The herald., 1896-01-28
YESTERDAYS RAINSTORM
The First Real DOwnpour for the
Season
Personal Discomfort Experienced In Cases.
but, as Rule, 1t Was Welcomed
Generally

After o succession of heavy mists, yester-
day brought to the city and Southern Cali
fornia a genuine rainstorm, and one that
was universally welcomed. An aggregate
of about three inches had fallen up to yes
terday for the season. This was some four
or five inches less than the average, and
many persons were predicting a dry year.
The three inches that had fallen had come
in the form of heavy mists, or, if one must
call them rains, then they were of a very
gentle character, gradually dampening and
softening the thirsty earth and preparing
it for the downpour which visited this Sec
ton yesterday. That it caused discomfort
in certain individual cases is without doubt,
but nearly everyone, seemingly, appreci-
ated the value of the big and many rain
drops, and this effectually checked tend
ency to grumble and silenced all COM
plant.
''It's worth millions,' was a frequently
heard expression regarding the rain when
it was at its height. That it is worth
much is unquestioned.
About O'Clock yesterday afternoon the
heavy rain commenced and soon Temple,
Court, First, Second and other streets be.
low the hill district commenced to pour a
flood of water into Broadway. Spring,
Main, Los Angeles and other lower cross
streets and these were soon transformed
into 80 many open conduits, along which
the water rushed to the bottom. Alameda
street seemed to be the grand receptacle
for the flood from the elevated portions
and soon wore the aspect of river, and a
dirty one at that. Some of the buildings
along that erstwhile thoroughfare were
flooded and much cellar property in con-
sequence damaged. The river became
much more worthy of the name, the bed
being almost entirely lost to view under
the rising, buff colored water.
The Broadway cable grew tired when the
storm was at its worst, and one load of
passengers near Fourth street, in deter
mining to abandon the stalled tram, had
to wade through several inches of water in
order to reach the sidewalks. One gentle
man, the victim OF an unintentional nudge
on the part of some one hurrying along.
fell his entire length into eight or ten inches
of water at the corner of Second and Spring
streets. The display of ladies' hosiery was
not confined exclusively to show win
dows. New and novel effects, as the
say, might be seen meath skirts
and draperies more or less daintily
held up from the sidewalks and-well, no.
body cared. Why should they? Was not
the glorious, refreshing, revivifying rain
falling, and would not the sun soon look
down on clean-appearing. healthy looking
groves and orchards? And would not the
hills, as result, put on new robes of emer-
aid, and would not the eucalyptus and pep
per, the fan and the date palms look
fresher? Yes; these were the thoughts and
these were the feelings that made one for
get personal discomfort and hail with
pleasure the first real rain storm of the
season. Up to o'clock last evening the
storm had yielded tribute to the extent of
1928 inches, with enough more up to mid
night to make if about one and one-half
inches.
Incoming trains were all more or less de-
layed by the storm, which was as severe
east and west as in Los Angeles, though
for a brief period this was the center of the
atmospheric disturbance. Passengers on
the regular train from Ell Paso were de-
tanned about three hours, and were able to
see two sections of the outer ring of the
cyclonic wave, which were Illuminated oc-
casionally by sheet lightning. The indi.
cations are for Il continuance of rain,
probably accompanied by high winds near
the immediate coast. The barometer is
unsteady, and the old maxim, "quck rise
after low, foretells stronger biow," will
in all probability be verified.