee
from the danger which mcuaccd them
and the bridge together. The back
water upon Georgetown sWAmped the
wharyes and houses in less than an hour
and tmcw.schooners up into the streets
aId played havoc generally. Atthe
same time it found its way around the
obstruction Of the bridge across the mon
umcnt lot, Obliteratlng the valuable gov
crument fish ponds, overloWing the
Smithsonian grounds and pouring over
all the lower section Of the city. BY 10
o'clock ithad ilHcd every cellar and base
ment and was flooding the first floors Of
houses next to the mall, from Fourteenth
street TO the Botanical Gardens. At ~
it had risen to the middle Of the first
stories OF these lower dwellings, and The
pauic-stricl,cn inhabitants were being
rescued from The sccOnd-story windows
by means Of boats and express wagons,
tie water being up to the horses backs.
1t had cncroachcd on Pennsylvania ave-
nuc, which presented nearly half q mile
Of ugyi yahle waterway, fully sufficient
TO claim consideration In the river and
harhor bill. The market men were COM
PEELED hastily to abandon the market
house, which was soon In about five feet
Of water. About the same depth sur
rounded Furd's Opera House, from
which Willie Edouin's company had to
withdraw their baggage in boats, All
the restaurants, saloons, commission
houses, etc., IN the locality, below and
above ground, are completely Hooded
aud thousands Of dollars worth of goods
destroyed. The Mctrmollan line Of
ears, which runs down along the mall to
the Baltimore and Potomac depot, ran
until llogicd from the track into the re-
scryaian. The depot itself was in The
middle of lake and was inaccessible
except by boat.
Still the water kept rising until the
hot press of the Sunday Hrdld stood In
five feet of water. This is on y. street,
above the avenue Half u mile Of busl-
ness Easements and cellars on both sides
Of the avenue IN the business section Of
the city are filed with water All busi-
ness has been suspended. Thousands of
people congregate on the stress 10 watch
the food aud the grcatcst excitement
prevailed all day. As the sidewalks
were under water all pedestrian travel
was by roundabout ways, while The
street curs on the avenue line, the Her.
i,s, boats and every Kind of means Of
transportation were IN demand Scy-
cnth street, opposite the Washington
Market, Is five feet updcr water IN the
cars leading through thia TO the Wharycs
passengers stood upon the seats and rode
on top, the water flowing IN through the
cars Mt every passage, The So. James
Hotel ~ flooded on the frat iloor, and
the guests are unable 10 get ont or In cX-
crpl by bridging inside and boats out
side, while the National and Melropoli-
tan cellars are fun The wntcr lacked
two or three inches high enough TO en-
ter the office floors. To complicntc mat
tcrs Of travel, early This evening fire
occurred on the aycnuc and for more
than nn hour the cars were blockndcd,
leaving no means for the public to gct
one way or The other. Early IN the dny
the Census Olllce basement wns over
flowed aud II took the fire engines aud
hard work to snyc The census records
The damage viii cost the city aud gov
ernmcnt more money than would he re-
qurcd 10 domolish the Long Bridge
cnscwav and build n new bridge. No
loss Of life u reported. A couple ofwo-
men narrowly escaped drowning before
they were rescued fiom street car and
n couple Of men by the oycrtulning Of n
boat which collidcd with carrlige. A
large number of poor families are
drowned out In the lower section.
The wntcr completely surrounded
building on The south side Of the Long
bridge In which were several women.
but they were finally rescued and
brought TO this city. The boats were re-
moved from the boat houses of the Ana
loalan, POiomNs and Columbia Boat
Clubs and TIN lumber on the Wlurycs IN
Georgetown was anchored ~ securely ns
possible, but some Of IL was carried
away. All travel over the Long bridge
WINS suspended this morning and no
trains are leaving here for The South via
Alexandria. The traiu from the North
over the Baltimore and Potomac road
are stopped several squares south Of The
'drpoi aud passengers are transferred In
coaches aud wagons through The water,
which extends from Pennsylvania ave-
nuo beyond y street, q distance Of about
three squares, and IA from two feet to
four feet deep The wires between
Washington and Aloxandfia are Hll
down, aud the Wcstorp Union Ia scnl-
Ing ita Southern business TO Alexandria
by messengers on horseback, who are
obliged TO ciosa the Aqucduct bridge ut
Georgetown, where the Wntor ls almost
un IA thr ttidWH mud tho tpn L. uouU1iUu