The sun., 1896-07-07
FLOOD ON THE wESTI5IDE'
.-o FEET or WATER ESD
TWo WorrTlr THB RIVER FERST

srREET AT IN ~ btAF AS~' VI
u,,so,.s Forced on. CslisFs fl'y.- S-
"a street Car Tramo btoPp,..
...a.v,. Downpour IN" 49,,
~. gYrures In . Rescue In tae
b. .,r,u.l rainfall OF yesterday noon
IT, ..r,ous Inconvenience In various pe''so.
de- vnere the sewor capacity WM; nv
tpe =, tho sudden requirement, and "hot'
.,a.v,n sidewalks slanted toward cellar -
,na. Tho neighborhood OF west 49,"
,,1rd street, west of Ninth avenue -,
.,,rIar,v n sufferer. All along I"en" 49,,
,,,ost especially from Tenth avenue "
,,v.r. and also on Tewnty'second ana 80.
,ourth streetp. in the corresponding ,-'
and along Eleventh avenue, between
a., and Twenty. nth streets. the roeuwass
n'os rsrod into rivers for more than hait an
49, and cellars were flooded with from tnree
80 ,onr feet Of water. Traffic was plookeo
s.r,no tho worst OF the food. and persons
-. hn.iross was so urgent thAtsthey teis
,,no,l.d IN mako the West TWen'y''nHu
80, ,errv IN time for certain poats so'
sr.nched in their efforts to plod atoot throuHn
the waters. .,-o.do
n,h. ssriou, time tor the street raiiroaus'
tb. mills. residents. and saloons OF the eo'-
tion came about twenty minutes 80
rain began. People were watchihE .ne
rieo downpour. which began aoou' i~sV
o'clock, and talking about 1t, when 'he ma0oi'
which had only been overrunning the ku''o'o,
rosa with a rush and overlooked siue"aiAs @''u
oopines. running into cellars ana pasei,ioh'e,
and over ground floors. At the same 'iine ("
hlled the roadways, tho sewers seen'eo 10 oe
.pddenly clogged. manhole covers "eIe hi.eo
off nv the water all the waS along i"enS-
third street from Tenth avenue 10 'he ieFrs'
and the streets appeared to have oeeone 'ho
courses OF many.branched river ihefo
was 20 much water that at tho CORNER y.
Tsntb avenue II flowed over the platforms OF
two street cars. .
Il was impossible for any OF the many street
..-s thar are operated In Twenty third street
near the ferry to move for nearly hall an hour
from lo;l5 o'clock. because the water was 30
deep that the numerous switches could not be
found. 1t flowed through the car houses and
.tables on the north side Of the street, ana
suhmerged the grass plot which is above tho
sidewalk level on the south side. Passengers
remained In the cars because they could not
get 70 the sidewalk or to the ferry. AS II was
moo me. there were not a great many OF
them, but those who were there had an un-
comfortable few minutes Two men VINO were
Obliged to catch a train boat rolled up their
trousers. and, carrying their shoes ana stock.
Back in Eleventh avenue. near the corner Of
take advantage OF the situation. doffed his
clothes and mounting watering trough,diYe
from the edge into the river in he R roadway. 5I ~
Two saloons at that corner were flooded Tor ny
teen inches above the floor level and their eel
lars and the barrels and cases of liquor In
ieft when the water subsidized marked the bar
up TO the water tank IN the rear In ANOTHER
at tho corner of Twenty third street and Tenth
avenue there wGs ~ feet OF water In the cellar
Lnc tho bartender, who went down TO try to save
some Of the liquors that were In CASKS which
esd been tapped was IN water up 20 l.; ms ps Snss,;
the cellars. Where hand pumps were relied
upon TO take out the water after the rain
and At 10 O'Clock last niRht pumps were work
ing all about the neighborhood.
Tho saloons were the sufferers most in evil
dence, because they occupy most OF the cor
ners In that section and are built out TO the
street line. House Easements had some pro-
Tho Brighton mills, on both sides Of twenty
third street, between Tenth and Eleventh
avenues had their cellars oyerhowed. but the
the cellar OF the south side mill. where steam
was up. Tho north side mill had closed for
repairs and 30 much water got in there thai II
evening. steam laundry In Twen:y-fourth
street was Obliged to stop work because It's
sioner John McClave's lumber mill in Eleventh
avenue was also flooded. It had been shut
down for the Fourth OF July and there was
Ono bystander said that when the manhole
covers were forced OF In Twenty-thtrd street
!ho water spurted up at least three feet above
near Twenty second street were obliged to
wade In the water. although they went blocks
IN the neighborhood said last night. 1t is said
hat the Eleventh avenue sewer 10 overtaxed by
the fow from zoo many q tho severe west OF
when there are very heavy rains. particularly II
o0f the aeshboTs ead
plight that yesterdays food was the worst one
In years.
overflow also into the cellars along Seventh
avenue above Forty seventh street; Appar-
emily whatever trouble there was in that neigh
borhood was caused rather by water running
from uneven sidewalks into cellar openings
than from:any disturbance OF the sewer drain
age:
Up in Central Park the SIT drains under the
bridge Just north Of tho Arsenal and opposite
East Slxty-ffth street became clogRed.
rain ben cath the bridge, and they soon saw the
water flowing In from tho Two approaches 10
dF tbFss ~
then became apparent that the drains were out
o. Of order. The people Clambered upon the
rain falling outside and the water encroach-
ing upon their perches;
was full. They shouted for help, the women
cried or shrieked. and the children were filled
with terror at the sight Of the rapidly rising
food
Finally Capt. Collins Of the Park police and
Sergeant Dillon heard the outo ries and went
20 the rescue, They took along the Park grass
cart, which resembles the English dog cart OF
hundred years ago. A horse was hitched to
the vehicle. Sergeant Dillon drove the rig
and Capt. Collins stood on the bridge and gave
erders. The cart made q good many trips, and
nally all the hysterical women. crying babies,
and nervous men were transferred TO dry land.
DAMAGE IN NEE4RK.