Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-07-04
GREAT DAMAGE BY RAIN
CIoudburst Delays Traffic on the
Railroads
OPEQuON OUT or IT'S BANKS
lowIands Flooded and Farmers are In
able 10 Work IN Harvest Fields
Considerable Loss VIII Result.

able 10 Work IN Harvest Fields
Considerable Loss VIII Result.
A terrific cloudburst, the worst ex-
perienced for years, occurred in Win
chester sunday afternoon. Four inch
esof rain fell III onehour, flooding streets
and cellars in town and doing great
damage to crops in the countT. Three
hundred and seventy five excnrsio nists
from Baltimore and Washington We're
detained there for hours owing to Sc
rious washouts on the Baltimore a.
Ohio railroad north of the city.
All the track hands available be-
tween Strasburg Junction and Bruins
wick. Nd, were put to work rcpair-
inf the washouts, but traffic was at a
standstill for hours.
The excursion train on the Balti-
more & Ohio made an exciting run
for two miles through water covering
the tracks to depth of foot, and
for Is miles no land was visible ex-
cept the sides of cuts through which
the train passed In addition to the
washouts, a "dead'' engine, whose
fires we're extingnished by the water,
was off the track near Summit Point.
An attempt was made to send the ex-
cursiomists over the Cumberland VAL
lev Railroad to Martinsbnrg and con-
meet here with the Baltimore g. Ohio,
but the plan was abandoned when it
was found that there were only two
passenger coaches available for the
excursionists.
Late Sunday night, however, a train
was sent to Winchester from here,
and the excursionist were brought
TO this place over the Cumbe rlant
Valley, and were sent to their HON es
from this point.
HEAVY RAINFALL.
The heavy downpour of rain through
out the night in this section has result
ed in bringing all the streams of the
county out of the banks and floodinl
the bottom lands to the dedth OF
several feet. The Opeauon creek wal
all over the lowlands this morning
and for miles it could not be crossed
At the stone bridge the water was on
the road, and many people who haC
started for town were turned back By
the high water. Farmers saw that il
the rain continues much longer great
damage to the wheat will result. In
all sections the farmers have been
driven from the harvest fields, and il
will be several das vet before opera.
lions can be resumed. Much of the
wheat in the lowlands is covered by
water. and the -ain beat it down Sc
that it will be difficult to cut wheI
the farmers do get at it. However
it is expected that it can all be saved
if the farmers can get a chance to cut
it.
The rainfall for Sunday night i'll thit
place az recorded by Mr.. George Van.
meter. the government weather exper
here, was 1856 inches. For the montl
there was q total fall OF inches o
rain. al enormous amount for on
month.
During June there have been thre,
clear DAYS. nine cloudy and seventeen
rainv--a very good month for ducks
LAND SLIDES ON B. e. 0.
The continued wet weather, togethe
with the heavy rain Sunday, caused
several serious washouts and land
slides on the b. & 0. this morning
Besides the washout ON the Valley
branch, which is about 200 feet long,
there was another big one on the ole
main line near Gathers, and no trains
as vet have come through over thai
line. A landslide in the neighbor
hood of Sleepy Greek this morning
covered two tracks and east boanC
trains wero compelled to use the thirC
track. There was a washout near
Rockville on the Metropolitan brancl
which DELAYED Nos. 50 and about
an hour and half.
All the available track hands along
the lire were sent to the various
washouts. The slide west does not
amount TO very much. The washouts
on the Valley branch and at Gathers
are the worst. The one on the Metro
politan branch has been repaired All
the stone and cinders that could be
gathered mp along the line has been
sent to Gathers. Twenty-three cars
of stone, loaded by the Standard Lime
and Stone company for the west, were
sent east to help fill up the break.
Several loads of cinders were also sent
east. A gang of men were put to work
Monday morning loading up the stone