The age-herald., 1902-02-28
Rivers Rapidly Rising and Warn-
 ings Are Issued
TRAFFIC BADLY CRIPPLED
Serious Washouts Reported On Roads Entering Montgomery-old Four teenth Street Bridge at Co.,
 lumbus, Ga, Swept Away.

Montgomery, February 27.-(Special.)- Traffic on the railroads entering Mont gomery has been materially interfered with by the severe rains which have fall en throughout this section during the entire day. The Plant System, Seaboard Air Line, Louisville and Nashville the Central Of Georgia and the Western of Alabama have each suffered. No trains are running on the Alabama Midland di- vision of the Plant System on the Sea board.
 Two serious washouts are reported on the Plant System, one at Banner about twenty-five miles from Montgomery and another at Ansley. It is said that prob ably five hundred feet of treck has been swept away at Ansley by the raging waters. The Plant System operates it's own telegraph system and as all of the company wires are down no authentic news can be obtained as to the extent of the damage No information would be given out at the offices here tonight further than business had been suspended for the present. No trains on this sys- tem have moved today.
 Seaboard Suspends Business.
 The Seaboard has also suspended busi- ness There are several washouts re- ported along the lines of this road
 The Louisville and Nashville south of Montgomery has been tied up during the day by two washouts, one about three miles from the union station here, and another a few miles north of Greenville. Passenger train No. which arrived here at Il o'clock this morning was held until 7:30 tonight when the washouts were reported. as repaired. Passenger train No. came in from New Orleans three hours late, but section No. l of this train was made up here and sent north on < time. Superintendent Mckinney of the Montgomery and Mobile division said that the road bed of his division was fully re- paired at o'clock.
 There was a washout on the Georgia Central at Fitzpatrick and a transfer of all passengers. baggage, mail and express was made necessary.
 Heavy Fall of Rain.
 The rain here was very heavy, four and one-half inches falling during the day. At one time during the morning quar- ter of an inch of rain fell within five minutes
 WeathC ator Chaffee said tonight that the rain had been very general Throughout the state, but had been heav- fest in the central part He said that the Alabama river would reach the danger line at Montgomery and Selma, and warnings have been sent out to have all cattle and stock removed from low lands. ha cOllld what height the river would rise until he received further reports rom interior stations tomorrow.
 BRIDGE AT COLUMBUS
 SWEPT AWAY BY FLOOD.
 Columbus, Ga, February 27-The Four teenth street bridge across the Chatta- hoochee river at Phenix and Girard collapsed and was carried away by the floods about o'clock this afternoon For tunately no one was hurt as there was not a soul on 1t at the time. This was perhaps the first time since the building of the bridge that there was single minute in the day time that there was not some one on it. It looks as though Provi- dence fixed the moment it should go. The bridge broke In two about 100 feet from the Georgia shore and went swirling down stream at frightful speed Just four blocks from the Fourteenth street bridge the other bridge which crosses to Girard is located and floating debris no doubt would have wrecked this structure had not the fall over the dam broke the mass Into smaller fragments.
 The water pipes which supply the city with water was on this bridge, and were broken like small reeds and carried away leaving the city without water for the time being The water company have submerged main across the river, and this was placed into commission. which sayed the city from water famine.
 Was a Wooden Structure.
 The Fourteenth street bridge was d vooden structure built in 1865. Bonds have just been issued for building steel bridge at this point. The bridge washed away was worth about $4OOOO.
 The floods in this section are enormous. The rain has been falling here in torrents aIl day. No trains except the Central of Georgia from Macon has reached the city aimee noon. A washout near Scale, Ala, holds the Mobile and Girard passenger train. due this morning, and the departing train on that road was annulled There are sey <A washouts on the Seaboard Air Line between here and Albany which .tops traffic on that line and numerous vashouts on the Southern between here and Shiloh have stopped all their trains. There Is a big washout on the Southern rirht in the city limits which will cause 
 norning have been annulled and there is little hope of resuming tomorrow.
 Tonight the Associated Press wire is the onlv one in operation toward the north. ATLANTA DELUGED
 BY HEAVY RAINS.
 Atlanta February 27.-Rain has fallen here in torrents all day today, the rain fan up to o'clock tonight having been s< inches. The barometer was the low est ever recorded here.
 Flood warnings tonight were sent out by the weather bureau to all points in Alabama and Georgia touched by the chattahoochee and Alabama rivers. The water damaged many of the offices and clustering fell in several buildings. The ventilators in the dome of the capitol were damaged by the wind and rain.
 In the southwestern section of this State the rain and wind storm almost