The Washington herald., 1920-03-06
'40-MILE GALE
SWEEPS CITY;
one LIFE LOST
Capital Bears Brunt Of
Storm Born IN Great
Lakes Region.
FEAR POTOMAC FLOOD
Upper Reaches Already
Threatening and Rise Is
Reported Spreading.
FEAR POTOMAC FLOOD

whirled Eastward. Washington yes
terday and last night sustained the
brunt of the great storm that ds-
] scended on the East after playing
havoc in the Great Lakes region.
! One death is the brief blizzard,s
toll in this city. The snowfall pass
ed in the darkness. and the wind
subsided after attaining a maimum
velocity of 4s miles an hour.
Potomac May Overflow.
There is cause for greater concern
than was occasioned by the phenom-
email winter bareback which car
| ried the thoughts of Washington
ians back to the blizzard OF 1893
This is the threatening rise Of the
Potomac, which, already along its
upper reaches, has attained flood
stage, driving people and livestock
to the security of the hills, and il
rapidly rising between Aqueduct
Bridge and Great Falls.
| Flood reports from Hancock.
Williamsport, Shepherdstown and
other river towns closely followed
stories of the storm last night
Surging waters also were reported
to be breaking from the banks of
streams in the Maryland counties
OF Baltimore, Carroll and Hartford.
The Potomac and Shenandoah feed
from the same hills and mountains
as do these streams and both must
respond to the heavy addition OF
rain and melting snow.
Crest Not Due for "a Hours.
At Chain Bridge a stage of ten
feet was noted early last evening.
rapidly increasing. Rivermen view
with apprehension the swelling
stream. recalling the flood of 1913.
1t will be at least twenty-four
hours before the crest reaches
Washington. .---.--s
Reports of heavy property dam
age lin cities and along lines OF
communication are piling into the
Capital from all points North from
the Carolinas to Maine.
George w. Callahan. aged rs. of
1918 Irving street. met his death
as he fought his way through the
gale at Seventh and @ streets in
the afternoon. Thrown to the pave
ment several times by powerful
gusts. he stumbled into a doorway
and fell dead of heart disease, due
to exhaustion.
In spite of the early prognostica-
tion that Washington would have
no blizzard, the fear-inspiring as
sortment Of weather that descended
on the city about D. m. could
hardly be otherwise characterized.
Mercury at Freezing Point.
From a registration Of SO degrees
at noon. the thermometer tumbled
to freezing point at 3 o'clock.
Meanwhile the wind leaped forward
like water through a broken dyke,
Transforming a placid rainfall into
a driven blast of hail and snow.
At such points as the Raleigh
corner and Fourteenth and q
streets, it was impossible to make
headway against the hurricane ex-
cept by clinging to the sides or
buildings.
Scores of minor accidents were
unreported. The police learned
that Mrs. w. o. Crosby. 8 NJ street
northeast. was blown to the street
at Eleventh and F streets and sus-
tanned injuries necessitating her
removal to Emergency Hospital.
Mrs. Anna NJ. Rhinehart. 531 Sec
ond street southeast. was hurled
against a street car at Second
street and Pennsylvania avenue
southeast and badly cut about the
face.
Many Trees Down.
An ice truck was swept against
a tree at Pierce Mill road and Wis
consin avenue. injuring George
Donaldson, riding in the body OF
the vehicle. Pedestrians near the
Shubert -Garrick Theater narrowly
escaped injury when big tree
smashed down between this house
and the Cosmos Theater.
1t snapped a foot above the roots
and fell across the pavement, block
ing an alley between the theater
and the Cosmos Club.
Patrolman G. r. Hicks, Of the,
First precinct, standing nearby,
heard the warning cracking as the
tree gave way and shouted a warn
ing. The theatergoers stepped aside
barely in time. The tree was a
landmark. Scientists at the Cosmos
lClub declared it to be the oldest
type of tree known to horticulture
,of the species fern indigenous OF
Japan.
Virtually every police precinct re-
lported trees either blown down or
large limbs broken off. windows
in many sections caved in before
the strong wind. A large tree was
blown over against the front OF $40
Thirteenth street southeast.
Boatmen Remove Craft.
| Boatmen on the Potomac worked
Ifuriously in. the afternoon to re-
move their craft from the channel.
whipped into foam by high winds.
1t was one of the worst nights on
the river in many years. according
to Lock Tender willard. who has
and Ohio Canal dam feeder. near
| Chain Bridge, for twenty-eight
years.
According to DR.. Frankenfield.
washington may in a few days be
visited by another storm. now
gathering in the Southwest. The
lforecaster jokingly admitted last
might that for once the weather man
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