Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-08-17
Record Flood
Crest Feared
In Richmond
Rivers on Rampage
In 6 Stotes; Aid
Moves Started

Moves Started
Rosring, rain-swollen rivers today
threatened communities in the lower
Appalachian Mountain areas Of six
States Virginia, West Virginia,
North Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee and Georgia-with floods
equaling - possibly surprising - the
worst in their history.
Warnings to prepare for even
greater damage by the raging
streams. which already have taken
81 lives, including z in Virginia, and
inflicted millions OF dollars in prop
erty damage, were flashed by mete-
biologists this morning as the rains
gave no indication Of letup.
Two more deaths were added to
the toll today when two colored men
were drowned after their car skidded
from u. S. Route / about IA miles
south of Fredericksburg, Va, and
plunged into the Mata River.
State police identified the men As
Mckinley Jenning and Washington
Smith, both of Pittsburgh.
Richmond, Va, perhaps the most
seriously hit of all the cities in the
affected area, faced week end flood
crest of perhaps even more serious
proportions than the all-time high
OF 28.3 feet in 1886.
Relief agencies in Washington
moved to send aid as dispatches
from inundated sectors disclosed
| stories of the havoc wrought by the
bullying rivers and creeks, creeping
higher by the hour.
Flood Fund Approved.
Works Progress Administration
headquarters announced approval
of an $4,000 ALLEGATION to assist in
flood protection work at Richmond,
if necessary. The fund will be avail
able if Gov. Price declares an emer-
gency. Six hundred men would be
put to work on night shift help
ing sandbag the James River, their
wages being paid out of w. p. A.
| funds.
The allotment, together with
$4,000 supplemental one made for
use in IL Southeastern Louisiana
parishes damaged by storms, brought
10 S118,500 the total w. P. A. funds
made available this week in seven
hurricane and food-damaged
/ Southern States.
Red Cross officials here also ad-
vised their chapter in Virginia
and North Carolina to be prepared
to meet a situation arising out of
what it said was a prediction by
Weather Bureau experts of a flood
crest on the Roanoke River "ex-
ceeding all other crests on record"
Seven workers were started for the
region last night, and others or
dered to stand by fcr ocssihls later
| cali.
Ihs SoaJtcIe First nss-sd ,oe
| s5-foot 4sVc, 81 TcIoop, u. G, 70
| cay. isst in food and n.a-iaa
the record OF 30.3 which was cstao-
nshed In 1912. With indications
pointing toward a 52-foot mark,
residents along the river-front COM
munities in Virginia and North
Carolina prepared for possible evac-
uation OF their homes.
Utility Service Disrupted.
In all six States industries, homes,
crops, roads and bridges are suffer-
ing severe damage. Telephone and
electric power service has been dis
rupted in some areas, gas light
plants have been shut down in sew
eral places and others are preparing
to suspend operations as the waters
rise. Many industrial plants are
| closed.
Many highways have been shut
| of to traffic because of inundation,
including all of those entering North
| Carolina between South Boston and
Suffolk, including United States
highway No. l. Rail traffic, toe, haS
ceased in some localities.
The Shenandoah Valley, Waynes-
boro, Wingina, below Charlottes-
vile; Scottsville, Petersburg, Roa-
noke, Danville, Emporia, Galax and
many other Virginia towns and
cities have been especially hard hit.
In Southwest Virginia, meanwhile,
relief and Red Cross workers at
tempted to relieve distress in the
wake of the floods that have moved
across the State from west to east.
500 Homeless at Galax.
At Galax 500 were reported home
less and being fed by the relief asen-
cies. Some homes were so badly
damaged they were expected to be
abandoned.
Director Gamble M. Bowers OF
the Richmond Public Works De-
partment marshalled a small army
of laborers to strengthen and build
dykes along Dock street and street
forces were transferred from regu-
lar duties to fill sandbags for the
temporary walls against the rising
James River.
The crest was not expected at
Richmond until tomorrow night or
MOuudy morning.
Petersburg low areas were washed
by the Appomattox River, which
crept toward the Norfolk 81 West
ern yards after covering a half mile
or more of Atlantic Coast Line track
between Jarratt and Stony Greek,
forcing the rerouting of trains over
the N. & w.
Emporia Rati0ns Water.
Emporia, inundated by a 30-foot
flood from the Meherrin River, ra-
toned its water by cutting on the
mains only twice day for 15-min-
ute intervals and obtained power
and light by an emergency hookup
with Roanoke Rapids, N. c., after
the Virginia Public Service plant
was inundated and severely DAM
aged.
Farmville, where the flood re-
Tented earlier yesterday, was caught