Evening star., 1937-04-27

was suffered by the oil companies,
whose plants bordered the river.
Standard Oil Co. put its loss at $780,
900 and the Gulf Oil & Refining Co.
estimated its loss at about the same
amount. The Colonial Oil Co. also
suffered heavily.
Houses along the river were still
inundated today, with porches and
foundations swept away Two vessels
were carried downstream. A ship from
Lake Erie, which had just unIoaded
cargo Of alkaH at the Sylvania plant,
was torn loose and carried away with
crew of Is. A tie barge with four
persons was also adrift. Nothing was
heard this morning of the disabled
craft. Thus far no deaths or serious
injuries have been reported, but many
sick persons were removed from their
homes and may have suffered i'll effects.
Refugees crowded the Salvation
Army station and private dwellings
were thrown open to families dislodged
from their homes. The flood had re-
ceded about 10 feet at 9 am today
and was falling rapidly. Train serv-
Ice has continued without Interrupt
tlon, but bus and automobile traffic
Is practically at a standstill, with
hundreds Of tourists stranded. Hotels
and boarding houses were filled to
capacity
Search for Car
Early today fremen from companies
at Orange and Culpeper gathered at
the still swollen bridge over the Rob-
1nson River, where a car believed to
bear four young persons from Gull
peper was submerged late Sunday
night.
The two young couples, all from
Culpeper, were Misses Betsy Nor
rison %, and Laura Lindsey, 25 and
Joseph McCrary, 26, and James I.
Hogan, IS.
MISS Morrison was secretary to the
town manager of Culpeper, and Miss
Lindsay was secretary of farmers
union there. McCrary was manager
Of the Virginia Northern Ice Corp. at
Culpeper and Hogan was a salesman
for Culpeper motor company
They had been to Orange for dinner
Sunday night and were returning to
Culpeper when their car struck the
vashout at the bridge approach A
piece of chromium plate, which might
have been part Of the radiator, was
the only clue the searchers had been
able to drag from the river with their
graphing hooks. A light rain was
falling this morning, but it was be-
heved that the water would recede
enough for the work of recovering the
bodies to continue by afternoon. The
depth OF the water was estimated at
about 80 feet at the crest.
Mr.. and Mrs. Lester Hill, who live
on a hill overlooking the spot nine
miles north Of here, where the high
land torrent tore out a bridge ap-
proach, told Fire Chief E. H. Rouse
OF Orange and State Police Sergt.
Carr that they saw a car drop from
the bridge into the water about Sun
day midnight. George Beattie of
Culpeper said he was tagged down at
the bridge by Negro who told him
he saw an automobile drop into the
food-created chasm.
Searchers Build Raft.
Oranges volunteer firemen and
other searchers built raft this morn
ing and will launch it in the river.
Chief Rouse said. He believed that
the car might have been rolled down.
stream by the rushing waters.
The washout of the bridge approach
occurred on Route No. is, miles
north of Orange, in Madison County.
Waters cut chasm variously esti-
mated at from is to 80 feet wide in
the earth approach.
Hill told Sergt. Carr he was on his
sleeping porch near midnight, watch
ing the river rise, when he saw an
automobile run across the bridge and
drop from sight. Mrs. Hill said she
saw the headlights go out and
''crash" as the machine hit the flood.
Apparently swept downstream by
2ood waters, the body of French
Kidwell, So, inmate of a Virginia
almshouse near Manassas, was found
in Bull Run, near Clifton Station,
today
Deputy sheriffs said Kidwell disap-
peared from the almshouse February
Is. From the condition Of the body
1t was believed he had been in the
water most of that time.
The body was lodged in grapevine
in q tree. 1t was taken to an under
taking establishment at Manassas.
The body of Frank I. Cawthorne, ST.,
so, OF Appomattox was found yester-
day In roadside pond where his car
had wrecked during Sundays rain