The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1881-05-05
THE STOR N.
The Effects of the Flood and Play OF
the Lightning.

The Effects of the Flood and Play o
the Lightning.
The heaviest rain and thunder storm tina
ever visited this section was that of yesterday
About o'clock 10 the morning it began tc
rain hard, and for two hours the rain fell il
torrents, flooding the streets in the lowe
water overlooked the psvements. The bee
of the stree, car track on Main street was
running stream, and in many places the
water was foot deep in the streets. Tha
portion of Main street between Austin anC
Lamar was entirely covered with water. The
cutters we're submerged and in many places
the sewers were inadequate to carry it OF
SO great was the volume, and
the consequence was general overflow in
the business center which caused considera-
BILE damage TO property. The cellar OF
Sanger brothers was overlooked, though but
little damage resulted here. The retaining
wall OF the Main street sewer at the corner
of Main and Murphy streets gave way to the
flood and the east wall of the basement Of the
building of Kahn 81 Campbell, in process of
erection, Just on the opposite side of the
street fell, letting in vast volume of water
which covered it to the depth of several feet
The d.mage done the building will amount
to some four hundred dollars. Other build
ings were more or less injured by the flood.
The low portions of the city were deluged,
and in the fats the water entered some houses.
The Trinity river is rapidly rising, and the
creeks in the county were impossible yester-
dsv. The rainfall was confined pretty much
to this county.
The most remarkable feature of the storm
was the lightning, which struck objects at
several points in the city. The atmosphere
was heavily charged with cleo
tricity and the lightning, which
was very vivid, was ACCOMPANIED
by loud peais of thunder. The city hall wa.
struck while the mayors court was in ses-
sion, and those present escaped with onl y u
lively shock The main bolt must have
struck the lightning rod of the belfry, and a
part of it the center of the building, which
caused the shock There were two loud
explosions as the current passed through the
ceiling, distinct though Close together, resem.
bling very much the swapping of gun cap,
though much louder. Mr.. McGrain, the
clerk of the court, was writing the word
'.nd," and had Just about finished the first
letter when the clap came, which caused his
arm to ierk, his pencil describing
something similar 10 forked lightning. The
bolt made small hole in the ceiling of
about the dimensions Of an ordinary lead
pencil. The Presbyterian parsonage, at the
corner of Live Oak and Pearl streets, which
is nearing completion, was also visited by
the lightning which struck the observatory,
doing considerable damage. The four win
dows of this part of the building were shat
tered and some of the glass melted by the
intense heat to which it was subjected. The
'aths, ioists and other timbers were shivered
iato spliniers, and tho damage will amount
TO some $500 or more. There was a pas-
terer at work in the lower part
of the building, who, TO use his own express
sion, wss considerably shaken up. -Four
workmen had quit the observatory 10"
minutes prior TO its being struck, end the
chagrin Of wicked reporters on learning this
was great. The resi- fence of MIR. w. Is.
Greenlaw, on CaruIh street, wss not mtg
l.cted. His residence WIS struck, the
lightning tearing of shutter, splitting it
into kindling wood and sparks of electricity
exploJed in the room. The play of the
lightning along the telegraph wire was lively,
and the operator. in the different offices sban-
doned their instruments from which sparks
of electricity we're constantly flying, About
a quarter Of q mile south OF The transfer
telegraph Office of the Texas Genital road the
lightning struck telegraph pole bursting An
insulation, killing horse close By, and So
verely shocking and burIne the face OF Mr.
q. X. Sypert.