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

THE JAMES cREEK CANAL
The mouth OF the James Greek canal. at the
FOOT OF Delaware avenue southwest. was the
focus OF interest TO the inhabitants Of blood
neid' yesterday, and the two bridges that span
the beautiful stream at NJ and n streets were
loaded with men and women. all OF one per-
euasion in the line of complexion, laughing at
the queer things the food had done. There
were In this neighborhood probably hundred
houses Of which the first floors were flooded
Saturday night, and in some cases of low huts
away down on the shores Of the creek the in
habltants had been driven out entirely. One
whole row of bricks midway between NJ and N
on I'd street was surrounded on every side all
day yesterday, and boats were in great demand
Bennings bridge and the railroad bridge,
Anacostia, withstOod the onslaught of the
waters.
EXCITEMENT IN GEORGETOWN.
Great Destruction Of Property-A Seri.
Gus Blow to the Business Men.
The Potomac had q large audience watching
Its tragic fury. One Of the best points of OBJ
servation, looking up and down the river was
the Free bridge. One-fourth the population
OF the District appeared to be assembled there,
or working their way in crowds to that vicinity
People stayed from church to watch the rush.
ing water, and some Of them appeared to find
practical. illustrated sermon in the terrible
anger of the food. Groups Of colored people,
standing with their faces together, declared
in solemn voices: 'It am de Judgment"
THE RUSH OF TRAVEL TO AND THROUGH GEORGE
TOWN.
Street cars loaded until the conductors were
crowded of the platforms and not an inch was
left for passengers to hold to, buggies, cabs,
v,,ll
livery wagons, omnibusses and heavy draws
bicycles, tricycles, and every description of
vehicle that would move on wheels carried
thousands of people in to Georgetown. People
on horseback and people on foot hurried
through the streets. Georgetown has probably
never before seen such activity in its history
Every street abuting on the river front was
lined with people down to the brink of the
hood 80 that the water washed about the toes
OF the foremost. The Free bridge spanning
the hood high enough above the tide to be safe
was crowded with almost as many people.as il
could hold, and those persons too timid to ven
ture on this structure with the waters rushing
madly SO close beneath stood in the streets and
warned their friends not to be too venture
some.
WEIRD NIGHT SCENES.
Saturday evening the crowd had stood on
this bridge watching the flood until the dark
ness narrowed the scenes about them, and the
seemed to come nearer and become more
threatening. The lights at intervals along the
shore, the leaping lights on the schooners
careeniag and Juggling at their anchor-chains
before the rage of the waters and the pound
ing or the drift against the PIERS with the
crash now and then of timbers giving away
along the wharves, presented a weird scene to
the crowd that fingered into the night. There
were watchers all night. These were owners
OF property being destroyed or threatened with
destruction as the waters rose
AN ANXIOUS SABBATH MORNING.
Sunday morning early throng Of spectators
were on hand. Then the Sunday scene-the
lower part Of the town flooded with the de-
stroying waters and the upper streets crowded
with people In their church clothes eagerly
watching the destruction. The crowd of the
morning and midday was almost doubled in the
afternoon. Men. women and children, nurses
with baby carriages stood on the banks and
ON the bridge watching the rush of the water
until they grew dizzy, and the bridge, the CITY
and the surrounding country seemed to be
rushing up stream at the rate Of twenty miles
an hour. Many people with carriages drove
Up TO THE LITTLE FALLS BRIDGE
where the channel is narrow and the waters
more violent; several large excursion wagons
did thriving business carrying passengers up
the canal road. They made trips as fast as
they could travel the three miles to the Chain
bridge. and it did not take more than five min
utes to get load at each trip. Now and then
In the crowd was seen some disconsolate dweller
on the river shore trudging along with q few
damp possessions on his back. One muddy
and forlorn looking man had on his back tin
wash boiler, bed quilt and a pillow, all wet
but the boiler.
House and all gone, was his laconic reply
to questions
CANAL BREAKS
The canal bapka ahnva uaSbad arvau al -
the lower part of the canal long line of canal
boats were resting in mud while the water had
RIM out to help swell the food in the river
People ON high points Of observation were look
ing for familiar objects along the shores.
WATER THE VICTOR.
The young men who drink beer at Holtz-
mans looked in vain for that resort. Cold
water had got the better of it at last 1t had
gone down the night before All on the upper
Potomac nothing could be seen that was not
adrift-and rushing rapidly. The shores were
swept clean of pleasure boat landings and the
waters were washing high upon the hill
sides. some OF the couples who love
to walk along the paths on the
Potomac shore strolled over the bridge and
out by the roadway to find that paths led into
the water. and their favorite picnic places were
covered many feet deep. Loafers who were in
the habit OF hanging around Holtzman's for beer
haunts like drowned-out rats and sat up on the
bank in sorrowful sort of way watching the
victory Of the water. They had nothing else
to drink.
Here and there in open places on the hillside
picnic parties took their lunch and birds eve
view of the food.
AMONG THE DRIFT.
Early in the day considerable drift came
down from the upper Potomac, chiefly logs and
uprooted trees. When a box or barrel or an
clubhouse came by it was greeted with a shout
from the crowd. A live hog foated down and
was rescued by q colored boy, who said he
would have pork for breakfast tomorrow.
Heavy Losses of Business Men.
The scene Of destruction was below the Free
bridge. Water street was flooded for all but
about square of its entire length. The mills.
the warehouses, stores, and dwellings were
flooded, and everything that the force of the
food could dislodge was washed away wharves.
buildings, and shipping were terribly damaged,
and COAL ice, lumber, and other property
washed away. All along Water street men
were at work in boats trying to save their prop
erty, while at the bend of the river below,
where an eddy was formed, "wreckers' in ali
sorts of crafts were gathering in the drift that
came within their reach. The loss to the bust
ness men along Water street and the entire