Evening star., 1903-06-30
UNUSUAL ALL
CLOUDBURST IN LOUDOUN
COUNTY, VA, SUNDAY.
Much Damage to the Wheat Crop Re
ported-Southern Railway
Line injured.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Evening STAR
HAMILTON, Va. June %. 1908.
For over a week past this section has had
an unprecedented amount Of rainfall. sun
day this excessive precipitation illuminated
in cloudburst, which did widespread
damage. For two hours the rain came
down In binding sheets. which made II
seem almost as dark as night. The already
saturated ground shed off like the roof OF
a house and nearly all Of the water which
fell found its way into the streams in a
remarkably short time. Ordinary spring
branches soon became raging torrents, and
emptying into the creeks. soon swelled them
out of banks and became veritable rivers.
Bridges which had withstood all former
floods were washed out, and wheat on the
lowlands was swept away. This is quite q
wheat-growing country. and the damage to
this crop alone will be enormous. That
which has been harvested will in all proba-
bility spoil in the shock, and that which is
standing will be lost unless the ground
dries out quickly so that the farmers can
get at the grain with their binders. AT pres
ent the ground is so soft no machinery
could be used on 1t.
The Southern railroad suffered severely
from the floods. Its roadbed was washed
out in two or three places, and the two
below Leesburg, was carried away as II 1t
had been a mere eggshell. Some idea of the
force of the flood can be gained from the
damage done at this point. Tuscarora
when in its normal state Is a creek about
ten feet wide and from six inches to a
foot in depth. The railroad tracks are
about twenty feet above the bed of the
stream. This comparatively insignificant
stream burst over its banks, and, spread
ing out over a wide area, still rose till 1t
swept over the bridge, and. swapping the
steel rails like pipe stems. took one span
Of the heavy structure several hundred
yards down stream, and deposited 1t in the
center Of the stream. The other span was
swept around almost at right angles to
the position 1t originally occupied. and
only the rails spiked on 1t prevented 1t
from being washed away, too.
Just above the depot at Leesburg small
stream burst out of its banks, and, sweep
teen feet out Of line and bent and buckled up
the rails SO that a train attempting to cross
1t would cerainly have been dftched. The
excursion train, from Bluemont. and due
in Washington about 8 pm, was laid out
by this washout. and many of the passen-
gers had to remain aboard all night. There
were a number of Washingtonians among
the chance of stumbling over ties and wad-
ing through puddles of water In the dark
ness. The water filled the Easements Of
many houses In the town, and the lumber
yard of Joseph e. Norris was inundated
and probably 5000 worth Of lumber fioated
away.
There has been no report of loss of life
as yet News from the district out about
the Potomac river, where the damage was
probably greatest, is coming in slowly as
1t is an isolated part of the county and
when news from there comes It may be of
a more serious nature than anything as yet
reported.