Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-09-07
:SHOCKOE CREEK GOES
ON ANOTHER RAMPAGE.
Floods Lower Section of City, Doing
Damage to Large
Area.
NEGROES RENDERED HOMELESS
Trash Forms Dam In Archway Under
Marshall Street, and Bottom Is
Quickly Floodcd-Damage Done
Along Seventeenth Street.

According to business men and resi-
dents In the Shockoe Creek Bottom that
area Of Kichmond was damaged many
! thousands of dollars by the Hood waters
OF the rainstorms that swept over the
city about o'clock last night. Rev.
John q. Scott proprietor Of Scotts
Drug store. Seventeenth and Franklin
Streets, said that he could not tell ex-
actly what his loss was. but stated that
it would total several thousand dollars.
l. Bluford. proprietor of 1. Bluford e.
Co. hardware and machine wholesalers.
sol to sos North Fifteenth Street said
that the tioodwater poured over the
main business floor of his store to {,
depth of eighteen inches. and covered
scores of machines worth many thou
sands of dollars with mud.
My firm has many rush orders from
the Du Pont Power Company, at Hope
well, which. as everybody knows, Is
working night and day in the interest
Of the United States in the great world
war, and We shall be greatly delayed
IN filling these orders by this flood"
said Mr.. Bluford.
Within the period of two hours fol-
lowing the start Of the rainstorm
Shockoe Creek rose. between Marshall
and Brown Streets. more than twenty
teet according to measurements made
later. The great rise was caused pri-
from both sides of the creek into the
stream. the water shed for a wide area.
being almost like the roof OF a house
RMS rush of water damned the small
archway over the creek at Marshall
street and pushed the water over the
oottoins. flooding business houses in
mat district. and routing many negro
families from their homes.
MANY COLORED FAMILIES
on the other side " the arch tho
sround is hiSher. but similar condi-
non prevailed. and that accounts for
the damage done at the Scott DRUG
Store and at Swift G. Co.'S and Other
business places.
We are not badly damaged by the
Storm" said one Of the managers az
Swifts last night. The water came into
our cellar about three inches deep, but
since we have been damaged badly
before we have prepared to fight the
HOOD, and we kept our pumps at work
ana forced the water out before Il did
much damage. Other business houses
II the vicinity Of Swift's and OF tho
Scott store were closed last night and
II was not known what the loss was to
them. ~
In Brown Street many colored folk.
were routed from the lower flowers of
their homes to the top. where they
spent the night. In other places, where
the mouse was a small one-story affair
the family was forced to fee and stay
away Tor the night. The beds were
ruined with water and mud, and In
many cases 1t was said that food was
spoiled. "Lordy." said one good-na-
tured colored mother. as she cuddled her
youngest child to her bosom and held
another little pickaninny by the hand,
An done lost nah suppah, table and
all, and was powful glad to save NAH
chilrun." ''
MIR. Bluford said that he had to go
10 court about the damage to properly
III the bottoms whenever II CHANGED 10
rain. Il have worked hard for what T
nave. he said. II paid $4,000 for the
building IN which l am now doing bust.
ness. and pay $500 taxes for doing bust
ness there. l am not getting protec-
ton under the law. Another business
urn near" said Mr.. Bluford, has a
narrei factory and they stack up hun
areas OF barrels on the banks Of the
creek near the arch. Whenever trash
apd refuse dams the archway slightly
at Marshall Street. the barrels are
washed down and make the dam COM
plete, causing the flooding OF my BUSH
ness house and Of scores OF colored
taxpayers homes"