Evening star., 1936-03-19
POTOMAC FALLING
At W|LL|AMSP0RT
Nine Persons Mar0oned
Since tuesday in Power
Plant Safe.
BY JOHN III. CLINE,
stan Correspondent OF The Star,

WILLIAMsPoRT, Md, March ls.-
The raging Potomac River, s. feet
above normal at its peak. was dropping
slowly here today as the food waters
swept toward Washington, causing
heavy damage at Harpers Ferry, Shep-
herdstown, Brunswick and other towns
along its course.
Nine persons, msrooned since Tues
day in the power plant here, were
found safe today. Food and water
was rushed them by motor boat.
Hagerstown's water supply has been
cut in half and officials appealed to
residents to cut their water consump-
ton. They estimated it would be
month before the Potomac River sup
ply can be restored.
The bridge across the Potomac was
reopened at II O'Clock today. Police
said 1t was the only bridge open from
Washington to Cumberland. Twenty
houses have been flooded here and IL
swept away. Police reported l25 fami-
lies homeless. The river had dropped
four feet at II o'clock.
Sightseers Throng Bridge.
Sightseers flocked here to view the
flood damage. More than 1000 OF
them paid S cents each to walk out
on the toll bridge for better view Of
the boiling waters.
Much Of Harpers Ferry was re-
ported under water and the river
bridge was washed out there. 1t was
impossible to reach there. Neither
ShepherdstoWn nor Brunswick could
be reached by phone, but reports In
dicated both suffered heavy damage.
Virtually every home on the river
from Cumberland to WlliAmsport
was washed away or inundated. Al
though no casualties were reported,
many families on the West Virginia
side we're camping IN the mountains.
Dozens of camp fires could be seen
last night.
Still without water or power, Han
cock, Nd, was cleaning out ncnes
of mud left by the receding Hood
waters. More than 100 homes were
flooded and about 80 were carried
away by the water.
Typhoid vaccine was being admin
istered free to guard against an out
break of the disease.
The 81, 500 900 power plant at Hag-
erstown suffered heavy damage. IL
was protected by a 50-foot embank-
ment. but the food waters surged over
it and submerged the first two floors
of the plant. The embankment was
5 feet higher than the peak reached
during the flood in 1889.
Pennsy Discontinues Service.
Washouts forced the Pennsylvania
Railroad to discontinue service from
Hagerstown to winchester, Va. A
wing wall of the railroad bridge here
was washed out, but officials said they
believed it could be repaired In time
to resume service tonight.
Hagerstown is now getting its power
from the Lake Lynn plant on the
Cheat River near Uniontown, Pa
Plants were reported out of commits
sion at Millville, w. Va; Cumberland
and Great Cacapon.
The Western Maryland Railroad re-
ported washouts east of Hancock and
one at Herbert, a few miles west. Two
spans of the Nestle Bridge were washed
out Of line.
Typhoid fever NEGOTIATIONS were
being started here and at Hagerstown
by public health officials.
The only route open to the West was
through Mercersburg and McConnells-
burg, but landslides were numerous
and there was a possibility this road
might be closed. All travellers were
warned not to attempt the trip to
Cumberland, although company of
National Guardsmen got through this
morning.