The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-06-03
THE FURY OF THE
FLOOD FAILING.
Gas Gives Out and Lamps
Looked For.
40 SERVICES IN THE CHURCHES AT
NIGHT.
Thousands of People visit the "''sf
Vtrst Police station Inundated
sights and sfEhtscers.

IL certainly has absorbed great uea
OF property in this State and elsewhere
Here it has been the cause of a great
deal Of anxiety, trouble and vexation
but ITO serious damage Of any consId
cradle amount has resulted. Our clti'
zens living along the water front, and
IN places liable to be overrun
when the James river puts on
a sombre suit, have been SO
often disturbed. routed and driven
out BIZ the rollicking waters. that they
have profted by experience and can
pretty clearly prognosticate when rise
OF dangerous water is to visit us.
This time they escaped severe loss by
moving cut before the water came
down with force.
They took time by the forelock, and
thus saved themselves.
The people at an early hour went out
TO view the waters. The curiosity was
great 20 see for themselves what the
TIMES newspaper led them to expect.
Expectation was increased by ru-
mors that the water was rapidly rising.
and that il bad almost placed its wet
name upon Mayo's bridge. This was
found TO be so. but about midday an
unfounded statement that Mayo
bridge had gone down before the flood
created a great deal of excitement up
town. and caused a rush of thousands
TO that locality. TO be disappointed IN
not witnessing what they expected.
THE BEGINNING OF THE FLOOD.
The flood in the James began to rise
near midnight Saturday night with
great rapidity. and yesterday morning
it nearly reached its full height. Dur
ing the day the rise was gradual and
kept up until O'Clock in the after
noon. when IL came TO standstlll and
then began to recede At Z. NJ. yes
teriay the water had reached within
a few inches II MayO's bridge, and some
of the crested waves struck the Joists OF
the bridge. Mr.. Craig, the toll-gatherer
on Mayos island. remained there col
lecting pennies as long as possible, but
had to give up. temporarily. his voca-
ton yesterday.
The water on MayO's Island reached
a depth of nearly three feet. None Of
the property of the Virginia Boat Club
was carried away, as all the racing
boats had been placed in the Cary street
warehouses above the highest flood
line. and few pleasure boats on the
Island were so anchored as to defy the
water taking them off. as they were in
still water. a place where the current
could not strike them.
The bOaf.hOuse was under water up
10 near the floor Of the top story. All
the windows were open and no damage
of consequence to the building ensued.
1t will take time and money to reno
vate it after the waters recede. This
building is on substantial stone tOun-
dation, and when erected the question
of floods entered into the architect &
calculations.
On Mayos bridge number of work
men were engaged all the night and
day catching floating timbers and logs
as they reached the bridge, in order to
prevent any of them from banking M
and thus affording resistance TO the
current.
A number Of wooden houses. not
large in size. which were washed from
the lowlands above the city, floateC
down with the current. They strucl
one or another of the bridge piers and
were broken up. A few passed between
the piers aud reached Mayo's bridge
the farthest one down the river bu
were there properly handled by the
force of men on the bridge and broker
up, the timbers mainly floating under
the bridge and proceeding on theil
way.
A large number of up-rooted trees
some reaching in length from forty tC
uxty feet. came down and passed I'm
der Mayo's bridge. Ii was with diff
cult that they were gotten pass TIT
bridge, and fOated down the current.
There was "a jam of debris against thu
bridges on Hull street across the Man
chester canal, which people expected al
every minute to carry the bridge away
This bridge though stood the strain anC
remains intact.
THE HIGHEST POINT.
The water, at its highest point OF
Main street, covered the pavement II
front of l.. w. Billups' undertaking
establishment, under the st. Charlie
Hotel. This is the store farthest dowi
walking from Fifteenth street TO TIT
water. On the opposite side OF tn,
street the water reached the store of j
N. Allison, whose number is 1907 cas-
Main street.
The height OF the water is three fee
less than what il was in 1870, and near
ly five feet less than what II was II
1877. In 1871 the water reached TIT
curbing on the north side Of Fifteenth
street, but did not quite get on TIT
pavement.
At no time yesterday did the waite
reach the entrance TO the st. Charlie
Hotel, though it came very close TO 1t
m fact. only couple Of feet.
After the food OF 1919, stone will
metal plate on IT, was placed IN from
of the ST. Charles Hotel 10 mark the ex
act height Of the water on that day, DC
tober LIST. The water then reached III
full height shortly passed midnight
SUNDAY morningl. and the metal plate
on the stone marked exactly the heigh'
il reached. This stone was standing there
on the Sunday in October, 1877, whet
the water rose about twenty-five
inches on Main street above the former
rise. A black mark was placed on the
stone TO designate this higher rise
Subsequently property-owners IN the
neighDorhood, deeming the presence OF
this stone damage 10 the value OF
their property in case they should de-
sire TO sell. had it removed to -Four
teenth street, not far from the Rich
mond abutment Of Msyo's bridge.
Merchants at the time Of the two
preceding foods, the highest known
in this city by any one living, marked
on their door panels where the water
rose. but these have been obliterated
and now there is really no accurate
mark in this portion Of the submerged
district 10 tell the exact difference be-
tween the water height yesterday and
that OF previous dates.
The water reached its full height on