Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1902-02-27
Stormy Weather and High Waters.

froze as it came. Friday it continued
and by evening the trees and the wire;
were carrying a heavier load Of ice
than they could bear. Limbs began
TO break during the afternoon, and by
night the situation was serious. The
telephone lines broke one after anoth-
er, and when finally a cross-arm IN
front of the telephone Office was torn
in two central said goodbye and quit.
The electric light wires held their own,
however, and the lights kept going
until some broken branches from the
trees finally caused shut down. All
through the night crash after crash
told how the trees were breaking un-
der their icy burden, and some folks
were pretty nervous by the time
morning came. Saturday morning
the town presented a strange scene,
and yet one of great be 'uty. Every
twig and every branch glittered in a
coating of ice and snow that looked
like spun silver, and the wires carried
thousands of tiny icicles. But the
trees had suffered. The pavements
and streets were Uttered with branches
big and little, and some Of the trees
were almost ruined-their tops bro
ken off or great limbs torn from them.
Considerable damage was done to or
chards, but judicious trimming will
help matters wonderfully.
A good deal of snow fell with the
rain, but it was very slushy. The air
was mild and it was not to stay long.
Monday the sun shone brightly, and
the ice and snow that covered the
ground began to melt rapidly. Tues
day rain began again, and until late
at night came down heavily. The
streams began to boom and were i'm
passable by evening. Rattlesnake
run was past fording, and rivulets bad
swollen until they could not be crossed.
The lower part Of town was flooded,
the water filling Princess and Mil
streets. Until after midnight these
streets were rushing rivers.
The telephone service was complete
ly knocked out. Wires were down in
every direction. City and country
Jared alike, and the trouble was so
widespread that enough linemen could
not be found to get the lines in shape.
1t will be some days yet before the
service will be even moderately good.
Communication was established yes
terday with Martinsburg from Shep-
herdstown.
The Potomac river was slow to rise,
but when it got start it came up
rapidly. 1t was quiet Sunday and
Monday and the ice was intact. 1t
began to rise Tuesday, and the heavy
rain of Tuesday night and the i'm
mense volume of water from the melt
ing snow put the stream a-surging
Yesterday morning the ice began to
run and the water came up rapidly
all day. 1t was an interesting sight
to gee the masses Of ice as they were
swept down the racing current, accom-
panied by masses of drift. An eddy
was formed by the abutment Of the
bridge at this place, and the ice swept
around and around in a great circle,
as it were some giant churn. Many
persons viewed the striking scenes at
the river.
The river continued to rise until
about six o'clock this morning. By
this time the approach to the bridge
was cut off, the water having crept
up the roadway along the paper mill
considerable distance. At six
o'clock it began to recede an inch or
two an hour, but it will be very high
all day today. The B. & O. Railroad
was submerged east and west OF Sir
Johns Run, and trains were held up
yesterday. A long string Of trestling
was washed out on the Romney branch.
At Harpers Ferry the two rivers
flooded Shenandoah street.
The Shenandoah river was very
high also, and the Norfolk 4 Western
trains were away off OF schedule. Pas
senger trains were held up all day
yesterday at Riverton, the tracks be-
ing submerged in that neighborhood
The Chesapeake & Ohio canal
catche, it again. The river oyertiowed
the canal banks at many points along
the line, and there i. bound to be con-
siderable damage, though Just how
great this will be cannot be told until
the river recedes. The canal was to
have been opened March 18th, but
this date will have to be extended
now.
The water surrounded the lock-
house at Bridgeport, opposite SheP-
herdstown, and flooded the lower story.
Mrs. James and her family moved out
last night, and had to use boats to get
away. They lost number Of chick
ems and their supply Of frswood.
The stream of water that crosses the
Martinsburg road near the residence
of George W. Cross is usually about
eight inches deep. This week 1t has
been a raging torrent three or four
feet deep. Yesterday man and his
wife and little child came near being
drowned in trying to cross it. Their
horse fell in the stream and the buggy
almost upset. Persons nearby helped
them out of their predicament with
some difficulty, the woman having
tainted from fright.
Something That VIII Do You Good.
We know of no way in which we can