Evening star., 1940-08-16
THE EVENING STAR WASHINGTON, c. FRIDAY
5 Dead in Floods
In 5 Southern States
Include 5 in Virginia
Dominion Rivers Still
Rising After Reaching
Hiqh Mark for Is Years

The highest flood waters Virginia
has known in more than Is years
still were rising today. as showers
increased the raging loads OF
swollen stream beds sweeping de-
struction and death in their paths
past the major cities of Roanoke
and Richmond. Virginia counted
five dead
The rivers moving on toward the
sea left a total of at least IS dead
several missing, score injured and
millions of dollars of property dam
age in the Lower Appalachian
Mountain areas of five States, where
the rivers have their sources-Vlr-
ginia, North Carolina, South Caro-
lima, Tennessee and Georgia.
Hundreds were homeless in West
ern North Carolina and were being
cared for by relief agencies. Power
and communication facilities were
restored to most of the stricken
towns and communities in that area
Nine-mile Dixie Imperiled.
Oficials studied the advisability
of evacuating hundreds Of convicts
at the Caledonia Prison Farm in
Eastern North Carolina as the
swollen Roanoke River imperiled a
emile dixie. Prisoners have worked
for "a hours reinforcing the dixie
with sandbags.
All routes south from Petersburg
Va, except via U. S. No. 460, were
closed today. Heavily Travelled NO.
was blocked by the Nottoway ano
Meherrin Rivers and the State
Highway Department said that Il
probably would be several days be.
fore traffic could be resumed or
this important North-South artery
Route 30l is flooded by Stony
Creek and route 35 to Franklin ano
Norfolk is blocked by the rampagine
Nottoway. Although 460 Is oper
from Petersburg to Suffolk, hood:
from Black Water Swamp may clos<
it during the day. Route 460 Wes'
was closed by washout at Burke.
vile.
Many highways in the Carolina
were impossible. Bridges were
washed away by the hundreds
Crews worked "a hours trying to re
store transportation. communlca
ton and power facilities to normal
A power lineman was electrocutet
near Hendersonville.
The James River. draining Vir'
| ginia's center, was expected to reacl
1875 or 20 feet late today at Rich
mond. where flood stage is from 8 u
| 10 feet. The Dan River already ha
| reached 20.5 feet at Danvllle, th'
highest In so years. The risinI
Appomattox River brought the frs
threat of serious flood damage a
Petersburg, since 1903. The Roam
oke River at Roanoke touches
216 feet. bringing with it the city
worst flood since 1907.
Pounding rains abated their in
tensity today after five days almos
without letup.
In the Richmond area rainfall
Of 3.58 inches was reported in "a
hour period, bringing to total
5 inches the fall for a 36-hour pc
riod.
Navy Yard Work Curtailed.
Norfolk reported 34l-inch rain
fall for So hours in the city an
4.59 inches at the Municipal Air
port. The heavy rains caused cur
tailment of much outside work a
the Norfolk Navy Yard, the can
collation. of airplane service betwee
Norfolk and other points and inter
fered with traffic in general.
A landslide on the Seaboard Air
line Railway at Alberta wrecked 4
freight cars, blocking the line be
tween Alberta and Rawlings. N
one was injured.
The Dan River, still rising afte
reaching 25.6 feet, was only 2.l fee
below an all-time record at Sout
Boston. which was without mail an
had only one highway route open
U. S. $50 to Danville.
Reports from Farmville, whic
had been isolated by the Appomatto
and Buffalo Rivers, said that bot
were dropping rapidly. The Appo
mattox reached Is feet and tn
Buffalo 20 feet. The Buffalo flood
ed the town water works, an
pumping ceased yesterday but wa
resumed today.
Route 40 was opened from Farm
vile to Lynchburg, and Route 4
was paSsable from Farmvllle
Cumberland, where it meets Roul
so. Route Is was open south {
Farmville, but traffic was being de
toured around a washout at Briery
Branch,