Evening star., 1940-08-18
Richmond Braced
For Flood Crest
Due This Morning
Water in james River May
Top 28-Foot Level Of
Disaster in 1886
Ey the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
RICHMOND, Va, Aug. 17.-Rich-
mond braced itself for a record
breaking crest of the rampaging
James River tonight. but flood wa
ters elsewhere in Virginia which
have caused thousands of dollars in
damage to crops and property were
reported to be receding rapidly.
The food raced past Richmond
at a 228-foot level at IL O'Clock
tonight, inundating hundreds of
acres of city water front land and
flooding numerous warehouses, mills
and business structures. The crest |
is expected about 8 or 9 am. to-
morrow.
United States Meteorologist F. N.
Hibbard predicted the 283-foot high |
mark of the disastrous flood of 1896
would be topped by margin OF a
few inches.
Columbia, so miles above Richmond,
during the afternoon and began to
recede The maximum there was
within an inch of the 1886 record.
Owners of river basin property
in Richmond were warned we'll in
advance, however, and hundreds of
men and trucks have been busy for
two days moving goods from base
ments and lower floors of ware
houses and heightening and
strengthening dykes.
Ball Park Under Water.
City officials predicted that the
damage would be relatively small
compared with the costly 1886 over
flow of the James and that the city
gas and water plants would not be
threatened unless at 30-foot level
is reached. Householders were
without gas for several days in 1896
when the city gas works were
flooded but the machines have since
been raised to higher point.
The Mayo Island ball park Of the
Richmond Colts of the Piedmont
League was flooded to a depth OF
several feet and the bleachers were
washed out of position despite the
hundreds of sandbags which were
placed there to anchor the seats.
Terminals of the Buxton Line, the
Eastern Steamship Co. and the
Richmond warehouse we're isolated
from shore by a hundred feet or
more of swirling James River water.
The flood crept near the roofs Of
some of the buildings.
The Mayo and Ninth street
bridges. the two free spans connect
ing the downtown section with
South Richmond and carrying a
heavy north-south traffic to such
U. S. routes as Nos. /. 800 and so.
were expected to be closed during
the night.
Toll Charges Suspended.
The city department of public
safety said, however, that toll
charges would be lifted on the Lee
bridge across the James during the
period the free spans we're closed.
Elsewhere in the State, the State
Highway Department said that the
road situation was improving and
that most of the main highways
should be open soon
Col R. S. Thomas of Washing
ton, district engineer with the Army
Engineering Office, arrived at
Waynesboro late today for an in
spection and investigation of flood
damage in that area.
At Columbia, the railway station
was half submerged and houses in
the central part of town stood in
from three to eight feet of water.
Island, few miles from Columbia.
was obliterated except for the pro-
truding roof of its railway station.
Shenandoah Recedes.
The Westham bridge over the
James on the outskirts of Rich
mond was closed this afternoon as
water swept high over both ap-
proaches.
The Shenandoah River. which
neared the 1886 flood stage last
night after being fed by the raging
South and Middle Rivers and the
full North River at Port Republic.
receded rapidly tonight and little
damage was reported.
The river. which rose to 171z feet
at Lynnwood and Port Republic,
started dropping at am. Port