The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1910-04-28
MUCH DAMAGE IS
DONE BY RAINS
Locomotive Works Surrounded
and Work in Several Depart
ments Suspended
for a Few
Hours.

cay, SUNDAY and Sunday night. Since
o'clock Saturday night and until the
rain ceased Monday morning, the
downpour had been almost incessant
the water gauge OF the local Weather
Bureau registering during that time
$50 inches Of rain. go
The effects of this almost six inches
or rain which has fallen since Sat
uroay night has been felt throughout
the city and especially in the outlying
secuons. While number Of reports OF
the damage resulting from the storm
nave been received, they are, In the
majority of instances, trivial
Perhaps the most damage has been
caused 10 the Richmond Locomotive
works, at the foot of Seventh Street
where the boiler factory, an auxiliary
or the works, and in which Is housed
the pattern. carpenter and blacksmith
SHOPS, was completely flooded
Operations have been suspended for
the time being, several score workmen
being temporarily out of work Work
VIII be resumed, however as soon as
the influx OF water has been abated.
during the early hours of this
morning the boiler shop resembled an
island, the structure being complete
~ surrounded by water. Fortunately
little, II any, Of the machinery was
damaged none of it having been put
was the inability of the mechanics to
perform their duties. Conditions are
expected TO he such that the men will
De able to go back to work this af-
ternoon.
Landslide.
AS the result OF the heavy rains
loosening several hundred tons of dirt
adjacent TO the Seaboard Air Line
cracks at the foot of North Ninth
Street which earth formed minia-
ture landslide and completely covered
the tracks for several hundred Yards
uathc on 2 branch of the line was
suspended for sometime today.
a force OF workment were put to
work at an early hour. clearing the
tracks and traffic is expected TO be re-
sumed sometime today. While the
line was blocked the Seaboard Air
Line sent its trains going by this
route over the Richmond. Fredericks-
burg and Potomac tracks.
several small one-stOry frame
structures. occupied 10y negroes. mar
rowly escaped destruction i'm the
landslide.
The rain storm which Richmond
has passed through during the past
Gay ana two nights has been pretty
general throughout the State. Up to
o'clock last night, when the local
weather Bureau took it's last reading
yesterday. 2.S9 inches Of rain had fall
len since the same hour Saturday
night. AS much more fell after
that hour.
The heavy downpour OF yesterday
and the past two nights" Section Di-
rector Edward A. Evans. Of the local
ehce' remarked this morning, sue
ceeded in wiping out the accumulated
deficiency OF rainfall which the local
bureau has been carrying on the debit
side Of its records since the first OF the
year"
Rise i'm River
When asked as to the probability OF
q rise in the James River as a result
Of the unusual rainfall. MT Evans
said that the river would unQuestion-
ably show n rise within the next TWEEN
ty-four to thirty-six hours, but wheth-
er there would be a decided influx OF
water into the river from streams
which feed into the larger stream he
was not prepared 20 say. as the local
office as yet has received few reports
from mp the river.
The latest report received from Co
lumbia was at noon yesterday at
which hour 1872 inches OF rain had
fallen. This is approximately the
same amount that had fallen here at
the noon hour yesterday. While il
has not been officially stated. il is
thought that the rainfall at Columbia
was equally as heavy as ii was local
ly.
while the rains OF the past thirty
six hours were what might be termed
general Mr.. Evans continued, the
heavier downpours have been what
might be termed local-not local I'm
so far as this city is concerned. but
heavy I'm certain sections OF the State
that is TO say, there has not been a
uniformity in the extent OF the rain
all over the State"
While, as stated above. reports of
the rainfall from other section Of the
Old Dominion have been slow in COM
ing in, the local weather office is salts
hed that enough water has fallen dur
ing the past thirty-six hours to empty
considerable into the river from out
lying streams. 1t is not thought how
ever, that the accompanying rise in
the James River will be sufficient 70
cause any appreciable damage in the
lowlandS Of this city.
To cause a rise sufficient to affect
the operations OF the Old Dominion
and other wharves in the lower part
of the city the flood gauge at Column
bia would have to show a rise at that
place of 21 feet, which would cause
corresponding rise of II feet here
which would be sufficient to cover the
floor of the wharves here.
Not for several years has the rise
leen enough to push the waters OF
the James River into Main Street
ON occasions agone the overflow of
the river has reached up into Main
Street as far as Fourteenth Street
while the steps of the Chesapeake and
Ohio-Seaboard Air Line Main Street
Station have been touched by the one
time amber colored fluid Not so
many years ago traffic communication
with the eastern section of the city
was to be had only by the aid of row
boats on the occasion of a consider
able rise in the river.
On the SouthSide.
The entire Southside suffered Sc
verely from the foundations which
played havoc with foundations, eel
lars, factories and streets in general
IT is estimated that never before has
there been done so much damage. EN-
bankments have in many instances
been washed down for several feet;
roads have been converted into veri-
table boys and stables, cellars and
outhouses have been almost swept
away.
The foundation of the Southside of
Mr.. w. Nunnallys house, 1908 Por-
ter Street, and the foundation of the
house of Gustave Fear. 1905 Porter
Street, were literally washed out, caus-
ing an aggregate damage of about
$500.
Traffic along some Of the roads and
streets is almost impossible and in
many instances is not attempted
The James River had risen q boDt