Evening star., 1942-10-16
ericksburg Falmouth bridge OF


route !.
The District Red Cross placed its
Disaster Relief Committees in op-
Grafton this morning and assisted
in evacuation of people along the
Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. Red
Gross workers already have evacu-
ated several families In the vicinity
of Champions Boat Yard in George
town.
Boat Owners Warned.
Harbor police, reporting they had
recovered eight sailboats and cruisers
which were swept from their moor
ings in Georgetown last night,
warned boat owners this morning to
attend to their craft.
The Union Station dispatcher dis
closed that all train traffic south OF
Washington had been halted since
8 o'clock last night because OF
flooded tracks below here.
Westbound traffic over the Balti-
more g. Ohio also was reported held
up this morning near Cumberland,
the dispatcher said.
The harbor police reported they
had been unable to navigate the
flood waters of Georgetown Channel
because of the swift current and
that several small boats were knock
ing against the upper side OF High
way Bridge unattended.
Mounting property damage-esti-
mated in the hundreds of thousands
OF dollars-was reported in Mary
land, Virginia, West Virginia and
Pennsylvania as flood waters in
those areas began to recede. Hard
est hit was Cumberland, where high
water caused considerable damage
to downtown business places. Mary
land State Guard troops were called
out yesterday afternoon to help cope
with the situation. Waters were
dropping at Cumberland this morn
ing.
Floods disrupted road, rail and
power service in a third of Virginia
today after forcing hundreds to
evacuate their homes.
Police Kept Busy.
Washington police were kept busy
last night investigating reports of
washouts, landslides and flooded
Easements in many sections of the
city. Afraid wardens in a section
OF Glen Echo were called out last
night to help the local fire depart
ment pump out flooded Easements.
David Kavanaugh, 80, of 1897 H
street NV. escaped injury when the
intersection Of Oregon avenue and
Bingham road NV. caved in as he
passed over 1t in his car. The ma J.
chine fell into a four foot hole.
Fairlawn Park in Anacostia was
flooded this morning, police said, but
the water was not expected to GO
high enough to force evacuation OF
a nearby encampment. Tons of mud
washed down from an embankment
blocked Reservoir road at Thirty
seventh street NV. last night.
One person reported this morning
that flood waters last night were
seen to reach almost to the top OF a
stalled automobile on Reservoir road
near the landslide.
Peace Cross Area Flooded.
Bladensburg road at the Peace
Cross, always q danger spot in high
waters, was inundated by the rising
Eastern Branch of the Anacostia
River, and Washington-bound traf-
f1c was forced to detour 3 miles by
way of Riverdale this morning
Trafnc also was rerouted on the
Grain highway and Largo road near
Upper Marlboro as streams rose.
In Alexandria, police blocked OIL
Monroe and Nelson avenues near
Presidential Gardens. The Rich
mond highway at Hunting Greek
was under 6 inches of water, but
cars were able to proceed at slow
speed, police said.
Heavy rains flooded the emer-
gency room of Physicians Memorial
Hospital at La Plata, Md, last night
but damage was slight.
"We are reaching every one we
can along the Potomac, particularly
on Georgetown and Washington
Channels" Weather Bureau ON
cial said today, "and leaving it up
to them to decide whether they
should get out"
Unohicial estimates at Cumber-
land today placed the number OF
families evacuated at $50. Waters
had receded this morning, however
and the crisis was believed past in
that city. Maryland's second largest