The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-08-05
DOWNPOUR In CHICAGO
The Sewers Not Calculated for Such an IN
precedented Rainfall
All DweIlers i'm Easements Driven to the
streets, Including Rats, Cinnamon. Etc
The streets and Sewers Thoroughly
Cleaned by the Rain.

CHICAGO, August 3.-The great rain storm
stopped at midnight. The total rain fall in
the preceding twelve hours was 5.5s inches.
an inch more than the entire rainfall during
the month of August in the last three years,
and the greatest fall within the time speci-
fled on record. The fall was 50 great and
rapid that the sewers were unable to carry
off the volume of water. The 400 miles OF
sewer-pipe are constructed on the basis of
allowing an inch of rainfall an hour. while
yesterday it exceeded two inches. The SUI
perintendent of Sewers is of the opinion that
the flushing of the sewers will prove bene-
fetal, thoroughly purging them, thus prov
ing beneficial to the public health. The
paved. streets throughout the city this
morning particularly the stone-paved
ones, have the appearance of having
been scrubbed clean with broons. Many
of the Grant decorations on the public
and private buildings are bedraggled and tom.
The damage by the flooding of Easements
was heavy. Early in the afternoon base
ments and cellars that were more than ten
feet in depth soon contained between two
and three feet of water, thousands of rats
pouring from the sewers and these base
ments as the water began to fill the conduits
The rats ran around the streets, scurrying
hither and thither in their search for places
os safety. Not unlike them were the China
men, all OF whom occupy deep easements
Nearly every Celestial in the city found HIM
self without place to lay his head and late
into the night they were seen hunting cheap
lodging houses Numberless families were
forced to leave the basementss in which they
resided and seek temporary lodgings in apart
ments aboye the level of the street. OF the
80
this respect, the tenants of many basement
dwellings being compelled TO leave their
homes.
Easements and cellars throughout that
portion 81 the South Side where the whole
sale houses are situated were filed with
water to a depth of several feet, the loss
through this district being very heavy
though no estimate of damage could be
made even by those who are experienced in
such matters. The first business firm to ask
for assistance from the city was Lyon 4
Healy, dealers in musical Instruments at the
corner of State and Monroe streets. Fire
engine No. 81 was compelled to abandon the
| job Of pumping out the water after two
hours fruitIess labor, as the water p0urec!. !"
as rapidly as it was pumped out. Number
less other places were visited, but no better
| success was met with and the many engines
which had been detailed on the work re-
| turned to their respective houses.
Water from the sewers and overlooking
| cutters flooded the Palmer House basement
last evening, putting out the fires in the
boiler of the engine by which the electric
| lights were run, three of the lights had to he
dispensed with. The management OF the
house is remodeling the rear Office of the
| hotel and had entirely removed the sky
| light which rooted the room, and the rains
| descended uninteruptedly into that portion
of the basement throughout the day and
night. In the new Operrs House Block the
same agency exti.,guished the fires in the
! elevators and engine boilers and compelled
| the stoppage of the elevators
All newly improved streets are reported to
be in bad condition. Where sewers have
been put in the ground has sunk about three
feet, reQ9ering the streets dangerous. Fall
street, near Lake, but recently paved, sank
several feet. The Randolph street railway
track was badly washed out near Ann street
| All that portion of the city west of Ashland
| avenue and south of Twelfth street was COW
cred with water to the depth of over two
| feet. This is due to the fact that this por-
| ton of the city is about four feet lower than
the more improved portions.