Evening star., 1924-05-13
Potomac, Shenandoah and
Other Rivers Rise rs Feet,
Breaking Two Dams and
Carrying Away 10 Bridges.
WATERS HERE REACHING
HIGHEST STAGE IN YEARS
Hundreds Flee to Safety as Miles
of Land and Towns Are Inun-
dated-Main Highways Blocked
and Railways Suspend Freight
and Passenger Traffic.

Sweeping down the Potomac Val
ley. the worst flood since 1889 is swirl
ing past Washington today, inundat-
ing scores of residences and summer
camps along the river banks. tearing
boats from their moorings and Great
ing havoc in the upper valley regions
that will cause millions of dollars
loss.
With the water still rising steadily
and the crest of the flood not due to
reach this vicinity until about 5
o'clock, the river was pouring through
virtually every summer camp along
the Georgetown and Virginia pali-
sades. had filed the lower floors of
the Washington and Potomac Canoe
clubs and was beginning to enter the
Sycamore Island Club.
From Harpers Ferry, Harrisonburg.
Woodstock. Cumberland and other
towns in Maryland, Virginia and West
Virginia. along the banks of the Po-
tCmac and Shenandoah rivers, came
reports of serious inundation. Ten
bridges have been washed away,
others are rapidly becoming unsafe.
and vehicular traffic over all of the
a complete standStill.
Traffic at StandstilI.
Traffic over the main line of the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad west of
Point of Rocks, Md, was stopped
shortly before noon, when the tun-
mel there became flooded, and en-
eineers declared it would be danger
tn "a fra irifn MI 10
Norfolk and Western and the south
ern railroads have Cancelled all train
service over their main lines in the
Shenandoah Valley, where conditions
parallel those in the Potomac Valley.
Coming Within a little more than
two weeks of the anniversary of the
JohnStown disaster. when 1000 lives
We're lost in similar flood, the Po-
rdaS AFTER AFTER Gess9 se o bar5 saTy Ta saf
When the Shenandoah. which empties
into the Potomac at HarperS Ferry,
reached flood stage conditions became
serious and flood warnings We're is
sued by the weather bureau.
Weekend camping parties were
forced to desert their summer homes
along the Potomac river late Satur-
day, when it seemed that the water
would soon make retreat impossible.
By night, however. the river seemed
to subside and hundreds of the out
ing parties returned to their camps
for the night and remained through
Sunday. Last night. however, the
river began to rise with precipitous
suddenneSS.
Campers Warned.
Boatmen hurried from place to place
warning the campers that the water
would be in their places before morn
ing, and all night the river was a scene
of wild confusion as the campers worked
by lantern light to save what they could.
Before daybreak the banks high above
what was expected to be high-water
mark were strewn with clothing, bed
ding and what small pieces of furniture
the salvaging squads could move in
their boats.
From Key bridge to Sycamore Island
only an occasional house which had been
built well above the river was free of
the water at noon today, and it seemed
that before the crest of the flood had
roared its way down the valley these,
too, would be swept by the swirling,
spraying muddy water that seemed to
groan in ecstacy as they surged along
at express train speed, carrying on their
foaming bosom tons Of debris.
Ten or fifteen houses are known
TO have been completely inundated
and it is feared they have been
washed away. Many of the partially
Hooded homes were occupied by fam
lilies that live along the river bank
the year around. Only a few effects
that could be hastily gathered to-
rether were saved by these people
before they fought their way to safe
" in small boats, warning others as
they went
Dawn found them disconsolate group,
standing quietly along the fringes of
the flood. watching the destruction of
their homes. Before noon hundreds
of camp owners had Joined them.
TIvery now and then a group could be
found peering anxiously out over the
tossing river, searching in vain for a
mere sight Of the once cozy cabin.
EVEN trees were submerged half way
- their topmost branches and none of
the islands that dot the upper Poto
mac was visible.
Near Chain Bridge Floor.
At Chain bridge the scene was one
of nature gone mad. The water
there had risen thirty-one feet by
octuaI measurement, r. l.. King, the
hridge keeper, reported. 1t is nor
nally forty-five feet below the floor
., the bridge. Today at noon it was
onIy fourteen feet below the floor
md its spray was dashing now and
then across the walk. The bridge,
however, is perfectly safe and affords
bird sceye view of the flood.
Down at Key bridge conditions are
- better Dempsey's boathouSe is
inundated almost to the second floor
I'D half a score of men are standing
~ in case the float begins to break
Srom its moorings. At the Washing
IN Canoe Club and the Potomac
Sonoe Club the water now reaches
oImost to the second floor decks and
o. is feared that serious damage
rr,;oht result from a further rise in
the river.
sycamore Island was rapidly disar-
Nearing beneath the bosom of the
riwer at noon and every house in
nat section was said to be inundated
~ least to it's second floor. Some
lave dropped beneath the water en-
tirely. The clubhouse on Sycamore
T.iand is built on what ordinarily
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