Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-02-14
Fredericksburg Gets One Train Through, and the
hesapeake and Ohio SidetraCkS Its Flyers.
SOUTHERN RAILWAY OPERATES TO DANYILLE.
No Street-Cars Running i'm the City Since Sunday
The Tracks Covered Deep Scrapers to Be Put
to Work at Daybreak and Cars May Run Before
Noon To-day.

Atlantic-Coast Line from Weldon, has not
moved any OF it's trains since sunday.
one Of its trains Is blocked south OF Well
don, and az a late hour yesterday after
noon it was reported that the supply Of
coal In the sleeping cars was about ex-
hausted. and the wires were made hot In
an eifoIt 20 get coal to the snow-bound
train.
SOUTHERN TRYING TO RUN.
No trains have come here since Satur.
day from West Point. and no effort Is be-
ing made To- force 4 passage through tho
snow on that route. There Is no traiio
beyond there. anyhow, for the Chesa-
peake Bay is frozen, and ths boats can
not run % Baltimore. At Captain Vests
office Ii was reported that every effort
was being mado 20 keep the main line be-
tween here and Danvill0 open. and thar
trains were being run as far as possible.
The train due here at o'clock yesterday
morning from the South struggled through
the snow. and reached here some little
time after noon, and the regular train
left at noon yesterday, with orders to go
through the snow. If possible. IL was de-
layed somewhat. but IL went on its way.
and gradually forced its way. The train
due here from Danvillo at $40 r. NJ. got
here at l04l. and the midnight cypress
LETT on schedule time.
NO BOATS ARE RUNNING.
I None Of the steamboat companies are
making any attempt TO run their ships.
/ The river is gorgcd at the southern rail-
! way bridge and Is frozen solidy from
I bank 70 bank for miles below tho city.
/ The city tug endeaYored 10 keep the chan
mel open. but the floating Ice was toe
much Tor her and -he had 10 retire from
the field. The pocBhontas is lied up here.
There does not appear to be- any prob
ability OF a frcshet here. IN tho next few
days, at least Tho river Is gorged az
nearly every ferry between Richmond and
| Lynchburg but the rise In the water has
! not been great, rs yet. There had been
rise OF siA feet at Columbia yesterday at
y teuoon, ana the stream overlooked at
most places where there are gOrges, but
for the rest 10 kept well in banks.
The merchants whose places OF bust
ness are located In the district usually
submerged i'm times OF freshets ATE ap.
prehensive, however, that damage may
be- done IL a sudden thaw sets In, and are
taking precautions by moving most OF
their portable stock to the second stories.
An ice-gorge In the James is always a
harbinger OF trouble to come. the mer-
chants in the low-lying district think,
and they are not willing to take any long
I chances.
ICE-GORGE or 1879.
James river has been gorgcd here seye-
raj times I'm recent years notably In 1898
and once since but tho most serious trou-
bic OF this character encountered in
D. quarter Of u century WAS In 1870. or
this Colonel II. ID. Whitcomb made the
following report 10 Colonel Craighill:
"An ice-gorge unusual In this vicinity
occurred in January. 1879 The river
closed with ice on the 81 and remained
so untn the 10th, when the Old Dominion
steamship Wyanoke cut through To her
wharf. At this time the ice is reported
To have been six inches thick. Rain had
fallen on the Sth ana 9Th. and after the
ship arrived broken ice began To come
! from above I'm large quantities. The rise
! I'm the river above was not serious, being
only five feet ~ the Belle-lsle Works.
but owing 10 a gorge OF Ice eleven miles
below the city the river at Rockets roso
rapidly and on the llth was fully fifteen
feet above high tide. There was no
I considerable current az any time during
this rise Another rain fell on the lz'n'
which brought down more Ice, but In tho
mean time the river had fallen several
feet at Rockets. and the later rise was
not so great as on tne llth.
"The river was packed with ice from
Richmond bar 20 the lower end VI Kings
Land Reach. eleven miles below. IL was
then clear by way OF Dutch Gap cut-on
! 10 Narina, sixteen miles below the city.
where another gorge occurred OF more
limited extent. The bend cutoff at
Dutch Gap was also much obstructed.
on the 18th the old Dominion steamship
Company attempted 20 break through the
pack with their iron ships Wydnoke and
Richmond. the former from above. the
It.ah
screw ship OF full model. failed 10 make
n serious impression from below. and
abandoned the effort The Wyanoke, .
sharp built slde-wheei ship, spent the
18Th. 18th. and nth In the pack. and
broke through on the 18th, and was met
bv her companion ship. Old Dominion. In
the ice az Narina. The latter came TO
the city the same day without serious
lmpedimant. The ice was probably eight
feet thick In places. and may have been
more for some OF IL left on the dikcs
was nearly nine feet thick on the I'd"
The post-ofiice employees were all AZ
their accustomed places yeSterday ana
3 ,bere v,as one delivery OF mail There Was
no necessity for any more for none was
brought 10 the city. The last mail from
the North came In over the Richmond.
Fredericksburg and Potomac train, which
arrived ten hours late, AT D O'Clock IN
the morning. Train No. ~, over the Coast
Line. arrived Sunday night with the last
mali from that section, and the Southern
trains were the only ones bringing mail
10 the city yesterday. Absolutely no ef-
fort was made to get the malls out OF
the city. for no trains were running at
an regularly. save over the southern. and
there was no certainty that they would
Get more than few miles from the city
The express companies were unable e
get any OF their packages through. bu'
. there were some few packages ON hand
which had not been delivered. and the
wagons OF the Southern were out with sir
horses TO each dehs ering perishabl'
freight There was absolutely no shlppins
from the city yesterday. and most OF ,h'
business houses closed their establish
ments and gave their employees a hol;
dav. Indeed. many merchants did no
, come down town. The railroads were no
, attempting to run freight trains ove
their lines. and while the depois wer'
/, kept open for the reception and deliver,
OF freight, but few wagons put In an ap
pearance at them, and the clerks anl
,coSf.rt,DT,D ON THIRD pA9lSl