Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-03-13

railroad and me telegraph people are unable 70
tell them anything, and SO they come 60 US IN a
last resort. About ali we have done since yester.
day morning fs tho answering OF foolish Questions
THE srU AIios UNCHANGED TuIs AFTERNOON.
The railroad situation was unchanged at q late
hour this afternoon. Communication with the
West was open and uninterrupted both by the
Pennsylvania and Baltimore and Ohio lines,
or points between New. YORK and Baiti-
| Pennsylvania road was clear as far as Whining
| ton. As there was no Geographic communication
TO expect trains or now far train leaving here in
the direction OF New YORK would be likely to go.
The Pennsylvania line stopped selling tickets this
afternoon TO any point farther north than Balti-
| more.
Low Water i'm the Potomac.
THE STEAMERS FORCED TO SUSPEND THEIR TRIPS.
| The water In the Potomac is lower to-day than
| river men have ever known 1t before caused by
| the high Winds and all business on the river has
! been suspended. The river steamers and other
boats and vessels anchored along the wharves are
either sunk in the mud or are high and dry ON
| land. The bottom Of the river from the edge OF
the channel to the shores Is laid bare and frozen
stiff enough to walk on to the edge OF the channel
| The ferry boats were unable to run yesterday or
/ to-day, ana the steamer COrcoran was unable TO
make It's usual trip to Mount Vernon. The John
Gibson, from New York, is almost entirely out Of
water. Many OF the oyster sloops and other boats
are clear out OF the water, and none OF the boats
are able to get away from the wharyes. No word
has been received from
THE STEAMER JANE N0sELRY,
which left here sunday afternoon for Norfolk. She
had not reached ner destination yesterday after
noon. This Is the only steamer ON the river which
Is not accounted for but the ofcers OF the steam-
boat company entertain no fears for her safety.
They think she is anchored In Cornfleld Harbor.
The steamer Leary is in about Az feet OF water.
Persons who have been about the river for moro
than forty years say they never saw the water 80
than the average tide range The Arsenal wharf
has been completely wrecked by The wind.
In the Eastern Branch the water IL also very
low, and has been so for number OF days. the
Hats about Jennings are laid bare, and WILL give
good idea OF the amount Of land that would be
reclaimed by building a sea wall ana nlllng 10
water is SO low in the Channel that sand scows
can hardly continue at work. The water IN both
the river and branch Is getting lower, and the ss-
pension OF business will cause great loss TO the
steamboat companies. The storm has also had g
bad effect on the oyster and fishing interests ana
FISH dealers say that IT VIII make the flsh season
very late.
THE RIVER PARTLY BLOWN AWAY.
There Is considerable truth In the statement
that the wind has blown the river away, as odd as
1t may sound. For quite a distance on each side
OF the Potomac above and below the free bridge
the sides OF the bed or the river are exposed on
account OF the stin winds which have driven the
water TO deeper places and blown quaint
| ties upon the land. The sides OF the river bed,
aIteC Delug exposed IOr SnOrL Cline, DccOulc Oy,
| and clouds OF dust arise at each gust OF vino.
| Men who for years have seen the Potomac river
| in most every condition declare that they have
| boat builder, thinks that the water as It Is now
does not reach within feet of the usual l0w-tlde
mark, and he Is also OF the opinion that before
| the day Is over the depth or the river at THIS
! point will be lesSened considerably. young man
| named Craven King, employed about the wharves,
| at sd street to the New York steamship wharf
and under this wharf, and again from the fish
wharf to the coal wharves at the free bridge IN
his walk he picked up some Jew carpenters tools
| and bits OF iron that had lain under water The
water around the Three Sisters is SO very low That
the surrounding rocks with the sisters" make II
| appear Joined together and form quite an island
| What They Say at the Signal OFFICE.
i GEN. GREELY's REMARKS ON THE LOADED -TELE-
| GRAPH POLE NUISANCE, ETC.
81 hope that this storm will carry conviction to
| Congress" said Gen. Greedy to STAR reporter
! this morning, "that the overhead wires ought to
| be abolished, except perhaps for local work. II
would be money In the pockets OF the western
Union and other telegraph people to bury all of
! their wires. To be sure, the expenditure would be
considerable at first, but in few years the money
saved from the cost OF repairs would more than
to ot the original OUTLAY ha ros Tsi
been under the ground alongside OF the railroad
tracks, instead OF being strung on poles along the
endangering life and delaying travei You see
the way they load the poles, sometimes with 40 or
80 wires causes IL TO be possible for The breaking
of only few OF them to so tangle the rest that
they are all useless
''THIs STORM Is UNPRECEDENTED"
he added, sat this time OF the year. do not think
that the temperature has ever before been 80 low
In Washington at this time. The lowest point
reached was IA degrees abovezero, which occurred
this morning; that is also about as low as we have
had this year"
Prof Able was not to be found when the scribe
climbed the stairs to the predictions room. The
DC n n w0nln n.
ions, but referred the reporter TO
THE BULLETIN SHEETS
that hung on ale on the side OF composing case.
Beginning with saturday night they read as fol-
lows:
four hours commencing at 3 am. Sunday: For
District of Columbia. Maryland, Delaware, and
Virginia, fresh to brisk southeast winds, slightly
warmer, threatening weather and rain. For
North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, &C., STA
tionary temperature, light to fresh southeast
oy sSa wss ;Ss iSe
four hours commencing . p. m. sunday: Fresh TO
brisk easterly winds, with rain. will prevail To-
night, followed on Monday by colder. brisk west
Fam, March la-Fresh to brisk westerly winds,
backing to fresh southwest, colder, followed by
"a m, March I3-The storm.center has moved
slowly along the middle Atlantic coast, and is
now near Nova Scotia. For the District Of COum-
bia: Fresh to brisk northwest winds, colder, fair
weather.
THE WEATHER PROPHET AsTRAY.
Thus 1t will be seen that the prophet snufhed q
breeze on Saturday night, but hts predictions did
not hint at anything like the upheaval or the Gle
ments that actually occurred He also had an eye
on the inctpient tempest that was then brewing In
Georgia, the bad end of the storm trough, which
afterward swept up the shore and snapped the
cords OF our electric intelligence. This disaster
cut OF the Signal ONCE as well as the
other part OF humanity IRON outside knowledge
hence the slip that was made yesterday when a
prediction OF warmer weather was made. They
changed their minds, however, at 7 this morning.
and concluded that IL was little safer to stick 10
the c0ld-waye scheme.
THE MAXIMUM VELOCITY OF THE WIND
was is miles, attained this morning, and the low
est temperature was ID degrees above, watch was
noted at o'clock this morning. 1t is net safe to
assume that the storm has subsidized In Norfolk or
anywhere else south OF MS. The wind reached So
miles at the mouth OF the bay yesterday morning.
bur went down 70 % miles in the afternoon.
There has been no report from NOrs0lk this
morning, and con ;equently II 1s impossible TO
determine the exact condition OF things In that
vicinity.
ONE on THE MOST PECULIAR FEATURES
Of the present state OF things is the fact that while
the reports from the New York and other Northern
stations have not been heard from, the ONCE has
been In constant communication with eli the
line between here and that end OF the
country. The Information thus far received
shows conclusively that the storm has been con-
fined entirely to the Atlantic coast. Last night
the reports from nearly all OF the Western stations
In cipher and the system does not provide tor any
information outside OF the bare weather points,
the Signal ONCE is at present as ignorant OF the