Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-09
BLUFFY HAPS and MISHAPS.
The Pour-Down From the Clouds
Caused Several of Them.
To-DAY's SPIRITUAL MENU.
Serious Accident to Engin eer Birkin-
bine-Strock Bros. Factory
Burned-Gene eral and Per-
sonal Notes.
A Bursting Storm Cio1d.

About O'Clock yesterday morning it not
| merely rained, but it literally poured. 1t re-
| minded one OF the bursting of the storm
| cloud, which caused such havoc several
| years ago. II seemed that the bottom had
really fallen out, and all the waters above
| were being poured out. The water from the
| hills rushed down the streets from the bluffs,
| and as they came surging along Msdison
street they quickly discovered that portion
of the paving had been taken up. for the
putting in of pipe, aud had been left dis
placed. With a malicious freak, it furthered
the taking up of the paving, and did so in
very unseemly, boisterous way. Tearing
under the wooden blocks, 1t lifted them and
swept them on down the street, scattering
them along Broadway, and depositing some
OF them as far away as the Northwestern
depot. The wooden paving for two blocks
was thus carried away, leaving the plank
foundation cleanly swept, and all in readi-
ness for the picking up and replacing of the
block.
There naturally has arisen much question
ing as to who should replace these blocks.
The private property owners have already
been assessed for the original expense of the
paving. The New York Plumbing company
had taken up the bit of paving in front OF
Mr.. Crandal's residence for the purpose of
making water connection. At first thought
1t seemed that this company should stand
the damage, but its manager, Mr.. Hart ex-
plains the situation very differently. He
states that 1t has been customary for the
city. under the supervision of its street COM
missioner, Mr.. Avery, to relay pavement in
such cases, he having experts engaged for
that purpose. Mr.. Hart claims that when
they had got through with their plumbing
Thursday evening Mr.. Avery was notified so
that the paving could be relaid Friday IL
was not so relaid, and the storm came yes
terday finding it in that displaced condition.
The cedar blocks thus washed out and
scattered about were eagerly inspected by
numerous citizens, curious to see the effect
OF eighteen months wear on the paving
blocks. Most of them expressed themselves
as satisfied, the blocks showing better than
they expected. Others picked up offensive
samples and paraded them as evidencing
how poor material had been used by the con-
tractors, or how quickly time had rotted
and worn the wooden paving.
The fall of water was fully two inches, as
indicated Dy several receptacles, such as o
mortar bed, forming crude but quite accurate
proofs of the way the clouds gushed out
their contents. 1t was severe test OF the
public improvements made in Council Bluffs
within the past few years.
A few years ago such a sudden and plCnt,-
full outpouring would have caused the creek
to overflow, would have carried away a
goodly portion of the steeply graded streets,
and would have flooded cellars and mired
sidewalks. With we'll paved streets, sewers,
wide and deepcned bed for the creek and
the numerous other improvements made, the
water was carried off quite wonderfully,
leaving little to tell the story of the great
rain except the indiscriminate scattering of
the loosened blocks from Madison street. 1t
was test which showed the advantages of
street improvements.
The rush of water did little damage to the
foundation of MIR Marcus new block, but
this will not amount to $780,
The Merriam block, just being finished,
got few undesirable spots of wetness,
owing to the debris from the new roof
n al min htne ruyf1
all the damage, despite the rumor that the
damage was much greater.
few feet of the electric motor track was
washed out between the water works and
the bridge, but gang of men speedily re-
stored this, so that there was no interrupt
tion to the running of trains, and no special
damage.
The top of man hole near the Methodist
church. on Broadway, was lifted off by the
rush of water. MIR. Z. Huntington, in wad-
ing along in the darkness, stepped into this,
but managed to crawl out with no more
serious injury than comes from severe
wetting.