The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-08-01

After about a score Of promises oil
storms, all OF which blew over except
ono mild shower Saturday morning, a
good, old~.iashioned, drenching rain fell
yesterday afternoon, commencing a lit
tie after four o'clock and continuing
nearly an hour, though toward tho last
it was much more gentle, The rain Tor
atimo came down in unusual volume
and was so driving that on slipping
ground the dry earth was at once beaten
into u crust which shed the water, little
OF which penetrated beyond an inch un'
der tho surface. Atother places, though,
the thirsty earth was well moistened,
and the parching vegetation will BIO the
gamer to an inCalculable degree. Corn,
tomatoes and all kinds Of vegetables had
suffered seriously, and the storm was
lust In time TO save a failure OF many
kinds OF crops. Even the green apples
had begun to fall from the saplesa trees
in some localities.
In town the large amount 'ot water
which fell in 30 short a time quickly
flooded the sleeper streets, Tho ditch
over the telephone conduits on Four
teenth street from Main to Market, re-
Gently reflled with soft earth, was
quickly soaked into u soft and pasty
mass, while much OF the earth was
washed out and deposited on tho street
at tho intersection Of Main, where for a
time the street car track was impassa-
BILE. AT the INrELLIdENCER alley the
Wheeling and Martins Forty transfer
wagon got its fore wheels deep in the
ditch, and had to be unloaded before
it could BIO extricated. The only Won
der was that tho team got over without
being swamped.
On Twelfth street from Chaptine TO
Market the open telephone ditch was
quickly filled, but no damage done.
The fresh earth in the ditch between
Market and Min was much oft washed
out, and at Twelfth and Main there was
even more mud and debris accumulated
than at Main and Fourteenth. Indeed,
at all Lowell Intersections OF steep cross
streets tons OF ourth and gravel, often
mingled with pretty large stones, were
LETT after the sudden flood subsidized.
1t was not long after the storm broke
until tho streets on tho South Side
leading from the hillsides to the river
were furious torrents, in which muddy
water wac mixed up p~romiscuously
with fence rails, boards, old shoes, tin
cans and other rubbish. Twenty-iourth
street was the worst place; here tho
water was u foot deep at II time, and
when tho rain ceased Il curious specta-
clio was presented. Mud to the depth
of several inches covered the pavement,
us we'll rs all kinks OF rubbish.
This work OF tho rain shows tho
cleansing power it possessed. The
cutters used US open sewers, too COM
mon entirely on back streets, were
thoroughly washed out, and tho sewers,
so long in need of n good flushing, got
at tho hands OF nature what the city
should have given them long ago.
With the opening OF the storm came
n miniature cyclone, but so far as heard
II did no harm. The lightning was for
awhile vivid and frequent, and tho
thunder close upon tho flashes, and at
times terrific. The only damage heard
Of in tho city was the burning out Of
about 500 telephones, and these were
all repaired as fast US the damage was
discovered.
A stroke OF lightning entered tho
city building on an electric wire, and
burned out the phones in the gus
office, city clerks Office and water
boards office. The police telephone,
though it seemed TO get the most Of the
shock, did not suffer. There was q
cracking init like u miniature volley OF
artillery, and flashes of fire came out,
but US soon as the storm was over the
telephone worked all right.
Mrs. Mack Rowleg, who lives on In
dian run, back OF Bellaire, was very
badly shocked by the lightning while
in u field near n troc which was struck
and rent. She was helping her hus!
band got in the hay. For a good while
she was FRUSTRATED, but after considcra-
bic effort a physician revived her, and
it ID thought she suffered no permanent
injury.
In Bellaire several OF tho new wires
OF tho street railway company caught
the electricity and were broken down.
Lust night Wheeling creek, which
has lately got alIits water below Fulton
from sewers and drains, and had be-
CONF little more than u series Of bad
smelling pools, vas running out with
a healthy current, though full Of mud,
The cleaning out OF the crock bed,
oven il only partial, is ono OF the most
acceptable results of the storm.
The evening trains on the Wheeling
4 Lake Erie, Cleveland. Lorain &
Wheeling aud Cleveland & Pittsburgh
railroads wcro all late last night.
With the exception OF several wash
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