The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-04
THE CHICAGO DELUGE.
The Rainfall Unprecedented in That City
Damage Done to New Streets.

CHICAGO, Aug 3-The great rain storm
stopped at midnight. The total rain fall in the
preceding twelve hours was SO inches, an inch
more than the entire rainfall during the month
of August in either of the last two years. and
the greatest fall within the time specified on
record. The fall was so great and rapid that the
sewers were unable to carry off the volume Of
water The 400 miles Of sewer pipe are con-
structed Oh the basis of allowing an inch of rain
fall an hour, while yesterday it exceeded two
inches. The superintendent of the sewers is of
the opinion that the flushing of the sewers will
prove beneficial, thoroughly purging them and
thus proving 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 brooms Many Of the Grant decora-
tions on the public and private buildings are
bedraggled and torn. The damage by the flood
ing of Easements WAS heavy. Early in the
afternoon easements and cellars that were more
than ten feet in depth soon contained between
two and three feet of water. Thousands of rats
poured from the sewers and these Easements as
the water began to fill up the conduits. The
rats ran around the streets, scurrying hither and
thither in their search for places of safety. Not
unlike them were the Cinnamon, all Of whom
occupy deep Easements. Nearly every Cees-
tial in the city found himself with,
late late into e''t the " night they the We're We're seen
hunting cheap lodging houses Numberless
families were forced to leave the Easements in
which they resided and seek for temporary
lodgings in apartments abovo the level of the
streets. Of the residence streets, Huron was
conspicuous in this respect. the tenants of many
basement dwellings being compelled to leave
their homes Easements and cellars throughout
the portion of the South Side, where the whole
sale houses are situated, were filed with water
to depth of several feet the loss through this
district being very heavy though no estimate
of damages could be made, even 10y those who
are experienced in such matters. The first busi-
ness firm to ask for assistance from t-e city was
Lyon & Heay, dealers in musical
instruments. at the corner of State and Monroe
streets. Fire engine No. 80 was compelled to
abandon the job of pumping out the water after
two hours of fruitless labor as the water poured
in AS rapidly as it was pumped out. Numberless
other places were visited, but no better success
was met with, and the many engines which had
been detailed on the work returned TO their
respective houses Water from the sewers and
overfowing cutters flooded the Palmer House
basement last evening, putting out the fires III
the boiler of the engine by which the electric
lights were run. Three OF the lights had to be
dispensed with. The management of the house
is remodeling the rear Office of the hotel,
and had entirely removed the skylight
which rooted the room, and the rain descended
uninterruptedly into that portion of the basement
throughout the day and night. In the new
Opera house Block the same agency axtinguished
the fires In the elevator engine boilers and COM
PEELED the stoppage Of the elevators. All newly
improved streets reported to be in a bad
condition. Where sewers have been put in, the
ground has sunk about three feet, rendering 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 AL that portion OF the city west Of