Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-13

tCOntlnued from FHSt rage
ond street and Division avenue north
east and Forty-fourth street and Deane
avenue northeast. In other sections of
the city hundreds Of homeowners re-
ported flooded cellars, flooded drains or
leaky roofs.
Utility Companies Suffer.
Washington's utility companies suf-
fered heavily and repair gangs were
busy today in every section Of the city
Stalled street cars, broken telephone
ines and cables and short-circuited con-
duits were reported from all parts of
the city and its suburbs.
The storm created the greatest emer-
gency in the history of the American
Automobile Association. Between s.
o'clock Saturday night and niinight
last night the association gave emcr-
gency road service to T44 stalled auto
mobiles, practically all of which were
stopped because of water in their igni-
ton systems. The association kept 100
emergency road service trucks on duty
IN the District and so outside the Dis
trict on continuous duty throughout the
storm handling the troubles of mem
bers of the Washington section. MANY
OK the associations emergency me-
chanicS were without sleep for more
than 80 hours. Yesterday these me-
chanicS answered 3S4 calls from owners
OF stalled machines because of the rain.
saturday night six telephone opera
tors worked frantically to handle the
thousands of calls received over the
motor associations switchboard and
yesterday 10 operators were on duty
from early morning to midnight to
answer emergency calls and supply in
tromatlon about the condition of roads
and highways.
Electric Service Restored.
The Potomac Electric Power Co. to-
day reported its service had been re-
stored, From Saturday afternoon at
O'Clock until midnight last night, how
ever, the company handled 1900 emer-
gency phone calls and made 537 emer-
gency repairs to its power lines. The
reports of its working crews show that
wires were down In So cases, four poles
were blown down. six poles we're set ON
fire by lightning, SO high-tenSion cables
were put out of commission, IS service
wires into houses were blown down. and
five transformers were thrown out.
Washington would have been in dark
ness. in all probability. but for the eff
forts of pumping crews sent out by the
power company at o'clock Saturday
night to keep flooded conduitS pumped
out These crews worked continuously
for 81 hours. hurrying from point TO
point where the flooding of the conduitS
threatened to disrupt service by short
circuiting the power lines
Power Cut OF.
AT the Hyattsville. Md. pumping sta
ton the power was cut off at ii O'Clock
Saturday night and ap emergency call
brought a trouble shooter" crew TO the
scene The crew was halted by high
water and it was found that a feeder
10 Eastern Branch had backed up 10
feet of water around the power line
poles. At 10 O'Clock this morning. when
the water had subsidized to about 8 feet,
Thomas CHARTERS. a member of the
crew built raft on which he piled his
tools and equipment and swan and
waded with II to the power line, where
he replaced broken cable and restored
the service to the pumping station.
The Chesapeake g. Potomac Tele-
phone Co, was working today to restore
355 lines which were broken by the
storm: 1900 phones in the Washington
suburban area were reported out.
Scattered cables we're broken all over
the city and the toll trunk lines were
broken between this city and Manassas.
Va; Winchester, Va, IeonardtoWn.
Md: Salisbury. Md. Great Mills. Md.
and Fort Humphreys, Va. There were
1872 lines out IN Alexandria, Va. and
2l7 out in Clarendon, Va.
Street Car Traffic Hampered.
The most serious delay to street car
service occurred OH the Takoma Park
Nf al ttAa
mud and debris were washed In great
piles over the track by flood at Under
wood and Third streets, Service was
halted at o'clock Saturday night and /
track crew worked all night clearing
the distractions. Service was not re- !
stored until s am. yesterday Service .
was maintained by BUSES while the
line was closed.
For the firSt time In storm OF the .
severity of that Saturday night, the .
Capital Traction Co. had no trouble /
with pulled plowS' on its street cars |
and had no power trouble The car
line at Connecticut avenue and Abe /
marie street was under water Saturday |
night but service was maintained the |
cars splashing their way through the /
flooded section. Had underground con- /
duitS been used at this point. however, |
service would have been impossible. 1t |
was stated. The washington Railway |
g. Electric Co. had several such tie~ups |
during the storm period Cars of the !
Washington Virginia Railway Co, we're |
held up when the tracks III Potomac !,
Park were flooded
The Chesapeake Beach Railroad was
forced To abandon operations when a |
landslide covered the track at CheSa-
peake Beach, Md. during the last |
downpour Of the storm, at IL O'Clock |
last night. /
Trains Are Held Up.
Trains were tied up this morning ON
the Richmond. Fredericksburg a.
Potomac Railroad below Whitewater Va.
as far as Guinea, Is miles south Of !
Fredericksburg The excessive rains
weakened the tracks and south bound /
trains were stopped Passengers were |
either held up or conveyed by busseS |
and automobiles To other points More |
than $50 passengers were taken from
Fredericksburg TO Culpeper to board the
Southern Rairng
Three through passenger trains were |
tied up In the a between Whitewater |
and Guinea Al Ch ,rry Hin the tracks ,
We're DAMAGED RRpaiT wnrk tYae Ia, '