The Washington herald., 1913-03-28
PASSES
TO THE Ocean
Its Fury Spent as 1t Reaches
the Coast Of Cape
Hatteras.
NEW RAINFALL RECORD
Never Before Was So Large an Area
Subjected to Heavy
Rains.

fious sections OF the country TO the
United States Weather Bureau indicate
that the great storm. which is declared
to be the worst in the history of the
bureau. has spent itself. passing on into
the Atlantic Ocean. from Cape Hatteras
north. Although reports are coming In
slowly, owing to wire troubles. sufficient
information was at hand tonight to indi-
cate that there is no further danger
from rains, but that as a result OF
steady downpour IN the Ohio Valley from
Sunday until last night. the Ohio River
and its tributaries are facing the biggest
floods in many years. The Ohio is rising
all the way from Pittsburg to Cairo. and
the Mississippi is rising all the way
south from Dubuque. Iowa
The storm is being followed by cold
wave. Below zero temperatures are be-
ing registered In the West
The rainstorm shifted Tuesday and
Wednesday more to the southwark and
eastward, resulting in flooded streams
all through this section up into the New
England States. The kentucky. Cumber-
land, and Tennessee Rivers are on the
rampage. and considerable damage is
expected
Never before has the Weather Bu-
reau labored under such difficulties as
this week." said Prof II. J. Cox, the
forecaster tonight. There have been
heavier rainstorms in restricted locali-
ties before, but such heavy precipi-
tation. extending over three or four days
in such a large area, Is unprecedented.
We have had the greatest difficulty OBJ
tanning reports from the Mississippi VAL
ley, and west of II yesterday, with the
result that we were enabled to issue
only about a quarter OF the weather
map for the United States The suffer
ing in the storm center Is being added
to by snow and freezing temperature.
with a serious menace to the fruit
crops, but the freezing will somewhat
allay the floods in checking the of
flow Of water. The stage Of the food
in the smaller rivers will decline now.
and the worst is to be feared from the
larger streams. particularly the Ohio
and Mississippi.
Downpour for FOrty-eiEht Hours.
The situation in Indiana and Ohio
was rendered SO serious by the fact OF
a continuous downpour for period OF
forty-two TO forty-eight hours. Heavy
rains seldom continue IN one locality for
more than twenty-four hours. In strip
of territory extending from St Louis
across Southern Illinois, Central and
Southern Indiana and Western and
Ohio.
An average Of 636 inches OF rain fell
up to last night. The heaviest precipita-
ton was at Louisville, where $40 inches
fell in twelve hours The storm remained
stagnant in this center for three days,
penned in between two areas of high
barometer. one In the Atlantic and the
other in the northwest This resulted in
pushing the storm into Kentucky and
Northern Tennessee and scattering on to
rd Ia NIGHT
Forecaster Devereaux. at Cincinnati.
reported that the Pennsylvania Railroad
officials there had received Information
from Xenia and Springfield. Ohio. that
the Lewiston reservoir. at the head Of
the Big Miami River, broke about 10
o o'clock this morning.
River reports from Tennessee and Ala
banla were given as follows: Chattanoo-
ga. the Tennessee rising rapidly. 3o-foot
stage expected; Bridgeport, Tenn. 20 feet;
Is feet: Decatur, Ala, 1S.5
feet.
vicksburg reported that the Mississippi
will continue rising three weeks or more
and the flood stage will not pass in that
district before April to S. st. Louis
reported that the Illinois River may
break all records Louisville reports Ken.
lucky rivers all rapidly rising and that
the situation in that district is equal to
the big foods Of 1897.
Forecast Is Issued.
The forecaster at Binghamton, N. Y,
that the river stage there at
3 o'clock this afternon was 1T feet, and
rising four inches an hour. The crest
of the flood will probably reach 10 feet
tonight.
The heaviest precipitation ddring the
hours ending at o'clock this
was reported as follows: Har-
Pa. 30 inches; Wytheville, Va,
2:5S: Admission. Ala. IA, and Knoxville.
Tenn, 2.16.
The lowest temperatures reported to-
day were as follows: Huron and Pierra,
S. Oak, and Moorehead. MINI. degrees,
and Grand Forks, N. Oak, s degrees, all
below zero: Duluth, Mimi, degrees;
Valentine. Nebr.. 4. and Flagstaff, Ariz..
and Houghton. Mich, degrees, all above
zero.
A strip OF territory extending from
San Antonio. Tex, to Memphis, Tenn. |
Columbus. Ohio; Pittsburg. Pa; wythe- |
vile, Va; Ashevflle, N. c., and Thomas |
VILE. Ga, experienced temperatures rang |
ing from 30 to 60 degrees above zero Up |
to this morning, and fall of 20 to &C |
degrees by tomorrow morning was pre-
dicted.