Evening star., 1915-01-13
AVALANCHE OF RAIN
CAUSES BAD FLOOD
Rapidly Rising Waters Drive
Families to Upper Floors
in BIadensburg.

Broken trees and washouts which re-
suited in no great amount of damage
were evidences in this city today Of the
wind and rain storm which swept
along the Atlantic seaboard last night
from Maine to the Carolinas. Suburbs
of Washington were not so fortunate.
however. specially Bladensburg. Md,
where large portion of the town was
flooded when Northwest branch, a
tributary of the Anacostia river. over
flowed its banks and caused consider
able damage. Residents of the vicinity
say the flood has exceeded any that
has occurred since the time of the
Johnstown many years ago.
The lower floors of score or more of
homes were flooded and in some cases
the water almost reached the level Of
the second floor. A number of people
were imprisoned in their homes by the
water.
The main street of the town was COW
cred with water this morning, which
was several feet deep in some places,
and the cellars of scores Of homes are
flooded. The water started rising early
tanned its great height early this morn
ing. Between the hours of and II
o'clock this morning the water had re-
ceded about three inches. but by noon
today it was falling at a much faster
rate.
The flood came through the center of
the town and cut Off all traffic in the
Baltimore boulevard and on the electric
line The tracks Of the electric rail-
road were washed from their bed in
several places and at one place the
force of the water was SO great that the
steel rails were bent and twisted. The
worst washout occurred on Sand street
near the east end of the town. At this
inf thA anlr1 ss1f f~1,t
embankment several feet above the
newly surfaced street. This embank-
ment has been entirely washed from
beneath the tracks.
Many huge logs were 1ammsd against
the new cement bridge between
Hyattsville and Bladensburg, damming
the stream and causing the water to
back up to q great height. The bridge
just to the south of Bladensburg on
the road leading from Washington is
in a like condition, being surrounded
by drift timber.
Families Are Marooned.
The home of William Green, colored.
on the Bladensburg road near the
bridge, was flooded and Green, his wife
and their twelve children were forced
to the second floor. This morning
Green had to wade in water up to his
neck to get some food for his family
and to summon help.
Ben Gray, who lives on Sand street,
was imprisoned in his home by the
water, which flooded the lower floor.
Gray built a walkway from his house
with heavy timbers, one end of which
| rest on the car tracks.
An old brick residence used during
the war of 1912 as a hospital, which is
one of the historic old buildings OF
| the town, was flooded and entirely sur
rounded by water. Occupants of the
house did not realize that the branch
had overf1owed it's banks until water
began to run through the doors of the
house. and soon the lower floor was
flooded.
While the storm was not a record
| breaker. the rainfall was unusually
heavy for this time Of the year. officials
of the weather bureau said today. From
j8 o'clock last night till O'Clock this
| morning the rainfall was 1.29 inches.
For the twenty-four-hour period ending
at o'clock this morning the rainfall
was "a inches. During the entire storm
stated
The maximum wind velocity register
| ed by instruments at the weather bu-
| reau was forty-two miles per hour.
reports of a number of trees having
been blown down last night were re-
ceived at the Office OF the superintend-
ent OF trees and parking this morning
from the police. Reports of many
broken limbs OF trees also were re-
ceived. and the surface division re-
| ceived reports of washouts and danger
GUS holes.
Trees Are Blown Down.
Trees were blown down In front of
223o Virginia avenue. 80 E street
northwest. 4127 Conduit road, at 30th
and Q streets northwest, 28th and N
streets northwest. Pomeroy street and
Sheridan road southeast, Sheridan and
stanton roads southeast and Stanton
road near Douglass street southeast
Two dangerous washouts in Anacos-
tia were reported by the police, and
number of depressions on sidewalks
In the city made walking dangerous.
A tree blown down on the south side
OF street between 9Th and 10th streets
northwest broke in a show window of
a store, causing damage amounting to
several hundred dollars
steam boat masters whose steamers
were out on the river report that while
the storm OF last night was of excep-
tional violence, no damage was done,
and the steamers arrived here this
morning almost on schedule. The
steamer Wakefield made no attempt to
make landings this side of Lower Cedar
point, the storm making 1t dangerous
to go to the wharves.
This morning heavy current be-
gan flowing down the river and it in
creased in velocity during the day.
Rfvermen do not look for the heaviest
of the downhow from the upper river
to reach here until tonight or tomor-
row, when, 1t is expected, tho muddy
food will be racing down river at
speed of six or seven miles an hour.