Evening star., 1897-02-23
FEARS OF A FLOOD
High Water Reported on the Upper
Potomac.
The RIVER STEADILY RISING
Merchants, However, Are Not
Seriously Alarmed.
WEATHER BUREAU REPORTS


1t will be sufficient to overrun the
wharves and float away whatever prop
erty is left in exposed places. Low lands
will be endangered all along the river.
The food will not be an extraordinary one.
river is gorged with ice There will be
no gorge this time. There is no danger
of more rain at this time.
The weather bureau authorities say that
high waters are the rule throughout the
Ohio valley. The following bulletin was
issued this afternoon by Chief Moore Of
the weather bureau:
A report from the weather bureau OBJ
server at Harper's Ferry, w. Va, gives
the height of the river at noon today as
twenty feet above low water (Which is
six inches AN hour. Two inches of rain
fell there since Sunday. 1t is proba BILE
that the river at Washington will rise
above the wharves. enda ngering property
along the river front, which should be
removed to places of safety. The river
will probably continue to rise here .ntil
tomorrow, but 1t is not anticipated thai
the , Hood Will approach N magnitude those
OF 1871 or 1889. In the latter year the
river at Harpers Ferry reached a Stage
Of thirty-four feet"
No Immediate Danger.
In spite of the high condition of the river
III the upper regions. there is no danger
apprenended by the merchants of this place
Until scme time this afternoon. After
rise in the Potomac at Wiiliamsport or
Harpers Ferry it takes fully twenty-four
hours or more before there is any indjca-
ton of a rise at this point thus giving
plenty OF time for preparation While the
height OF the water at Harper's Ferry is
Watched with interest by those who have
property at stake, no particular alarm Is
feit unless the water goes at least fifteen
1eet over BOUNDS. A rise Of that size at
the village on the upper Potomac will
mean rise OF only six or seven inches a.
this place, while each increasing foo. OF
helght at that place increases the danger
to the port of Georgetown. At a height of
thirty feet serious deluge IAN be looked
for at this point, equal, in fact, to the
largest freshet ever known IN local history
At WilliamSport, Nd, distance of about
.U miles from this city, the water reached
a height of fifteen feet above its normal
last evening, and was still rising at the
rate OF eighteen inches an hour, a tre-
mendous increase. There Is no abatement
In the rise. and the freshet at thar point
has assumed serious proportions
The rise in the river around this CITY has
oeen very gradual. This morning at
O'Clock, from reports received by the Wash
1ngton aqueduct office, the water al Crea:
rails had risen four and half feet above
its normal, and still Increasing at a lively
rate. Ihe enects of the rise were felt at
GEORGETOWN shortly after O'Clock this
morning. but the increase has been so grad
ual mat up tc 10 o'clock this forenoon the
river err resembled the ordinary high tide.
fefhaps the best-iE formed individual in
the city on the condition of the upper Po
tomac Is Mr. G. l.. Nicolson, the general.
manager of the Chesapeake and Ohio ca
nal. Seated in his office all day. he has
received asS almost hourly reports from points
all along the line from the numerous en-
ployes of the company, who have been in
structed to keep close watch on the con-
dition of affairs. To Mr.. Nicolson most
OF the business men along the wharf front
look for Information. A Star reporter
called on him this morning to secure his
latest advices.
Looks Serious.
Things look very serious" said he, land,
what is worse, the river Is still rising. In
my opinion, there Is only one thing that
can prevent a serious flood at this place.
and that is the providential failure of the
Shenandoah river to overflow its banks
This appears to me nothing short of a
miracle. The steady rains in that region,
which have helped to swell the Potomac,
have also helped to swell the Shenandoah
river, which runs into the Potomac at Har:
per's Ferry. Above that point the Potomac
Is comparatively small stream, and a
heavy rise at any point along it's whole
course above Harper's Ferry will mean but
comparatively little at this place. If the
Shenandoah river Is at flood height and on
the rampage, the volume of water it will
turn into the Potomac, together with the
already high water of that river, will be
sufficient to cause some effects along our
water front. The size of the flood will of
course all depend upon the volume Of
water.
From points all along the canal from
Williamsport up the river Is very high.
The kilograms / received at o'clock this
morning tell me that, and am waiting for
other information. At 8 o'clock the water
at Williamsport was between twenty-three
and twenty-four feet and still rising. At
Sir Johns Run, or, rather, above 1t, the
water has flooded the canal entirely, so
that 1t is Impossible to distinguish the diff
ference between the two waterways. This
Is almost the condition OF affairs from this
point clear up to Cumberland, which is
lS4 miles from this place.
Damage to Canal.
There has been some damage done to
the canal. How much it is Impossible to
ascertain. We will not know until the
water recedes. 1t is quite certain, how
ever, that some damage will be done, and
we can only hope that 1t will not amount
to much. So far have received no infor-
nation of break in the canal, though it
would be hard to tell II such could be
the case. as the towpath is submerged.
There was no water in the levels Of the
canal, and this may help cause some
damage. According to the construction
of the canal when the water reaches a GER
tain height the canal fills Of its own ac-
cord. owing 10 our system of waste weirs,
though the river will have to be pretty
high to fill the canal entirely"
Rock Creek.
Mr.. William A. Leetch of the firm of
Winship, Meredith & Co. was seen by The
Star reporter. and he stated that he knew
very little Of the situation, outside of the
fact that the water had not been SO great
Iy affected at this point as yet. 1T will
take some time before we feel the rise
along the water 'front.'" said he. "The
only information we have received SO far
is from newspapers, and from the general
manager Of the canal Fortunately this
is a. dull season Of the year with Us. and
there Is very little traffic. We lave a
few boats at our wharves. and we have
hastened the unloading OF these. expecting
nef thr0nRh the v0rlr n q cornIo NJ