The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-09-06
KEITEB.
THE WELCOME RAIN.
II Had a Refreshing Effect, but Much More
is Required.


is Required.
Hail to the rain
The moisture which fell upon the dust
laden and mud.caked streets of our town
was welcomed with delight by the few
people who remained upon the streets late
enough last night to receive the comfort.
ing embrace.
At the Office of the water company on
West Lloyd street joy was unbounded.
"Relief has come at last !" was the cry,
and the officials who have been so studi-
ously engaged for the past two weeks in
warning the people against water fam
inc could hardly restrain their delight.
The rain is certainly blessing to this
town. The drought has been felt severely
in many sections and had the relief been
postponed much longer there is not the
slightest doubt that the Board of Health
would soon be taxed to keep up an
obedience to its regulations.
The privation caused by the scarcity y of
water has been much more severe than
some people imagine In the miners
homes water had increased to value al
most on a par of milk. People who can
get along with "a hand and face wash,
as some term it, cannot appreciate the
true situation 1t is only in the homes of
those who come out of the bowels of the
earth, blackened from head to foot by the
accumulating coal dust, and thirsted by
a long walk from the place of labor, the
circumstances can be found that bring
out the real value of the unadulterated
| liquid.
One man said last night, a well-known
| miner, too, "Ive suffered more the past
week than a man could suffer outside an
| abandonment on an arid plain. l got
home to-day expecting to take the usual
| L.
woman said, The water is mighty scarce
and filled everything l could lay hands
on this morning, but | ran short, and now
| I've only got two hours to refill them and
| keep the mill a-going until tomorrow
morning so when you wash, give the
| dirt lick and promise and pray for
| rain "Well do you know 2' said the
miner, 81 hadn't the heart to take the dip
| ! usually take, but ! never said a word,
| / went into the shauty and took as little
water as l could get along with and I've
| got as pretty a pair of black stockings on
me tonight ever sold over a counter"
| Another man met on Main street
actually confessed that he was obliged to
take his whisky straight, but he had the
| laugh on the man who sold it to him,
| because there WIS not water enough in
the house to keep the demiiohn up to the
high water mark
There were two very serious conse-
| QutllNGb VI lllN AIONEuN 1GHlHIhdHs L he
first was that the Indian Ridge colliery
only worked a quarter of a shift on ac-
count of the scarcity of water and at
about half past ten O'Clock last night the
supply Of the incandescent electric lights
| gave out.
The water yer say ?" jokes which filled
the air after the pavements received the
refreshing drops became so malignant
that the arch lights were in danger of
obscurity.
But the rain came at last and it is safe
to say that the prayer for a continuance
is almost universal As to the continuance
hope may be placed on the one two-threC
predictions of an old lady who stood al
the corner of Main and Centre streets last
night waiting for an electric car to TAXI
her down to the crap" She was iubilant
"And shure" said she, tits a toine day
whin it don't rain, but never the foine day
We'll have tomorrow, nor the day afther
Shure the change of the moon was on tn
night of Friday lasth and noticed-le
me see have oi me foive cints shure an,
have-I noticed that the horn of tn
moon hung down, and whin the horn o
the moon hangs down, We can't hang
powder horn on il, nary a hang And, Sc
! to meself, sez l, it's gOiu' ter rain, ant
it did and IL has, and be blessin' TO it; ant
il will rain for a day or two, or more, iii
don't stcp-hOld on that car, there wan
to get home and tell them Pm a. what
ye call that o. yes, Pm a water cocket.'