Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-02-12

| the cellars have patent sewer traps which pre-
vents the water backing In them, but at l0:S0
| OF water flowing in from the surface. AT that
| hour the water from street was divided into
| two streams at 9th street One Gowed down the
south Si6e OF the avenue TO the sewer, about
half way to A. street.
| THE SCENE ABOUT THE B. AND .. pEpor
| was strange one, the building being entirely
surrounded by water and the passengers arriy-
| ing by the trains from the north stepping from
| the cars to the busses which In the yard Of the
depot backed directly TO the steps of the cars.
| In 'front.' OF the building some OF the 9th street
cars were stalled for time and Detng filled with
| passengers as the water rushed down with
| fpghtful rapidlty, there was some alarm felt,
especially by the lady passengers. The hack
| men and 'buss drivers, however. went to the
| assistance OF the car passengers and conveyed
them to terra tirma. While The water was
property on 9th street and Missouri avenue
and who hasa suit pending against the Dis
tr1ct for damage thereto by defective sewerage,
| took occasion to call on Mr.. A. q. Riddle. the
attorney Of the District, and request him to
come down and view It, ana the latter did so.
WATER IN WASHINGTON MARKET.
AT an early hour the Washington market
had few inches OF water 10 1t, and IL rose
rapidly, and soon the flood was knee high.
Many OF the dealers hastily LEFT, but those
their ground. anticipating that 1t would not be
long before the water would recede. The
butchers and many other of the market dealers,
later In the morning, eXtemporized street
stands on the north side OF the avenue in front
OF the stands erected for the inauguration, and
there vended their wares to customers. The
'front.' axle of Mr.. Il. w. Hortin's wagon broke
when in the center OF the stream, opposite the
market, on 9TH street. lie had with MIN his
wife and two little children OF Mr.. J. E. Cay
wood. They were all safely rescued.
THE SCENE FROM THE TOPS OF HIGH HOUSES
about the center of the city was remarka ole
one the sheet OF water stretching almost from
the foot of the Capitol to the Potomac, and ex-
tending nOrthward to the avenue and south
ward across the mall, in many places with peo-
pie moving about the streets In boats.
THE HUNORs OF TRg FLOOD
AZ the intersection OF the Pennsylvania av-
enue and opera house reservation large crowd
OF actors were merry over the situation Pur-
chasers OF reserved seats were told 10 apply
Immediately at the ticket oIlice for their re-
demption. or else trust to the Ford" and reach
the house In that primitive style. When the
performance began, Callahan, OF the Marble
saloon. kept, as il We're, open house, AMI Of
fered all that would call whisky and water
the latter In abundance. "The market.house
was Mount Ararat," said one. "Ary-rat there
was doomed, as he had Noah to go,n said an
other. Plant, the assistant treasurer, was called
water plant" The loss OF the matinee and
night 70 Manager Ford-who was Oh the spot
be much less than Thousand dollars. as no
performances can be given before Monday
This is no Joke. was his comment. After the
deluge Ohvette will be presented.
tcc Gorge Below the City.
The ice commenced to gorge across the chan
mel at Glesboro' about O'clock this morning
and about 10 o'clock 1t had, 10 all Appearances,
become a solid gorge across to the Virginia
shore blocking up the river entirely to the Long
bridge and above II TO georgetown. IT'S had
the effect OF raising the water to an unprece-
deDted height, most OF the Wharyes on the river
'front.' raising up and floating. The water al
the lDlanG aGu Seaboard company's wharf, near
the arsenal grounds. raised about 5 feet above
the highest tide, surrounding the depot and
Warehouse, and had it not been for the I'M
mense weight OF hour and other heavy freight
stored Inside, the whole wharf would have been
lifted up.
THE STEAMER JOHN GIBSON IN DANGER
The steamer John Gibson. which was mooret
at the end this wharf. was lifted up on the end
wharf, and was thought TO be in danger OF being
crushed. The ferry wharf was almost com
pleteiy submerged, and the steamer Arrow hal
tioated In on the end of the Potomac ferry
wharf, where she Will probably be high and dry
sheI Shen the he water T supsides Stephenson
lumber and wood mixed In with The gorged Ice
All tie wharves between this point and the
Long bridge are In the same condition.
Another Gorge at Fort WasIi in.t0r
Word reached Engineer Wilson about noon
that there Is another gorge at forl Washington
and Alexandria had TO stop running on account
OF the accumulated ice At j. O'clock every
thing remained a fixture IN he lower river eX-
ccept at the north draw OF the bridge where
thefe was small open space In the ice and
the under flow appeared to be running like
mlll-race. There appears to be no perceptible
difference through the action OF the tides. the
water at i2 o'clock being fully as high az this
morning when the tide was supposed TO be aJ
the highest.
TlIE GIEsEoRo GORGE UNBRoKES.
Up to the hour OF going to press there is no
Indications OF break In the gorge, the water
sometimes falling and then rising at the Long
Bridge. The Ice In the channels appears 10
have completely filled them up.
THE SCENE ALONG THE ENTIRE WHARF fRoNTAGg E
OF WASHINGTON
has been one OF great activity all day. Boat
men have been engaged in securing theif prop
erty and lumbermen their lumber against being
taken of when the break occurs, which is
Thought VIII take place at the next high tide.
some OF the buildings and Offices on the ends OF
thr piers have careened over and Will probably
lioat OH with the ice when it starts, Several
coats have been damned IN and crushed by the
Ice pressure. and other small craft have beer
sunk and carried under with the under-current,
Which II Is thought is running at a strong rate
The Long Bridge in Danger.
the water commenced rising at the Long
bridge about o'clock this morning. and many
OF our river merchants, steamboat men, and
oWIefs or vessels were mp all night looking
ior general crash The ice about foot thick
came down In vast sheets, piled in some eases
hlgh up IN the air and with such force as to
make the bridge uemble and creak from
one ehd 10 the other. AS the water
rose and the Ice accumulated the roar was in
cessant, and could be heard all over south
Washington. The dense fog prevented an eS~
tended view. but this morning at intervals
when the fog would raise momentarily the
scene up and down stream was an exceedingly
animated one. There did not appear to be
much drift wood among the Ice. but IL is
lhought tnere VIII be more, as the drift comes
nom miles higher up the river. at daylight
hundreos OF men and boys We're collected at The
Long bridge and On the line Of It. Pegs were
sliven down by the bridge men 70 mark the
rapidltY or the rise, which amounted to nearly
tour feet at O'Clock. and had lifted the plank
IOt-Walk on the causeway, carrying tt over
on the carriageWGy. AS the heavy cakes OF ice
came down with the tide the iron work or the
draws were noticed TO bend and buckle cut OF
place.
TRAVEL OVER TIE BRIDGE sCsPENnRp.
The local railroad train which arrives here
at 6:32 a. N. was the last one which came over.
ard ABOUT this time the fog lifted and VAST
pile OF ice was noticed along the Virginia shore
gorging up near the bridge and throwing the
iocd Channel little north The men employed
oy the railroad company were busy on the en-
Tire length of the bridge with poles to loosen
the Ice wherever 1t accumulated and threatened
10 mass, and some were employed In loosening