Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1889-08-01
THE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL.
Rivers NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of Crops
Wharves Overlooked Damage to Rail

Rivers Rising of Crops
Wharves Overlooked Damage to Rail
roads, &C., &c.
The rainfall in this section and in other
parts of the State. and in other portione of
the country, for the past three months has
been phenomenal. Heavy rains fell again
last night and this morning In this section,
and the damage to crops alone Is said to be
incaculable.
The train which left Washington at
O'Clock last Eight for Richmond and the
South was stopped at this city on account of
a Washout between Richmond and Freder-
icksburg Some of the passengers returned
to Washington, but the majority remained
on the train, which, up to q late hour last
night, was still delayed. Washouts near
Danvile compelled trains on the Virginia
Midland to go South by way of Lynchburg
and Gondonsville.
Dispatches from every quarter of the
State tell the same story Ct wsshouts, floods
and the destruction of crops and other prop.
erty,
The Appomattox river at Petersburg
had overh3wed the whsrvss last night aud
was still rising, while at Farmvile the tide
was q feet higher than ever before known
and rising at the rate of one foot per hour,
and, to render the situation more serious it
was still raining hard.
In the Danville neighborhood the rain
fall has been unprecedented. The Dan
river is already up to the high.water mark
and Is still rising. Cotton mile, ice facto-
ry, ioundries, electric light house ard other
mathnery on the river front is flooded.
Low lands in the lower part of the city are
submerged. The bridge at Cascade, OH the
DanvilIe and New River road, has been
washed away and also bridges over Sandy
Creek. The Atlantic and Danvile track is
submerged for several miles and much dam.
| age has been done. Several washouts are
reported on the Virginia Midland road be-
tween Danville and Lynchburg, and trains
| have been stopped. Trains for Washington
| are running By way OF Richmond and thence
| by the Atlantic Coast Line. Crops of corn
and tobacco on the lowlands are flooded
aud seriously damaged
| The lower portion of fredericksburg and
the docks are entirely submerged. The
bridges over Furnace Creek and Hazel
River on the Potomac, Fredericksburg and
Piedmont Railroad have been greatly dam.
aged. no trains went out yesterday.
| All ltdluS VI tuO otldutiC SUdSp lLiu0 III
rived late during the day, and all trains
from the North and South were abandoned
on the line at night, as the track 10 many
81 ,cas s inundated or washed out, and
bridges damaged between Quantico and
Richmond The new extension dam for
the city water works, it ia feared, has been
swept away. The canals are badly wreck
ed and the mills flooded People residing In
the lower portion of the city are moving
out of their homes. At 10 p. N. the river
f.! was eighteen feet above high wa'er mark
and rising at a rate OF nine iuches per hour.
Reports from the lower counties show that
the storm was disastrous.
The James river is also causing much
trouble and alarm, owing to it's swollen con.
dition, and the damage to crops and loss &C
casioped by suspension OF business in the
| Lgnchburg section, it is said, will be great
| IL was feared last night that the lower por-
| zion of Richmond would be submerged.
Dispatches from Orange Court House say
that the Rapidan river is surgiug and sweep
| ing sll property along its banks. 1nforma
ton comes from the upper counties that the
| fl bod will be destructive indeed.
The damage by the incessant rain for the
past week throughout the country has been
great.
Reports from several counties of Mary.
land indicate great damage TO crops. Many
streams have overlooked their banks and
considerable alarm il felt.
There was coudburst yesterday on the
main line of the Pennsylvania railroad west
of Dawningtown, near Poler station. Tine
downfall OF rain was appalling, and in few
minutes the roadhed was entirely submerged
for 500 yards. Fourteen inches Of water
covered the tracks, and The express was
compelled to stop.
Eight dams in PlaiL field, n. J., have been
washed away, doing great damage to proper
ty, but no loss of life is reported. Seven
dams also broke in the naighborhood of
Newark. The Lehigh and Delaware rivers
were rising rapidly lastnight. The Brandy.
wine river at Wilmington, Del, over fl owed,
and the crops on the Maryland and Della
| ware peninsula are badly damaged.
The fall of water has extended over
large area, and took 10 the whole Atlantic
coast, from Maine to Florida, and the Gull
coast. Showers fell at the same time in the
lower lake region and the upper Ohio valley.
| The fall of rain was especially heavy in the
eastern part of the Middle Atlantic States.
The fall In this immediate section scored
3 46.