The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-01-02
RIVER REC Din
FOOT AN HOUR /
Stream VIII Be in Its Banks To-.
Night.
-------- ----
BUSINESS RESUMES TO- DAY
Inundated Section Recovering Rapidly from
the Effects of the Water snd h.ud-Old
Market Opeas -Day-Interest-
ing Data About Rainfall.
RESUMES TO- DAY

will have disappeared. This will be good
news to every family In Richmond. for
two nights almost every home In Inc
city has been in twilight. All we're UNI
prepared to do without gas. Candles
were used and a few, kerosene lamps
were pressed into service where they
were possessed. The semi rkness In the
homes was made a subject OF many jests.
The people bore the inconvenience good
naturedly, but all. have been seriously
put out by the misfortune. The chief
drawback is that there is no one to
blame for it.
All the water was out Of Main Street
at Seventeenth by 3 o'clock yesterday
afternoon and out OF Franklin Street at
Seventeenth by 7 o'clock,
CARS RUNNING THROUGH.
The cars began to run through to the
wi1arves about Pas yesterday afternoon
BY tonight they will go through to
Fulton, it is thought. The river was
falling last night about a foot an hour.
It is upon this basis that the forecast
is made that the water will have prac-
tically receded by this evening" But
one ferry was In operation last night.
That was from Main Street at the
wharves to Fulton. The line followed by
the boats was right down the street car
EraCk. AZ 4 y CicCh } CSlCiNey rANSANASNfN
in the deepest section the water was
half way to the top Of. the trolley wire
poles. Business will be resumed this
morning The factories and stores along
Cary Street will then tie rid OF the murky
flood The stores on Main Street were
open yesterday afternoon, Here was
a sign in front OF one of them: GOODS
damaged by water sold cheap" Another
store had stock OF boots, The pros
prietor waded out to his front door with
a pair of his waterproof boots and
posted sign like this: Walking is wet
Get a pair OF my boots and you won't
think So
CLEANING THE STREETS.
AS fast SIS the water subsidized the street
cleaning department came along with
hose and drove the mud and sediment
along with the water. One of the boat
men said yesterday: I'm kinder glad
the water came: the streets got such q
good washing out on account OF It,
Main Street, where the water has been.
looks like a new pin for cleanness. The
Old Market Is cleaner where the hose
has been than for years. Workmen were
engaged yesterday In cleaning up the
Offices OF the Trigg yards, 1t is not
probable that the plant will start UP be-
fore tomorrow morning. ~
The transportation companies will have
their great work to-day. 1t is cleaning
up the sediment.
Captain Mayer and Mr. WeisiSer anc
other transportation men who are par
ticularly interested in the river will pro-
ceed just like the street cleaning depart
ner1t in getting the mud from the mar
ket. They will put a force of men to
work today, who will follow the reced-
ing water. and with hose drive the mud
with it. The Saginaw. Of the Clyde Line
is the only steamer at the wfarves now.
THE Cunningham Is up in the locks.
The Cedar Works tug and barge is down
the river opposite the plant. The tugs
began to piow up the stream. yesterday
afternoon. They had no trouble.
BRAVE THE CURRENT.
The river men don't mind the current
much. One said yesterday he would go
out there with two passengers, take MS
oars in and drift down as far as one
wanted, and then pull back to the city
all for one dollar. The stream was then
running like a mill race. The offer was
not accepted. The hoatman added par
enthetically: Your life would then be in
my hands.
The damage cannot be ascertained. 1t
is one of the hardest things in the world
to determine. So many are affected, and
scarcely any of tho merchandise Is wholly
destroyed,
BY tomorrow evening the freshet will
be a thing of the past, and while the
great stream. with its swirling currents,
was u great spectacle while 1t lasted,
every one saw it and will be heartily
glad now to see it go.
CERTAINLY WAS A FLOOD.
Mr.. James O. Atwood writes The Times
as follows:
According to the report of the Weather
Bureau, the total rainfall for the two
DAYS 1sreeeding the flood amounted to an
average depth of two inches for the whole
State The total land area OF Virginia Is
about 10000 square miles in round NUM-
bers and I base my calculate tons On TINS
40,G0o square miles reduced to acres gives
%, $4,000 acres, and this reduced to square
feet gives 1,l15, 1:s5. 00D0S1 square feet.
There are IA SQUARE inches in q. square
foot, and a rainfall of two inches IN depth
would make 2Ss cubic inches of water to
the SQUARE foot of land. One gallon of
water contains PSI cubic inches, which
would MAKE one ana one-fourth gallons
on each square foot of land. a gallon
of fresh water weighs approximately
eight pounds, and one and one-nuarte1
gallons would thus weigh ten pounds
making an average rainfall OF ten pounds
of water to a square foot OF lahd. From
iha foregoing it will easily be seen thai
], go SIC, Oo0, 900 gallons of water fell in the
State in the two days rain, or u, 10, $780,
COS. eco pounds. This number of gallons
would make q, sls 100000 barrels of water
of fiety gallons each: The same quantity
of water reduced to tons of 1000 pounds
each gives the total rainfall of the State
last Saturday and Sunday at $3.50, 6So.eO
tons"