The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-03-20
WIND AND WATER.
If You Staid In Last Night This Will Show
You How Wise You were-If You Went
Out You Know All About It.

Whewl what night! The
Portlander who had q comfortable
home last evening and not being obliged
to go out staid in 1t, was a very wise
individual. 1t was one of the most dis
agreeable nights with which tha ereatio
weather Of this spring has yet supplied
u.s.
Early yesterday morning the snow be-
gan to fall and continued all the morn
ing, melting almost as fast as it fell
though. At little before O'Clock in
the afternoon the snow storm turned to
rain. At that time there was about an
incn OF fresh snow on the sidewalks, and
IN lew minutes this was turned into
the siushiest kind of slush imaginable.
And wasn't ID slippcryP 1t was almost
impossible to keep on Che sidewalks and
when the street was resorted to by. timid
pedestrians it was simply a question of
how wet one got. Rubbers and over
shoes were of no avail, rubber boots were
the only things that offered an approach
to dryness. In an hour the streets wora
yeritable lakes.
The crossings were something fearful.
1t was amusing in many instances to
watch some wary orosser who thought
she had safe course mapped out and
would almost get across the street with
safety. only to "slump in'' halfway to
the knees, and after that there was no
| picking way across. They could get
no wetter and they simply ploughed
through the slush regardless OF oonse-
quences.
The street oars were very popular all
day and were crowded on nearly every
trip.
There were many amusing tumbles
and involuntary duckings. A funny
one was witnessed by PRESS man, the
early part Of the afternoon. A car of the
Union station line going towards the lat
ter place, was near the public library
and going at lively gait, too, sending
the water flying from the wheels in every
direction. AS it approached the library.
a gentleman evidently from the rural
districts, stepped into the street with
the. intention of getting aboard. He
didn't want the car to stop for him. Oh!
no. He had balanced on two-horse
moving machine many time and he
flowed he could jist light on the rear end
of that car as she went by. The gentle
men may have been filed with memo
ries Of similar feats performed in the
past on the old horse cars which did not
require the ability Of circus performer
to board while in motion; at any rate
he evidently had not experimental very
much with electricity. He watched his
chance and did succeed in grasping the
rail of the rear platform as the car
whizzod along. He didn't go any farth-
er-the car did that. The gentleman sat
down in the middle of the track sur
rounded by a mixture of W alter, slush,
oat meal, sugar and canary seed. A
snap shot of the atmosphere in his imme-
diate vicinity would have presented
very lurid appearance If the warmth of
his utterances did not melt the plate in
the camera. He has Wholesale respect
now for1 the plaything Of the Wizard
of Menlo Park.
At $40 the signal Office hoisted the
hurricane signals once more and predict
ed Dangerous southwest gales during
the night, changing to northwesterly. y
They came according as arranged by
the gentleman at Washington and the
wind by o'clock was simply bowling.
Last night the streets were practically
deserted, and the big sheets of water that
we're caught up BY the gusts of wind
and flung along the streets found but
few victims. The policemen and news
paper men had a monopoly Of the streets
during the latter part OF the night. With
the increase in the wind the rain sub
sided materially, and the streets became
more passable.
Capt. Trundy OF the life saving sta
tion at the Cape, reported fairly heavy
sea running, but no signs Of any marine
disasters whatever.
Railroad men were rather apprehensiye
last evening that the heavy rain might
wash out much Of the recently restored
road bed. 1t was put in at a time when
there was good deal of ice and frost
in the material used, and heavy storm
might take 1t out, and would much
more easily than the late foed took it
out originally.
Section men on all the roads are on the
watch for washouts, and the greatest
possible care will be used. 1t was one
Of the hardest nights of the year for
railroad men.