Evening star., 1937-04-26
the mainland and Coast Guard cutters

the mainland and Coast Guard cutters
stood by.
Williamsport, Md, hard hit by ths
1885 food. Wa uneasy ~ the Potomac
ran almost feet above normal. The
river was still within it, banks there,
however. and would have to rise 30
feet higher before there 10 any real
danger.
Trains Of tie Southern and Chesa.
peake d Ohio Railways were strand.
ed at Lynchburg, Va. last night be.
cause Of high water near Charlottes-
vile. Trains were running south from
Lynchburg this morning, however.
Six small boats sank at the moor
ings OF Alexandria during the night
after their occupants had abandoned
them, and police rescue squad saved
H. D. Daniels, . city employe, his wife
and 14-month-oh baby from their
small yacht only 4 few minutes be-
fore it broke away from the King
street wharf.
Wills Greek Rises Fast.
Cumberland was in q particularly
perilous spot, ~ both the Potomac and
its treacherous tributary, Wills Creek,
swelled dangerously from the heavy
rains that made streams rise through
out the mountain area.
A prearranged warning signal-a
heavy blast of 4 local brewery's whis-
tle-was sounded at 1878 pm at
Cumberland, and merchants and resi-
dents Of the flood area took immediate
action to protect their property.
Although the waters had made no
serious inroads on the city early tooay,
the situation was as potentially dan.
gerous as it WAS last night, and resi-
dents recalled the March, 1885, flood
which caused $4,000, 900 damage.
With rain still falling, several hun
dred National Guardsmen, American
Legionnaires and w. P. A. workers
were on hand for any emergency
Fire Chief Reid C. Hornicka said
there was definite danger of another
flood II the rain doesn't let up"
st. Georges Methodist Church and
few other high spots we're the only
places on ST. Georges Island un-
touched by the rising waters. The
island is is miles below Leonardtown,
near the mouth OF the Potomac.
Tide Backs Over Wharf.
A wind-blown high tide backed the
Potomac over the wharf At Leonard.
town and threatened to disrupt elec-
trio light service. Both the electric
light and municipal water plants are
located near the wharf.
The weather cleared somewhat
later in the morning however, and
the tide began to fall ~ the wind
also abated
An attendant Of the Potomac Edison
Co. plant at Williamsport predicted the
tributaries OF the Potomac would stop
rising three or four hours after the
rain lets up, and the steady rise in the
river also would be checked.
Conditions, he said, are not right for
. disastrous flood, there being no &C.
cumulation Of snow and all the rise
being the result Of rains. However,
there was no indication Of any imme-
diate let-up in the rain there
At Hancock, Nd, another scene OF
high water last Spring, town police
men were quoted by the Associated
Press as saying there was no sign Of
= rise in the Potomac. The officers
said they had not been warned to ex-
pect any high water.
Potomac s Feet Above Normal.
Harbor precinct police here estimated
the Potomac was running about 8 feet
above normal. At Great Falls and
Sycamore Island 1t was about feet
above normal.
Fearing continuation of high winds,
which reached velocity Of about 80
miles per hour early today, yacht club
officials notified boat owners to tie up
their craft securely.
Six Sewer Department crews were
on duty during the hours before dawn,
pumping out flooded cellars and clear
ing overburdened sewer basins In low
| sections Of the city.
Several automobiles and three
houses were damaged by falling trees.
The FIRE rescue squad was called out
to hack limbs from the trees after
| they pierced windows.
| The double blossom cherry trees
were in no grave danger, park ofh-
cials said, although water was swirling
around their trunks and rising rapidly.
Despite the steady rain yesterday.
more than 10000 persons drove
around the Speedway to inspect the
trees. Hotel managers reported this
influx OF week end visitors WAS almost
as large Is last week, when more than
3000 900 persons descended on the city.