The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-10-13
HIGH TIDE IN NORFOLK ALL ALONG The COAST
The Lower Part OF the City Was Com.
pIetely Under Water.
AN URPlC1URESQUE EDITION OF VENICE
cellars Were Flooded and Street
Cars rand 30 Stop uunnins-Isrnn.
bicson ward Was Cut on From,
the Rest of the City-Improyised
Bridges ana Ferries.


Bridges ana Ferries.
Old Aolus let his winds loose satur-
uay night. The Weather Bureau people
ciscoNered the fact and forthwith tele-
Sranneu Il warning all along the Attain
tic Coast line that shipping might he
kept IN harbor, life guards be ON the
LOOKOUT, ana that inhabitants of the
lower regions-along the water-be
slVen time TO move to higher and dryer
quarters.
RMS warning was not fictitious one
and the black flag never flew to bet
,t ,tt burpoSe from the top of the Dodson
nui.uinS. The winds kept piling the
rivers until by 10 O'Clock Sunday morn
inE the water covered the lower parts
"i ne city like blanket, and minia ture
white caps broke with impotent fury
against the walls of the business houses
ana dwellings lowly located
THE STREETS WERE FLOODED.
In the early hours of the Sabbath
morning, quietly. gently yet irresistibly
ana steadily the water kept creeping up
thurch street was Hooded to n point NOT
iar below Hotel Norfolk. Row boats
haNlSatcd Union ana Water streets rs;
easily as Il gondola might be poled
through Venetian canal In Cove
street the water was three feet deeD.
ihe police station was surrounded on
three sides and had To be reached by
cllmplhE over bench and proceeding
thence over an improviSed bridge. At
the corner of Bank street and City Hall
avenue n small lake was formed and n
niue further down, on CRANKY the
canai' overflowed and spread out into
the street. while the Tazeweli propertv
Was Il lake. a portion of Queen street
l,.l Il
livery stable man placed bus into
service, transporting passengers from
Queen street to Bramhletou avenue
East Main street was submerged and n
regular boat piled between dry land and
the Virginia Beach train, carrying pas
senSers a Il nickel Il fare. a large por-
toh OF the trest!c was under water and
street car connection with East Norfolk
was cut off Tor while. nor could any
continuous service be given ON Granny
and Bank streets.
lMPRONlSED FERRIES AND
BRIDGES.
The ferry house for a short time was
entirely cut off from the dry end of
commercial Place. but an improvised
hfidSc was arranged later. The ferry
boats, as they padded in. seemed about
70 come up into the city, so high We're
theN IN the water, ana IT, was like climb
ing a small hill to get over the iiolt 10
their docks. The city OF Portsmouth"
was taken off early in the day ana the
steamer Twin City" substituted. il he
ihE feared That the formers guards
might get hung III the sides of the slip
on the Portsmouth side
Pedestrians who had occasion 10 cross.
Holt street bridge had to beferried 10
hcl!y avenue. ON South CRANKY street
several carriages were stationed and
charged 10 cents fare to carry water
bound passengers across.
THE Loss WAS NOT GREAT.
Many of the business houses on Niyi-
son and Water streets. Roanoke avenun
ana other thoroughfares running down
10 The ..arbor were flooded, but in n
great majority OF cases the warning of
thc Weather Bureau had been needed
ana everything of a perisha Bile nature
mad been moved out of reach of the tide
Consequently the damage done wos
comparatively slight, much less than n
general survey of the situation would
lead one TO believe. Those who had moi
gotten their stores moved out of harms
WWas od'uruhy h!Gnt spent portion OF
sunday attending TO it, quite a number
of business houses being opened for
that purpose in the afternoon in antici-
patton of a higher tide Sunday night.
y few were not so fortunate, and some
cotton was damaged, while the Union
-' company IOSl tile HfSt row of
peanut bags on the ground floor iIpon
which the water had risen eight inches,
Freight that could be injured by water
suffered on some of the TRANSFORMATION
wharves Sunday. and goods stored in
warehouses along the water front were
also more or less damaged.
The Southern railway would have
suffered bady but FOR the help they got
from their Primers Point force in hand.
ling the freight on this side OF the river.
Their warehouses on Town Point were
several inches under water.
Owing to the high tide Sunday even
ing the Norfolk and Carolina and South
ern trains We're unable 10 come in at
Primers Point. and had to pass over tho
tracks of the Seaboard Air Line into
Portsmouth with their passengers.
The railroad people at Pinner's Point
had TO hustle Sunday To keep out Of
the water. The Southern railway had TO
move quantity of cotton out of the
way of the water.