Evening star., 1942-08-10
More Rain Due
After 7.4-Inch
Fall in Area
Families Routed,
Traffic Stalled,
Crops Damaged

In the wake of one of the worst
downpours in the 71-year history
of the Weather Bureau, residents
of the District and nearby Mary
land and Virginia today were tax
ing stock of the damage caused over
the week end.
During the 4O-hour period that
ended at 4 pm. yesterday, IA inches
Of rain fell, inundating many near
by areas, driving families from their
homes, stalling cars, flooding base
ments, damaging crops and even
blocking some railroad traffic. The
total rainfall between $50 am.
Saturday and the same hour Sun
day was sc inches Since the
Weather Bureau began keeping rec
ords in 1871, this mark was ex-
ceeded only once, on August IL,
1928, when 731 inches of rain fell
in a 24hour period.
Humidity Stays High.
Prospects of more rain accom-
panying thunderstorms late this
afternoon or tonight were reported
by the Weather Bureau Although
the sun came out directly after ces-
sation of the rains yesterday and
again this morning, humidity con-
tinued to be high.
The week end rain, it was reported,
created no flood dangers along the
Potomac River. Most of the water
had receded by this morning and
highways were open for traffic again,
except where the rains had washed
out holes in the road.
Nearby Maryland and Virginia
were hit hardest by the flood, which
isolated communities. flooded cellars
and reached into first floors, blocked
traffic and caused water from sewer
lines to back up into homes.
IS Taken From Homes.
The Eastern branch of@he Poto-
mac River swept over its banks at
Bladensburg and flooded the area
around the Peace Cross to a depth
OF S feet, stranding residents of the
town and forcing motorists to aban-
don their cars. About rs persons
had to be removed from their homes
at the height of the storm.
Traffic on the Baltimore highway
was routed through Rhode Island
avenue while motorists desiring to
use the Defense highway had to
take two-mile detour through Ed
monston road in Riverdale.
Customers in Bladensburg road
house had to be carried to dry land
while several youths did brisk
business pushing cars out of the
flooded area.
Residents of Branchville also were
marooned by rising water over the
approach to the overpass on the
new Brarichville road.
| w. A. Duvall. a resident of the
area, expressed fear that a similar
situation would exist during future
heavy rains, since the old road
which is passable during floods
will be barricaded when the over
pass is completed.
Four Feet of Water.
! app OhAAiAdtClJ 1Oul 1CCG Oi WdlcI
covered Route just outside OF
Upper Marlboro and traffic was re-
routed via the Grain highway
Rowboats had to be used to cross
the road.
Hundreds of easements were
flooded in Alexandria, and Route
at Hunting Creek south of Alex
andria was closed for several hours
Stores and apartments at Pres
idential Gardens, Alexandria, were
flooded by the overf1owing of Foul
Mile Creek. The rush of water
broke through a retaining wall oi
house in the 200 block of Glendale
avenue, police reported. Many
homes were without utility service
due to short circuits caused by the
water.
The lower end of the Belle Haven
Country Club golf course was under
2 feet of water yesterday and a pile
of tin cans washed down from 8
nearby garbage dump f1oated around
in the new water hazard.
Sewer Mains Clogged.
Sewer mains in the 100 and 2O(
blocks of North Oakland street, Ar.
lington, were clogged up by the flood
forcing the water to back up intt
homes in the area. Householder.
made frontic calls to health authori
ties to clear the mains.
Police rerouted traffic on Soutf
Glebe road west of Arlington Ridge
road, which was covered with abou
4 feet of water.
One fatal Maryland traffic acci
dent was attributed indirectly tt
the rain. Miss Betty Marine, 26, O.
Cambridge, was killed instantl,
early yesterday when the station
wagon in which she was a passen
ger skidded off a muddy highwa.
and crashed into tree near Cam
bridge. Miss Marine was the daugh
ter of A. Stengle Marine, Cambridg.
attorney and a candidate for thu
State Senate on the Republican pri
mary ticket.
Rail Tracks Flooded.
Flooded railroad tracks along thu
Baltimore & Ohio's Alexandra:
branch near Hyattsville halted traf
fic for six hours Sunday morning
company officials said Trains wer
also stopped for a short time nea
Fredericksburg. Va, when track
of the Richmond. Fredericksburg
Potomac Railroad were covered b.
water. In Bedford County, Va, tn
rains washed out about 300 feet o
fill along the tracks of the Virgins
Railroad at Stone Mountain an
made it necessary to reroute train
from Rnannke To INnchhllru