Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1889-06-07
SCENES AND INCIDENTS
Hlonq the Potomac and it's
Tributaries.
God moves in mysterious way
His wonders to perform
He plants His footsteps on the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Saturday, June the LIST, 1889, Is d
dav that will long be remembered in
Shepherdstown, and indeed from the
very headwaters of the Potomac to
where il empties into the sea. 1t is the
day that witnessed flood greater
than anv recorded in the history of
this section. The proverbial oldest
inhabitant" remembers nothing to
compare to it, and tradition shows no
parallel. The great freshet of 1852,
which was about four inches higher
than that of 1877, was heretofore
high-water mark, but the flood of last
Saturday excelled both of these by
at least six feet.
There had been rainy weather for
a couple of weeks that kept the river
a little full, but it was not out of its
banks at all Thursday afternoon a
storm came up from the South,
bringing with it a pretty heavy rain.
The storm passed on but the rain
staid with us. The weather yane
pointed steadfastly to the southeast,
and the clouds scurried continually
up the river. 1t rained along quite
steadily all of Thursday night, and
only let up on Friday to take fresh
grip, as it were. Every now and then
thunder storm would come along
with additional showers, and people
would think it was going to clear OIL.
But they were not the clearing-up
showers-not that kind, by any means.
4 tremendous lot of water fell during
Friday, but in the evening about
dark the rain just came down in
torrents, and never abated until
about eleven o'clock, when the wind
changed and the clouds broke away.
Everybody knew there was going
TO be highwater, though few antici-
pated that the Potomac would reach
such an unparalleled height. Friday
evening the river began to raise rap
idly. By ? o'clock Saturday morning
it was swelling most dangerously, and
when daylight came it was seen that
great flood was imminent. Those
who lived along the shore or had
property there began to save what
they could, but in most cases they
were too late. The angry waters rose
so rapidly that the people saved their
lives only, and little could be done
for furniture or other property except
to store it as high in the houses as
possible.
As the morning wore on the river
continued to raise fast. 1t became
apparent that the covered wooden
bridge across the river was doomed
Soon an old canal-boat came swiftly
down the current and struck the south
end of the second span. The bow
crashed on through, but the boat was
held by the hay cabin, tightly wedged
in. In an hour or so another canal
boat came sailing down and struck
the Virginia span center shot. 1t
made a great hole and passed on
through. The water had now gotten
so high that every log that came down
would strike the bridge, and by noon
the water was dashing against the
floor. At Is minutes past ~ o'clock
the first span was carried away with
crash and sailed on down the river.
a few minutes before the second
span was lifted by the water and car
ried off. 1t struck one of the piers of
the railroad bridge and the heavy
timbers were simply pulverized, while
the pier stood like the everlasting
hills. In about fifteen minutes the
third span of the bridge went OIL
The fourth span held on for an hour
or so more, and then it too swung
around and off its piers, leaving the
river clear.
The bridge, which was owned by a
stock company, was covered wooden
structure of four spans, 600 feet long.
1t was insured for $1,000 by Wash
'ngton l. Alexander in the Peabody
Company. In addition to the loss OF
the bridge itself, the abutments were
also injured somewhat. The one on
The Virginia shore had the upper wall
leveied and part of the coping on the
lower allknocked off. On the Mary
land side both of the walls were lev
lied down even with the roadway.
The Bridge Company is making ar.
"ngements to run ferry-boat just