Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-06-03

little to the east and north the James Creek
canal, generally . sluggish stream deep down
between the stone walls forming the banks,
river, which overlooked the banks and filed the
streets. First street. in the vicinity of Virginia
| avenue southwest, was impossible except bv
boats: The inhabitants in that locality looked
out OF their front doors upon the water, and if
| tney wanted TO step out and visit their neigh
bors they either waded or took a boat. A
number OF the dwellings, in that section were
hooded in the lower floors owing to the water
having backed up in the sewers. As to the
low places, impromptu ponds and lakes had
brought them up in some cases nearly to grade.
| The Smallwood school house had water in its
basement hoor, but no damage was done.
THE FLOOD IN THE CITY.
Streets Converted Into Canals-A Part
| OF Pennsylvania Avenue Submerged.
The water from the swollen river came up
along the line of the old canal, flooding the
low-graded section of the city south of
Pennsylvania avenve, reaching the avenue.
Nearly every business house south of the
Avenue to the Mall and north Of B street, from
the Capitol to 18th street, was flooded Saturday
night. ALI the cellars were filed early in the
evening, and by Sunday morning nearly all the
stores were partly under water. There was
plenty OF time to move the goods stored in the
Easements, and those who took advantage of
the early warnings Of the coming food saved
hundreds Of dollars worth Of goods, while
those who made no move in that direction lost
nearly if not quite as much as their neighbors
gained. MIR. N. h. Shea, the grocer, on Penn
| syivania avenue, between 9Th and It'll streets,
was the first to make an early move, and before
the water flooded his store he had piled up
barrels Of sugar, -four and other goods on the
| little parking in front Of the Police Court
which saved him the loss of hundreds of dollars
| worth of goods.
SUNDAY WORK SAVING GOODS.
At Browning Middleton's J. L. Barbour's,
and other stores the large wagons and trucks
were kept in readiness all Saturday night and
Sunday morning, to be used in case the water
rose much higher. The goods in the base
ments, such as barrels of oil, molasses, and
other liquids that could stand considerable
water were let alone, while other perishable
goods were removed to the first floors above.
When 1t was seen that the water was going to
enter the stores, the higher-priced goods were
removed to the upper floors, where they were
not injured. In that way most Of the store
clerks were kept busy during the day instead
OF having their usual Sunday holiday.
The commission stores along B street and
Louisiana avenue Jared badly. In some of
them the goods had been carried to the upper
floors, but in most Of them the stock remained
on the first floor. In some instances the store
doors were left open to prevent their being
broken by the waters; Apple barrels, hogs
ton foated from these stores, and many of
them made their way to the foot of Capitol
Hill.
IN THE LuMBER-YARDs, sAw-MILLs, ETC.
Many Of the lumber-yards, saw-mills and
machine-shops along Ohio avenue and 18th and
18th streets sustained losses. In most of those
places the water got into the engine-rooms and
did considerable damage. Joists, boards and
lumber OF every description foated from the
where they started or were picked up by boys
and converted into RATS. The loss to these
will amount to several thousand dollars.
FLOODED HOTELS.
The signboard with the legend, Stevenson l.
Bush, was all that could be seen to mark the
bsrbershop under the st. James hotel The
basement Of the hotel was flooded and the
kitchen was out of sight. The water covered
the first floor rendering it impossible to con-
duct business in the Office. There was sort of
bridge constructed OF timbers leading from the
stairway inside the hotel to the pavement in
front, and guests were driven to and from the
hotel in carriages.
The Howard house, on the opposite corner,
was not quite SO badly flooded. The cellar was
",
siderably above the sidewalk the water did not
enter the office. The pavement on either side
was covered, and the hotel could only be
reached by crossing small bridge, or by means
of boat.
At the American house the state of affairs
was similar to that at the st. James, The cell
lar and everything on the first floor was under
water. The proprietors provided a boat for
their guests, SO that business was not much
interrupted
fol ho<al 80 - o.,
the Hotel Brunswick were both flooded
Along the south side of Pennsylvania avenue
large number of boarding houses are sit
uated, and in some of them the water entered
the kitchens.
THE B. AND p. RAILROAD STATION
presented a novel sight. The water completely
filed the waiting-rooms, and the large Pull
man cars under the shed looked somewhat like
Venetian gondolas. The heavy oak flooring
was floating about like a huge raft The bag
gage room was also filled with water and nu-
merous milk cans were afoat in it. Now and
then trunk would strike a can, detaching the
cover, and the contents would whiten the water
Boats hoated through the entrances of the
depot, and the STAR reporters boat was made
fast to the stairway leading to the superinten-
dents office. Passenger Agent Parke came up
in few minutes in large boat and made his
way upstairs to inquire how the Long bridge
was standing the pressure. He was informed
by the telegraph operator that it was all right.
MISSOURI AVENUE SUBMERGED.
Persons living on Missouri avenue were I'M
able to leave their homes Sunday except by
means Of boats, as the water there was very
deep. Most of the houses along there have
Easements and high porches. The water COW
cred the Easements and in some instances the
porches were submerged. The food came be-
fore many Of the residents had been provided
with eatables for the day. and had it not been
for the assistance Of outsiders many of them
would probably have gone hungry. Wagons
and carriages were OF no assistance on that
square except at a few houses, because there
are iron fences along the parking As they
were covered with water the houses could only
be reached by means of small boats or RATS.
''vENICE" WITH A DIFFERENCE.
The section known as "the Division" looked
as much like Venice as 1t was possible for that
locality to look. Craft Of every description were
passing through the streets, while women, who
leaned from the windows and graced the bal
comics and porches, chatted with each other
and joked with the amateur boatmen as they
hoated by. At one window on 18th street
woman was fishing from a second-story win
dow. The entire basement was flooded, and
Saturday she gained the street by means of a
ladder, but Sunday the water had risen so high
that the ladder was OF no use for that purpose
and 1t occupied conspicuous position on the
roof.
Just in the rear of Harris theater two drunken