The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-07-14
LEFT HAVOC IN THEIR WAKE
Streets Of the Center Of the City
Converted Into RiYarS-SiItesA
Telephone Poles and Ono Hundred
HiraS Felled on CapouSe AEsnus.
Electric Light Plant at Olyphant
DestrOyed--Other Danase Done.

one or the most severe rain, hail and
wind storms that has visited Scranton
in several years passed over this city
early last evening and disappeared
down the valley and over the mountains
In southeasterly direction. The
storm, which was sort Of youthful.
wet and lusty cyclone, left behind It
trail Of damage and disorder which
affected everything that lay in its path,
buildings, trees, telegraph and tele-
phone wires and poles, vehicles and all
else that was not strong enough to
Withstand II.
In the business section OF the city the
little hurricane was most felt as in that
locality occurred the greatest fall Of
hail, and here the two storms, one
from the north and one from the north
west seemed to center. The fall OF
hail, which created the greater havoc.
extended from Green Ridge to the city
line on the south and from Main ave-
nue. on the west to Clay avenue on the
east.
Cellars were flooded on all of the bus
mess streets owing to the inadequate
capacity of the sewers. windows were
cracked or broken, the foliage of trees
and shrubbery were stripped and torn
and at all the intersections Of streets
nearly level there were small seas Of
seething, gushing water.
THE THREATENING STORM.
The afternoon had contained periods
Of threatening weather. Soon after
~ hn OF. yfo davyalnna1
into a brief period of thunder and
lightning which was followed by the
deluge, hail and wind. II lasted fifteen
minutes, the thermometer dropping in
that length of time from So to 65 de-
grees. According to Fl. E. Paine, local
weather forecaster. a nominal rainfall
for six hours would be about one-half
Of an inch. Yesterday in fifteen min
utes the fall was fifty-seven hund-
reths Of an inch or about twenty-five
times above the normal.
All during the evening reports Of the
damage were received by The Tribune.
The hail was much larger than Or
dinary sized marbles. In some sections
Of the city 1t lay on the ground like ono
immense white blanket or was blown
or washed and left lying in piles bigger
than Wagon loads after the first fury
Of the storm had passed. The ape
proach of the storm was 80 sudden that
many drivers had no opportunity to
get their horses under shelter and there
were few Of the main streets that didn't
witness several runaways. Four teams
at the Lackawanna depot behaved 80
badly that 1t was necessary to lead two
of them under the big covered entrance
extending along the north side Of the
structure The other two teams were
detached and led into the depot hall
way.
LINDEN STREET CURRENT.
An idea of the volume Of water may
be had from the statement that Linden
street from Elm Park church to Penn
avenue formed the channel Of rushing,
roaring river with a current so swift
that for several minutes after the storm
ceased heavy wagons crossing the
stream were swung sideways by the
force Of the current. At Linden street
and Washington avenue a miniature
lake surrounded the Washington statue
on court house square and extended to
beyond the benches that line the side
walk. The condition at the corner Of
Wyoming avenue was much the same,
pond reaching from Bishop O'Hara's
residence nearly to the Academy of
Music.
Few of the large retail stores escaped
more or less damage from water that
entered the cellars either from over
flow over the curbing or from water
that backed" from the sewers through
sinks, closets and basins.
The trap of closet in the cellar Of
Williams & McAnulty's store was
broken and over a foot Of water from
the sewer ruined about $500 worth of
wall paper, mating, carpetings and
other stock.
establishments which suffered loss,
great and light. the list would include
nearly fifty per cent of the stores. OF
the skylights of photograph studios, the
only ones that withstood the rain and
hail were those sloping toward the
south. The skylights of Kemp's, Frey's.
Easterline's and Humler's parlors were
among those which were demolished.
All over the region where the hail fell
the thickest, dead birds lay on the
ground in scores. Fifteen sparrows
were brought into the desk sergeants
room at police headquarters in the city
hall by the three young cats that make
their home in the building.
About two hundred feet Of the fence
at Athletic Park was carried across