Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-03-29
SNOW, RAIN, AND HIGH WATER.
The Weather Very Disagreeable-The
River Rising, But No Fr,shet.

RIVER hisin2, But NO frfsnet.
The weather in Richmond for the past
month has been remarkable for the almost
unprecedented fall of RAIN and snow.
Up to the present date nearly 9.52 inches
Of water have fallen during March, and in
the past week the amount of the down.
pour has been nearly 5.3S. This is an un-
usual quantity for that length of time and
will no doubt throw the farmers and plant
ers very much behind in their operations.
Friday the rain poured almost without
cessation throughout the entire day and
night, and great was tho surprise yester-
day morning when early risers perceived
that snow had supplanted the rain and
was falling thickly.
SNOW DID NOT STICK.
In some places, despite the moist or
rather wet condition of the ground. the
fieecy element had obtained a hold. though
as the day advanced and the snow con-
tlnued to fall it disappeared rapidly. AT
noon the flakes still fell fast and thick, but
melted as soon as they touched the ground,
which made walking even more execrable
than it was before, if such a thing was
possible. By o'clock the storm changed
to one of rain, which continued TO tall
until after 8 o'clock. The heavens then
looked frowningly down upon the
city, and maintained their sullen APP
pearance until nearly 10 o'clock, when
few fleecy clouds appeared in the
eastern horizon ana shortly afterwards the
moon pierced the silyery tissue and BEAM
ed smilingly upon the wet earth. IL was a
glorious, ruddy moon, which shone with
great complacency and seemed to feel its
own Importance. By ~ o'clock the lunar
orb was high up in the heavens, illumi-
mating the clouds and giving promise of q
bright Easter morning.
DAMAGE DONE BY THE STORM.
The heavy rains and snow of yesterday
DESTROYED an old relic on Church Hill, in
causing the fall of q large portion of the
wall enclosing the old Darlington burying-
ground, corner of Iwenty-third and Mar
shall streets. Half of the walls on Mar
shall street and also on Twenty-third street
were lying on the pavement at late hour
Yesterday afternoon, much to the discom-
fort of those passing that locality.
The falling weather of the past few days
seems to have prevailed throughout the
entire State, and all along the line of the
Richmond and Danville railroad as far as
Danville the ram was heavy. but no DAM
age was done the tracks by water. Rains
have also prevailed along the route of the
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac
railroad. but not TO harmful extent.
The weather at Gordonsville yesterday
was misty. and there were two inches of
snow on the ground, while at Hampton
and Newport News rains we're prevailing.
THE RIVER HIGH.
The bad weather of the past few days
has caused many to be apprehensiye OF
another freshet in the james river, and the
rapid rise of the stream Friday was the
cause of grave fears. especially as Che
storm showed no sign of clearing up. A
few minutes before IL o'clock last night
the river was eight feet high at the wharves
of the Virginia Steamboat Company and
receding slowly. At one time in the after
noon the lower portions of the wharves
were covered with eight or ten inches OF
water, which disappeared later with the
fall of the river.
At 4:9O O'Clock yesterday afternoon the
river was reported to be II feet and four
inches high at Columbia and rising. At
Scottsville 1t was feet above the usual
height, while at Lynchburg it was feet
high. The water was on stand at both OF
these places, however, and the weather
cloudy