Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-02
TIE RISING WATERS.
ApvrsAsssses Felt by Thess who Do DssA-
nsss On the River Froat.

nsss On the River front-
oEonorrovx NKS wkrcH AR SfoEf-vknck
o. TER HxcKrssos-DAnAeE DONE 10 TEE
cAxAI--crIl-Ans skno YIooDrp N rHls
crrr-ruK MANILA SALOON skcoh
The rains have fallen and the food has come
not very serious one. however. but still enough
10 call food. The river has risen about seven
feet with the result that the water has In some
cases backed mp into the sewers and vet few
Of the cellars in the lower part Of town. Last
night IL was found that the water was rising
into the Marble saloon, which usually
seems to be the place 10 got
caught frst and this morning the
water was several inches deep over the
marble floor. The cellar under Harris Tbeater
was In the same predicament. also the
one under the Howard House, corner 9Th and
G streets A number Of the cellars along q
street also got . wettine, but Il Ia doubtful II
any serious damage has been done. The ma
lority Of the wholesale houses along Louisiana
avenue and on 9th street are without cellars.
and a. there il little likelihood Of the water
rising any higher they ought 20 come out dry
- bone,
PRECAUTIONS TAKrx AT TEE NARxxr.
The water has not reached the Baltimore AM
Potomac station nor the Center Market. A,
the latter place unusual precautions have been
taken against damage in case Of food All ths
nne machinery used for refrigeratiug and cool
ing purposes Is placed several feet below tbs
ground. and II water should reach it Q heavy
loss would ensue.
A large supply Of lumber and cement has
been laid IN and in case Of danger all the doors
and windows will be bsrricaded and made
wster-tght In addition 10 this there 10 q well
IN the engine room and attached 20 the en-
gine Is puisometer capable Of throwing 9
three-inch stream that viii keep the wafer
moving out faster than il can come in.
Some little apprehension was felt today AZ 10
what might happen. especially among those
lumber men who have q large amount Of lum.
Der stored along the river banks To them. as
well as to every one else for that matter, the
news that came from the signal office today
was very reassuring. This morning il was re-
ported that the water at Harper's Ferry was
about t71S feet above the lowest point This 10
about half way up TO the highest point
on record. Here the water was about seven
the crest aud in all probability the danger IL.
over. II the tide helps IL the highest point Wilt
be reached this evening but even then ID 10
doubtful II it Will 60 much above where il 10
now The Shenandoah was at q standstil last
night and Is thought 70 be falling today.
NOT MUCH WATER NOW.
The amount OF water in the city today IL
trivial compared with the floods Of previous
years. November 26, 1877. the river was nine
feet. point that means trouble every time,
and in June, 1889, the highest point reached
was thirteen and one-half feet Curiously
enough there is no such thing ne a river gauge
IN the Potomac at Washington. and all yaria-
lions in the rivers height are comparative only
TO each other and not to any fixed scale. Thus
the river has not risen as high this year Ne it
did two years ago. Seven feet Ia named ne
the height now, for the reason that the river
always rises about one-half high here ne ID
does at Harpcr's Ferry. II would be a simple
matter TO attach guage to one Of the vertical
piers OF the Acaueduct bridge and then it
would be possible TO predict with good deal
Of certainty what viii happen here from what has
happened At Harper's Ferry. II takes Just
about twenty-four hours for the effect OF q e.
rious rise there to be felt here.
TIER EFFEcr IN GEORGETOWN.
Ats o'clock yesterday afternoon kilograms
received from Harper's Ferry announced that
the water at that place had risen sixteen feet
above the low water mark and was still steadily
rising at the rate Of four inches an hour. This
occasioned much uneasiness among the Water
street merchants and all night long they never
rested, but sat In their respective places of
business and wntched the rising waters, max
ing ready to remove their movable goods 10
place OF safety at Q moments notice should
the river get dangerously high.
THE EXCELSIOR WRECKED.
Atabout 10 O'Clock the watchers were startled
bya crash that shook the boat houses along the
river and made every man rush out 70 fnd the
cause OF It, II was then discovsred shnt the
steamer Excelsior, owned by Capt Lake Hilton
had broken loose from her moorines and, strik-
ing the rocks on Analostan Island, had been
totally destroyed.
A large stone scow belonging 10 Capt No
Cracker had also gone adrift and been lost.
At Analostan Island the water il completely
over the causeway, making the big and little
river one continuous stream.
DAMAGE TO TEE CANAL
Considerable damage has been done on the
canal at dams Nos. and 6. where wsxhous
has taken place and large section Of the new
cribbing destroyed, causing . loss Of between
e5000 and el0,0O0. At II m. the water st
Georgetown lie rising slowly, but the merchants
think the danger is passed and there 10 nov
nothing to be feared.
SAVED FROM a wArxRY GRAVE.
About $50 O'Clock yesterday John Rollins, Q
laborer, put out near the Aqueduct bridge in
small round bottomed rickety boat to catch
drift wood. He had hardly reached the middle
when an unseen floating log struck the frail
shell and upset it. After much difficulty he
WAS rescued and carried in an exhausted condi-
tion 20 the nearest drug store, and after being
furnished with dry suit Of clothes was sent
to his home on the Virginia side Of the bridge.
ALONG THE wHARvEs.
Along the river front the freight wrestlers
and oyster and fish men were working on the
wharves that were but very abort distance
from the water. Some wharves were three
feet from the water while others were not more
than three inches The water 10 higher than
II has been since the food two years ago, when
% much damage was done.
River men generally, however, do not antici-
pate any serious trouble and many believe that
the river 10 nearly us high az il will be.
Mr.. Gwynne Harris, who Is inspector Of
marine products, was at the fish wharf % early
- clock this morning. and between that
hour and 10 o'clock be thought there Vas Q rise
Of nearly eighteen inches.
he was surprised TO hear that the water had
backed into Caliahsns at the Marble saloon
but he thought that on account OF the swift cur
rent in the Georgetown channel Q nor easter
would soon follow and then the water viii re-
cede.
SWIFT CURRENT N TEE aEoRoErowN CHANNEL
In the Georgetown channel the current Is 90
swift that steamers cannot get above the forks
below the fats opposite the arsenal There 10
o great deal Of driftwood in the river coming
down from the upper Potomac, which also
makes II dangerous for steamers. When the
steamer Occoquan came mp this morning FOR
Georgetown the current was 90 swift that the
captain stopped at the 10th street wharf