Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-23
JAMES RIVER FALLING.
Danger Of Flood in Richmond Over For
the Present,


A dispatch from Richmond last night says
Heavy damage to real estate and merchan-
disc in the submerged district, the extent of
which cannot be intelligently estimated at
this time; the loss of thousands Of dollars to
manufacturers and merchants by the inun-
dation Of industrial plants and wholesale
and retail stores; thousands of dollars loss
in trade to retail merchants in lower Main
Franklin. Cary and 18th streets in the sub
merged portion of the Shockoe valley and
in the lowlying districts of Fulton, whose
places of business are closed; temporary
suspension of traffic in the flooded streets
inconvenience and expense to the patrons
OF the street railway lines, whose business
compelled them to make use of the i'm
provised ferry systems which are in opera
ton in the inundated streets; several thou
sand dollars paid out by merchants for the
removal of goods and machinery to tenn
porary storage out Of reach of the en-
croachfng waterssuch is the record Of the
high water in Richmond, which reached its
height shortly before daybreak this morn
ing.
The water In the streets was falling at
midnight, but two hours later began to
rise, creeping steadily but slowly until 1t
reached its deepest point at o'clock. At
that time there was four feet of water in
18th and Franklin streets.
The freshet began to recede from Main
street about 8 o'clock this morning Many
18th and 18th streets on Main are, however,
still flooded on the lower floors. The Main
street entrance to the union station was in
accessible early this morning, the muddy
water having spread across the street at
that point to a depth of several inches.
Travellers entered and left the station by
means Of the 18th street entrance.
1T is a remarkable incident" said E. l..
Clemets, merchant. who has been in the
shoe business In this block for many years,
that these freShets almost invariably come
on Sunday. l cannot recall freshet in
twenty years that crept into Main street in
the middle of the week. Invariably the high
water made an appearance in the street on
Saturday night or early Sunday morning"
Samuel Lecler and Samuel Elsner, with a
wagon belonging to the Beaufort Lithia
Company, won reputation as philanthro-
pists by carrying men, women and children
who were on their way to work In the shops
and factories across the water free of
charge. Lecler transported more than 700
persons. without pay Throughout the day
fare was taken in the Beaufort wagon only
from those people who declined to ride free.
People on the street cars were given trans
portation from one side of the water to the
other. The street railway did not put on a
ferry line because it had been advised that
the waters would soon recede.
Since Sunday morning the river has been
falling steadily at Columbia. At 10 o'clock
this morning it had fallen nine feet. The
highest point reached by the water at
Columbia was 81 ITO feet from to 10
o'clock this morning. This is probably the
highest point reached by the river here dur
ing the night. Richmond received last night
the heaviest rainfall reported anywhere in
the country A total of 266 inches fell here.
No rainfall Is reported along the coast ex-
cept at Norfolk, where 80 of an inch fell.
The gauge at Columbia now is less than
twenty feet and falling.
The river tonight is falling steadily, and
it is believed that no further trouble is to
be anticipated.