Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-10-15
SH0CKOE NOT MARKER TO
USUALLY PLACID JAMES
Veteran Writer Recalls Mem
orablc Frcshcl of the
Year l77l.
STREAM WENT on RAMPAGE:
Overflow Of Two Decades AGO Rs
Nothing Compared To humiliation
Described ny Colonel Shcrrin Me-
RDc in Virginia Gazette.

Reoen, frequent outhurs;s Of
Shockoe Creek played havoc with
property in the lower husircxs scc-
ton Of tho city that will not soon
be forgotten, hut Shockoo Creek il
not marker 80 tho James River
when that historic and usually placid
old stream goes on tho rampage.
For. when the lanes does set ON
its h!Gh horse. II sweeps everything
before it and, while the creates,
damage II ever did is known in this
City as only history records IT. \
period of only twenty Years. n: 50.
has ELAPSED since it's muddy waters.
and blocks of iCc II carried. had ali
Richmond terroriScd for - day or
more
!; was in january. ~ lS?S or 1919.
II is said, that the James hrokr away
from It's mornings and went wild
The river was frozen over at Inc
time. and great chunks or lee. with
timber LOGS and other j"tsam were
thrown poll m"ll against houses and
into the streets that were nearest
It's banks
But tina, rampage. history tells
US. vas nothing IN comparison L"
the frcshct OF I'LL. The late Colo
mel Sherwlu McRae wrote the story
of the food Of l57l, and 1t appeared
in tho Virginia Gazette, of May ~
i57l, in which i, was stated that
there was then the greatest trcsh"t
III the James River that was ever
known II was twenty foo, higher
than tho fresho; OF 1866. tho writer
stated
Description of RnmpnEc.
The description Of the rampage
follows:
Tho warehouses at W"stham are
entirely gone win goo hnrsh"ad>
nF al.
the water is now half way W. IN"
lower tior Of hogSh'udS Tho other
warehouses at ShocNo" ar" almost
under water. and tn" Tobacco" DRIFT
ting away by thirty aud forty hogs
heads At time. II is imaGiu,d there
might hay" been about 1900 hogs
heads ia TN" different war"h"us"S at
ShocNoe Almost every lumber nous"
is gone AMI destroyed ON each side
of the river, lutuy Of them full "r
goods, with maly dwelling houses.
both here ana at Rocky Ride" rnnw
Manchcs,erD. som. p"rpl" who LEI;
Richmond the SAN" DAY In ia" ar
termoon. say that tn" river wns tncu
rising a. tho rate of two inch"., an
hour, but We since learn tina, II h--
ran to aha'c ABOUT sunset. Nll III"
low grounds have boon ovcrow.d.
by which inconc"ivahic damage has
been done Everything Was carried
Colone! Thomas Mann Randolph. ana
a Elk Island John Wales. ESD. Is
said To have suffered To til" amount
OF 1000 pounds. nothing being sav.h
but the pcopl" and i've horses. The
ships IN tn" river We. IN tn" most
imm.n"n, danger from TIA" vast num-
her oi huge trees driven down 10y
The rnpidity ~ tn" current, and
many ~ them hay" Sustained great
damage. The ships at shirley Hun-
dreG were driven frum their moor
inCS over 10 cts Point. and those at
City Point down as low as Jorhon's
Captain Stevenson went ashore at the
point and is not vet got III cap
tain C0auic lost three at his anchors
and was ia N"rY sr"at danger. Six
o: CAPTAIN Nlark's men IN tho yawl.
clearing away N" drifting trees
were ov.rset aud i've az them
drowned. CAPTAIN simpson of Rris-
iol, lost one - hts men and hi- ship
was driven 80 far on shore that 8,
is feared she VIII no, To- gotten or
again. som" wavon"rs who are ar
rived At Richmond from augusta say'
that Il raiucd almost ever srfcSNthcy
left home. which was about ten or
twelve days and va slnc" learn that
there has been 'ho greatest dcvaS;a.
t!on IN 'h7i county ana Alhamarlc
ny IN" Overlooking Of low grounds,
loss of sto,ks. houses. etc"
Low Grounds swept
Tie same paper. cth az JUu". saws:
From EchmonG ~" learn ina; they
receive dalfy accounts 81 the drvas-
tat!ou aCcasicncd ny tn" late Hoods
From the mountains to the falls th.,
low grounds have been sw"Jh of al
mos eyeryihiuG valuable. and tho
sol! s" wuch Injured mat il is
though no. 20 10 Of half its former
81 O. "a.