Evening star., 1936-02-26
FLOOD
POSSIBLE IF JAM
RETARDS RUN-OFE!
Two Maryland Bridges Arc
Washed Out, With Wide
Areas Menaced.
STEAMER WILL ATTEMPT
NORFOLK RUN TONIGHT
Quick Thaw Presents Distant
Threat to Serious Overflow in
City, but Watch Kept.

City, but Watch Kept.
A breakup in the ice-locked Poto-
mac. with a possible resulting over
flow in the low areas, appeared less
than 48 hours away today as disquiet-
ing reports came from the upper
reaches of the river.
Softened greatly and broken in some
places by the Springlike temperatures.
the ice in the headwaters of the Poto-
mac seemed about to go on rampage
at any hour.
A slow but steady rise was reported
by observers at Cumberland, Hancock,
Riverton and Harpers Ferry, but no ice
movement was noted early today.
Two bridges were washed out in
Maryland. Both wer2 timber struc-
lures, one of them over the Romney
branch of the Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad between Greenspring and
Petersburg and the other the Penn-Co
cutoff, west Of Cumberland.
Tributaries Rise Rapidly.
A 2-foot rise in the river was re-
ported at Williamsport this morning.
while at Hancock an 8-inch rise in an
hour was noted. Some tributaries Of
the Potomac were up as much as S
and 6 feet.
At Cumberland melting snow and
ice brought the river about 212 feet
above its normal level at am.
Despite the rapid thaw, Weather
Bureau experts held the Capitals
chances of escaping flood were fairly
good, but, at the same time. they
pointed out it was too early to predict
what would happen here when the
ice starts to move.
Air Holes in Lower Ice.
The ice below the Railroad Bridge,
off Hains Point, was disintegrating
fast this afternoon, a favorable sign
that may check any flood threat in
the immediate Washington area.
A foot thick week ago, the ice
now is full of air holes and is thin
enough in most places to be easily
pierced.
Open water in the Potomac here
will permit steady flow downstream
when the breakup occurs in the
upper basin, observers pointed out
Meanwhile, War Department en-
gineers and other flood control author
tiles held an army of volunteers in
readiness, awaiting reports from river
observers that would indicate an over
flow in this section.
Slightly cooler weather was in pros
pect today, with a possible warm rain
due tomorrow. Yesterday the mercury
rose to "a degrees at 4 pm. after
staying in the high SOS practically
all day. The low mark this morning
was 43 degrees at 4:30 o'clock.
Bladensburg Threatened.
The sudden change in temperature
caused considerable run-off in Rock
Creek Park, causing the already swol-
len streams to run extremely high.
Bladensburg, scene of many floods,
feared another inundation as the
Eastern Branch of the Anacostia
River threatened to become unruly
at any moment.
Through a channel cut in the ice by
two Coast Guard cutters, the District
Of Columbia, Norfolk g. Washington
Steamboat Co. boat, berthed since
February /, will make trial run from
here to Norfolk tonight. No passen-
gers will be aboard.
The cutters Seneca and Saukee ar
rived here late yesterday. The traf-
flc-halting ice extended all the way to
the Potomacs mouth.
The Northland, with only the crew
and officers aboard. is to leave its
Norfolk dock at dawn tomorrow. so
that it will travel the river in day
light.
If the trips are successful, regular
passenger service will be resumed. The
company's officers reported the tie-up
since February was the longest ex-
perienced since 1918.
All Maryland Menaced.
In Maryland, ice-coated and frozen
for month, threats of floods persisted
in many parts of the State as the ris-
ing mercury broke up the ice and
streams rose in all sections.
Traffic was stopped for few hours
along the Philadelphia road in Har-
ford County because of water covering
the highway. Traffic was barred from
the Interstate Bridge over the Potomac
at McCoole.
Piers, placed under the structure to
strengthen it some time ago, were
carried away when an ice jam broke.
The stream rose six inches in 80 min
utes near Hagerstown.
Cellars on the outskirts of Cumber-
land were flooded and a number Of
families in low-lying regions prepared
to move If the water came higher.
Selbyport Road in Lake.
At Oakland. the Little Youghiogheny
River was within feet of leaving its
banks. The road between Friendsville
and Selbyport, impossible for q week,
was reported covered with 8 feet of
water. The water backed up from
an ice gorge formed In the Big
Youghiogheny River.
The Chesapeake Bays ice gap began
to break up and move away. Ice was
broken In all but three miles of the
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and