Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-04-07
RAIN, HAIL, SNOW.
A rEMPEsrUoUs DAY IN THIS SECTION
OF VIRGINIA.
All Sorts OF Weather Except Bright ana
Pleasant-Rising strssms-fele-
graphic Interruptions.

brde in upon Us. Windows ratified anu
slumberers who had retired in the calmness OF
moop- and star-lit April night were
awakened by the tempest that was rsglnK
without. Between the hours OF and yes,
terday morning the wind and rain increasea
in ferceness and volume and bail patieren
loudly uoon the plate-giass windO"-panes oil
the aflluent and taitered roofs OF the poor
THE PEOPLE.
From morning until night the wind blew,
sometimes with great violence; and the rlih
fell increasingly, at times coming down IKE
deluge. Business was dun, for The streets
were almost deserted. and those who had 10
move about the cit7 literally patronIz-d lhe
street.csr-, packing those vehicles 10 ue-
gree quite unusual.
tended, but when the performance was over
the rainfall was 50 heavy that the audience
fingered In the house long time after the
curtain fell, and melted away slowly, as WAYS
and means Of getting home could be ar
ranged.
Snow.
Passengers arriving here from Fredericks-
burg reported snow five or six lncbes deep
there.
Here also about . O'clock snow began
falling, coming down in great big fakes ana
melting a. fast "a II touched the wet pave
ments Telcgrophic service was badly IN
terfered with. Altogether IL was the worst
day OF the combined winter and sprlEg.
RICHMOND AND ALLEGHANY.
The Richmond and Allegheny railroad
wires suffered greatly by the storm, aud last
night the officers Of the road said they we're
fa ox~fa NJ Of tho rainfall
west OF this city. II must. however. have
been quite heavy. They will begin replacing
then wires as soon as possible, and when
once their linemen get az work they wiz
make the necessary repairs very rapidly.
The company's wires could only be USED
short distance out OF the city.
OS OTHER ROADS.
Most @; the other railroads shared the fate
Of this one, and very few OF them were able
last night 10 communicate with many points
Oh their lines.
on the Chesapeake and Ohio nearly all oil
the wires were down, and at =. NJ. the
storm was still ragiLg in all rs fury. Chsr-
lotiesyille could GOt le reached after noon,
aud the officials were somewhat afraid that
they might be troubled with high water
short distance cast 81 that point, where
small stream passes under low trestllng.
There was q heavy rEowfal along this
route.
ON the Richmond and Danyille the wires
were 40 badly deranged that no Information
could be obtained as 10 the condition OF az
fairs South. There was some apprehension
as 10 high water, IL having been raining
steadily and coplou,ly for many hours.
The Richmond and Petersburg had use OF
their wires 81 FAR south rs Weldon, but there
was no telegrsphic communication north OF
toe Richmond, fredericksburg aud Poto-
mac.
THE TELEPHONE.
The telephone service last night was very
defective. though the officers did the best
they possibly could to accommodate the pub
lie. The wires were down in some pisces,
crossed st others, aad in other sections they
were grounded. In the central district the
service wss fairly good.
During the storm yesterday tree was
blown down at the corner Of Capitol and
Tenth streets. One was also blown down
in front Of Seyen;h-Street Christian church.
TIRE-ALARM WIRES.
In the western part OF the city last night
ali the wires OF the fire-alarm and polce.
telegraph we're down, and Chief Fuller, oil
the Fire Department. kept all his men on
duty ct the englue-hOuses all night.
Mr.. W. II. Thompson, chief OF the Fire.
Alarm aud Police Telegraph, Snd his assist
ants. made a tour OF the city and repaired all
the wires possible and located the broken
ones. and men will 90 to work early this
morning to repair the damage done. The
wires OF this department were damaged to
tue extent OF several hundred dollars by the
broken wires OF the telegraph companies and
the electrician line wires falling upon them
and burning them out.
HURT BY 4 BILL-POsTER's BOARD.
Between and o'clock in the afternoon
the tall fence erected for biltp0Sting pur-
poses at the southeast corner OF the Peui-
Tertiary spring-lot Gary aud Adams streets
was OyerthrO1n by toe violence OF the
wind, and little boy named Peasants, who
was passing at the time, WAS struck by some
Of the timbers aud painfully injured. His
homo Is on Cary street near BelyiGere, aud
thither q doctor was summoned to attend
him.
LAST NIGHT.
The weather las night was the worst for
twelve months. For hours and hours the
wind "blew great guns" wrenching on
limbs OF trees aud thro wing them upon the
sidewalks to the great danger OF pedes-
" itUNs ilNAt aAN AANAN WhRiN NANN" wa
oyerb0rne and leyelled.
The snow melted almost ~ rapidly as It
fell and the payements were deep IN slush.
To holG on 10 m umbrella was next to i'm
possible. MANY Of tnem were lifted out OF
their owners hands and iloated away in the
gale.
For day that began with summer.like
clouds and thunder and lightning the night
was strangely winterish and tempestuOus.
THE CAR SERVICE.
The ears on the Electric Line stopped run.
ring soon sitter night on account OF the wires
being down. The horse-car line performed
good service and was largely patronlzed.
TOP BLOWN OPP HOUSE.
The top TO Doyle's tin-shop, on Broad
street few doors above BrOad-Street Opera.
House, was blown oil aud fell upon the side
walk.
POLICE GUARD An ELECTR1c-wlRE.
An electric-iight wire fell in front OF The
Broad street Olera- House, and policeman
was stationed there 10 warn people Of the
danger, as il was heavily charged with elec-
tricny.
DAMAGE IL MANCHESTER.
In Manchester the storm ragged with no
less fury than III Richmond. In the early
hours Of yesterday morning the high wind
caused many OF the houses 10 shake rs though
they would tumble TO the ground and trees
and fences were blown down generally IN
exposed localities. The onlv damage done
BY lightning, so far as could he learned last
night, was to a grocery store on Hull street.
aud here tie results were not serious. The
current entered on the iucandescent-hght
wire aud one OF The lights was entirely
burned out. The fluid also came in on the
telephone-Wire, but did no harm. No one
was hut
In the afternoon the greater portion Oh
one Of the walls OF a two-story brick store
which Messrs. George ID. Paicn & 20. were
having erected on Hull street, short dis
lance above the Petersburg turnpike, was
blown down aud in falling It broke into the
Knights OF Labor store kept by coored
man, and the stock was considerably
damaged. Several persons were IN the store,
but fortunately none Of them were injured.
The building was nearly ready for the roof.
No further damage OF aserious nature had
been reported at a late hour last night. The
melting snow and water was about two
inches deep on the streets. and only persons
who were compelled to 20 out on business
were TO he found away from home after