Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-07-30
A TERRIFIC FLOOD !!
Great Destruction to Property
in Wilmington.
LOSS $4,000 OR MORE
SeYereSt Storm that Has Visited This
Section in Years.
LlGHTNlNG'S FlTFUL FREAKS
A Barn and Store Burned by
uGHTNING'S FlTFUL FREAKS
A Barn and Store Burned by
the Current.
THE p, W. 6 B. RAILROAD CRIPPLED

age Along shipIey Run sewer--The
Waterway OverHows and Floods Scores
of Homes--store Struck by Lightning in
stauton--A Big Rarn Burned Near Har-
rington--3 clio Inches OF Rain.
From yesterdays Every Evening.
Between 8 and o'clock this morning
there was terrific down-pour of rain
in this city and vicinity, accompanied
by heavy wind and violent storm of
thunder and lightning. The rainfall
was almost unprecedented, the rain
guage at the office of the Street and
Sewer Department indicating fall of
,.6 inches.
1t rained generally from about 10
o'clock last night, with occasional brisk
showers, but the heaviest storm was be-
tween and O'clock Driven by the
high wind the rain dashed against the
houses in great sheets, making a roar
like continuous thunder. The lightning
flashed almost necessarily and the thun-
der was at times appalling. The storm
seemed directly over this city and its
full force and effect were felt here. AT
the height of the storm it was impossi-
BILE to see street lamp across the street,
. so heavy and dense was the fall of rain.
Shortly after O'Clock the fury Of the
the usual calm prevailed.
RAILROAD TRAVEL INTERRUPTED.
One of the most serious results of the
storm was the complete interruption Of
travel over the p, w. & B. railroad be-
tween this city and Baltimore. The
cause was disastrous wash-out below
Charlestown station, Cecil county, Nd,
2S miles from Wilmington. The road
T.. ..sA IL Nts as,nb a L ant
about 20 feet high, under which runs q
small culvert. The culvert was unable
to vent the great volume of water that
dashed against it, and it was soon
washed completely out. The embank-
ment followed and soon section of the
entire bank, about 80 feet in extent, was
carried away, breaking both tracks.
Fortunately the night lines in both di-
rections had passed over before the
break occurred, but further travel was
out of the question. Soon after daylight
four wrecking trains and large force
of men were sent TO the place and at
once began the work of repairs, but the
damage was great and trains will not be
able to run until evening.
During the day local traffic between
this city and Philadelphia was main
tanned as usual, but all through Wash
tngton-New York and Philadelphia
Baltimore trains were run over the
Northern Central and Pennsylvania
roads by way of York, Lancaster and
Philadelphia. In consequence no south
ern mails reached Wilmington unit
noon. There was also serious injury
on the New York division, delaying
mails from that direction until after
noon.
On the Delaware railroad no damage
was occasioned by the storm and all the
morning north bound trains reached
this city on time.
FREIGHT TRAIN WRECKED.
Before the washout ON the P, w.
B. r. R., below Charlestown, was dis
covered, an extra freight train of L
cars, coming north, plunged into tn,
break and was completely wrecked
The engineer and fireman jumped anC
escaped without injury. The other trail
hands also escaped without hurt, excep
he head brakeman, who was caught i
he wreck. and severely injured. Thi
accident added to the difficulty of re
pairing the tracks and putting the lin
in shape for travel.
I he head brakeman who was injure
had his leg broken. He resides in Phi
N auelD1lH anu was LdkbU w lllo iOlllt III
morning, after his injuries has been al
tended to by the local physician.
1t was expected that one track woul
n be laid in time to allow of the passag
~ IF trains some time this afternoon.
F GREAT DAMAGE ALONG sHIPLEy RU
sEwER-MANY HOUSES FLOODED
- $4,000 WORTH OF PROPERTY Df
BTRoYED.
The damage wrought to propert
along the Shipley Run sewer from Coz
N Spring Park to where the seweral
i empties into the Christiana was terriff
Seldom has this city seen more destru'
4 tive storm 10 property. Shipley Ru
sewer has its head at Cool Spring Parl
crosses Tenth and Adams streets, an
continues down Adams until IL reach'
Ninth, west of Monroe. At Tenth an
Adams streets huge heaps OF sand wei
washed into the streets where they Ill
,eded traffic this morning.
81 On Seventh street between Madiso
w ind Monroe workmen have been Ell
gagged for week or so at work upo
# he Shipley Run sewer. They ha'
# been making excavations there ar
Il. great piles of dirt were thrown up alor
M the thoroughfare. The storm struC
VIZ these entertainments and in jiffy it ht
M carried away almost hundred ca
w loads of dirt and sent the earth fioatir
M down the stream.
W The next place the food damaged d
sewer was at the point where the sew
~. crosses Seventh street between Madist
MI nd Monroe.
i3F The water flooded the cellars of b
'sSt noracco factory of William j. Nicola
, and swept 100 dozen goat skins into Il
& sewer. The loss was $4,000. The FIR
gN5 of the establishment were extinguish,
and the machinery was at standsti
VA The water came rushing in torrents al
with such force that a large iron do
WIN was burst from its hinges, wifi
.W allowed the floods to enter.
I The torrent continued on dov
M Shipley Run with the roar of cat
.0M ract. The flood seemed to conce
" trate its forces about that section
Shipley Run between Second al
'|N Third streets, where it crossed I
t rear of the row of houses facing
, Monroe. AS the rain came pouri
WISH down and beat upon the open sew
i3N and its environments, the walls cav
in. Then the damage was wrougl
f4 AL the houses facing on Monroe sire
.gN between Second and Third, and the
lying along Second street between MAJ
tdt son and Monroe, were inundated. Il
43e sewer belching forth torrents OF refu
VIZ, made wild rush for the cellars OF t
M houses adjoining and swept much III
bish into the cellars. The tenants
these houses lost all their househc