Evening star., 1936-03-19
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

A titanic olive-yellow serpent today
was confidently clutching rock-but-
tressed, wooded island, low-lyine
farms and clusters of red-roofed
houses in its monstrous coils.
1t was a calm, relentless serpent,
too conscious OF its resistless strength
to be angry.
Such was the picture Of the flood
swelled Potomac from Senaca to
Alexandria at noon from an airplane.
Great Falls was just q ripple on
the surface. Just above, where the
river enters fat wood checked Mont
gomery County farm land. 1t was
twice or three times as wide as It's
normal channel.
Eight or ten miles from the falls
a cluster OF about 10 houses-they
looked houses, rather than
just riverside cabins-are almost en-
tirely submerged. There are just
the red roofs above water. County
roads leading down to the river plunge
abruptly into the yellow. frothins
food. Only the tree tops Of the
island just above Great Falls are
sticking out Of the water. Most OF
Conduit road appears high and dry
but with the water washing against 1t
Islands Barely Show.
Around Great Falls itself, on the
Maryland side, no buildings are WIS.,
ible, only 4 few roof tops. Between
Great Falls and Glen Echo the islands
in the river are barely sticking Out
of the high water. Just below Glen
Echo the roofs of three houses or
one island are sticking out of the
water. All the Summer camps by
the river side are submerged.
Hundreds of automobiles are lined
up along Conduit road. Washington
has turned out to witness the sight
Of century. The river makes big
bend below Glen Echo. Sometimes
the canal emerged as q separate rib
bon Of dirty yellow with the cinder-
topped tow-path separating 1t from
the river. Sometimes the two merge
together in one calm, resistless tor
rent Of yellow.
Old Chain Bridge. veteran Of Spring
floods for many years. stands firm
solitary and deserted. The river Ia
almost over it.
Lets cruise a few minutes" says
the pilot. 1T will go any minute"
But the bridge stands firm in spits
of the debris the mighty muscles oi
the water are punching against it,
supports. The river has made a deer
embayment on the Virginia side. Wa.
ter is washing over Canal road. Roof
tops and tree tops are sticking out oi
the yellow stream.
Airport Yellow Lake.
Washington Airport is just a yellow
lake. A hangar stands high above
the surface. Besides this two roofs
they might be RATS floating on the
yellow surface-proclaim to the world
above the virtues of particular brand
Of gasoline Both Key Bridge and
Memorial Bridge appear well above
water. The river Is flowing under
their arches with few feet to spare
Just above Key Bridge the canal path
is covered. The roofs of eight or ten
buildings and q boat house are visible
above the water.
Analostan Island is almost covered
over. The river is almost over High
way Bridge and the railroad bridge.
The Mount Vernon Highway COM
pletely disappears in the yellow ooze
where it passes under these two
bridges. Sections are under water all
the way to Alexandria. The food Is
creeping up on the Army War COL
lege grounds.
Boiling Field and the Naval Air
Station-just black and yellow
checked roofs of the hangers almost
floating on the surface of the widened
Potomac. The other buildings are
hardly to be seen. Below Anacostia
the water becomes soupy, with black
streaks on its surface. Above WASH
ington 1t seems to have kept the con-
sistency of river water.
Molasses- like, the Potomac washes