The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-07-27
A GREAT Big STORM.
nrAyY nAlN, VIVID IIaurNrNa
Aud Terrific Thunder Yesterday Afternoon
Hercest storm for Several Years.
The Damage Fortunately Slight,
thoughin some cases Annoying,

The sky and the air seemed to threaten
a storm all day yesterday. A brisk but
brieishower iellin the forenoon, and as the
day wore on 1t seemed that the heaviest oil
the storm had passed over this section,
About 5 o'clock in the afternoon, how
ever, vivid lightning and very loud thun'
der commenced, audth continued almost
necessarily for a quarter OF an hour, when
the rain Stacked up and gradually stopped,
and the lightning became less frequent and
fainter and also soon ceased altogether,
Several Of the peals Of thunder followed
the flash in dangerous proximity, Only
one case Of lightning striking any obiect
in the city was heard Of, this being the
house of George Slater, on ohapline street
on the South Side, opposite Sweeney 4
Sons foundry. The roof was slightly
damaged and the inmates OF the houst
perCeptibly affected,
During the shower q larger amount o.
water fell than almost ever before in thu
same length Of time, The water fairly fel
in sheets, Many Of the streets were flood
ed from curb to curb, the sewers failing Il
carry Oft half the water, Mud and grave
was washed down from the hill side BY
the tons, and left piled on the streets.
A family named drawer, living on al
alley north Of Twenty-third street ant
east OF Eot, was washed out. The waite
came of Of Ohapllns hill in muddy tor
rents, carrying stones loosened In its de
scent, The house mentioned was In al
exposed position, and rocks and nut
we're swept over The floors 10 the depth o
several inches, Many cellars on thu
South Side and elsewhere we're filed iron
Overlooking CUTTERS,
AT the corner OF Jacob and Seventeenth
streets a small boy whose name could no
be learned narrowly escaped drowning II
the gutter. He slipped and fell In TIT
swollen flood, and was rolled over anC
over down the street, the muddy wateI
dashing over him. Foreman Snyder, o
the Atlantic engine house, CHANGED to bt
passing, and he pulled the youngstel
out. Had the accident happened near 6
sewer mouth the boys chances for life
would not have been worth q nickel.
A cart and horse were dumped over thu
wet bank Of tho crock at the foot OF Eot
street, but no damage worth mentioning
resulted.
Probably the worst effects Of the heavy
rain were suffered by the natural ga
bitches, which were considerably dam
aged, the sides Caying In, the earth wash,
ing back into the trenches, and In gomt
cases the bitches filling half full Of water
The West Virginia Company's pipe
layers had reached q point just below
Eleventh street on Market, while the
ditch was completed to Twelfth street
and the pipe was still uncovered, and the
safety attachments unfinished, nearly t
Tenth. The water washed the ditch hal
full Of fne earth, which will have to be
removed before the work can proceed
The last section OF pipe laid was covered
and half filed with earth, the wrenChes
which had been left on the pipe, being
buried a foot or two. The lower end o.
the ditch was filled to overlooking with
wa'er. This Is a particularly unfortunate
place TO have the earth washed back, al
the ditch has to be dug eight teet deep to
get below the sewers and city pipes, and
the pipes are so thIckiy planted there as
to make digging very difficult.
The result Of the storm will delay the
work several days In the aggregate, and
add TO the expense several hundred dol
Lars. The only wonder, however, Is that
the damage done was 30 small, when the
exposed condition Of the bitches and the
fury Of the storm are considered together