Amid the permeating smell of heating oil, Marietta's waterlogged residents on Friday allowed themselves to hope the worst was over.

Floodwater from the neighboring Susquehanna River had started to subside, giving rise to cautious optimism, even as bad as it was — the worst, in fact, since Hurricane Agnes.

Rick Stoutzenberger, 56, who helped National Guardsmen remove flooded cars in Marietta as a teen during Agnes in 1972, had more than 3 feet of water in the basement of his West Market Street home, something that hasn't happened since Agnes.

And four people who were evacuated from two neighboring homes are staying in his house.

Still, he sighed with relief late Friday morning as bottles placed on side streets by residents showed the water line subsiding.

"I think we're going to weather this one," he said before heading out to help pump out the basements of his neighbors.

VIDEO: On the ground in Marietta

The river crested Thursday night at 58.16 feet and began falling throughout the day Friday. The National Weather Service is forecasting a surge around 8 a.m. Saturday back to 56.9 feet.

That would make the flood the fourth-highest on record. But that's still 6 feet below the Agnes landmark and 2 feet lower than the early forecasts for the old river town.

Still, dozens of historic homes along a 17-block section of Front Street were flooded, many into the first-floor living areas.

Four Front Street taverns were under water and closed.

Evacuations were ordered for residents living on Front Street, Hazel Avenue and even a handful from Market Street, the borough's main drag.

Some 35 residents and 10 pets spent Thursday night in a shelter set up in Donegal Middle School by the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

The entire borough remains under a 9 p.m.-to-7 a.m. curfew. People are to be in their residences or on porches.

No problems were reported by borough officials from Thursday night's curfew.

Access into Marietta was restricted to Market Street and Decatur Street, and Civil Air Patrol personnel controlled traffic.

A handful of residents refused to leave their homes, even though they had no electricity or gas, officials said.

"They said they've seen it before. It's difficult for them to leave their possessions," said Angie Shearer, a borough spokeswoman.

With the floodwater retreating, at least temporarily, a big focus of the day was keeping residents, particularly children, away from the standing water.

Marietta fire Chief Glenn Orr cruised the streets, urging parents to keep their kids away from water contaminated by heating oil, propane, sewage and anything else that might have leached from basements.

The borough's water supply has been tested and is drinkable. The sewage-treatment plant was closed, but as of Friday afternoon the facility was still accepting sewage and none was being flushed into the Susquehanna, according to Shearer.

Residents have been asked to conserve water, flush toilets only when necessary and take limited showers.

On Waterford Avenue, just off Front Street, neighbors Craig Gelosky and Terry Bitner carried on a conversation on opposite sides of the street, separated by a canal of smelly, muddy water.

Bitner, a junior at Donegal High School, opened a storm door to the family's basement. The water was as high as the ceiling, and cans and containers floated limply on the surface. Nearby, a picnic table and lawnmower were chained together in case the water rose higher.

After staying up until 2 a.m. watching the rising water, his mother couldn't bear to come look at the latest depth, Bitner said. "She was praying all night. She just wants it to go down," he said.

Gelosky, meanwhile, hauled out a kayak and paddled between boxwood shrubs to tour the deserted Front Street.

"It looks like a lot of damage was done," he reported on his return. "It's wild, I have to tell you. The streets are obviously deserted, and you can just paddle down and it looks like … it's just so strange."

At Hazel and Waterford avenues, a hazardous-materials team skimmed a sheen of heating oil from a homeowner's basement. Then Marietta firefighters started pumping out the water.

The whine of the pump was a sign of things to come as the water retreats.

"We expect to be real busy (Saturday) night," Orr said, managing a grin.

acrable@lnpnews.com