The sun., 1896-09-04
VERY Ikea CL0UDBURST.
NEARLY HALF AN INCH OF RAIN
IN FIFTEEN MINUTES.

Riverside streets ona OeuaFp Flooaea-
Customers Driveu ous or Everstrs
Hotel DisinE Rooms by the Risiug
Maters-Manhols Cevers Forced Of
LishtniuG str,kss the Oid vleterfs HHotel.
An old fashioned thunder storm came boom
Ing out Of the west shortly before o'clock last
evening. Its approach was hsralded by the
glow Of sheet lightning through black cloud
battlemcnts. Il came with an electrical rush
,n4 roar, and vanished within less than half
an hour after the Weather Bureaus observer
saw 1t impending above New Jersey.
Torrents wero borne from the aerial black
ness on squalls that often rose 10 the dignity OF
gales The wind was chiefly from northwest
AMI. With the cooling deluGe, it drove the mer-
curry, which had been up In the eighties. down
10 breathing point. It also wrung much Of the
humidity. which was 72 per cent. from the air.
The dewnpour might have been called cloud
burst in suburban places. Within fifteen min
utes nearly half an inch OF water had fallen.
Tns steamer Magenta which left her slip at
Bay Ridge At $50 o'clock, Gvt the full benefit OF
the storm. Among the thousand passengers on
board were many women and children who
were returning from Coney Island and hun
dreds OF patrons of racing on their way homo
from Shcepshead Bay. When the steamer
started there WAS q great hank Of leaden-col-
ored clouds over the Staten Island and New
Jersey shores. but the sky was clear overhead.
Five minutes after her leaving the ship at
Bay Ridge lightning began TO illumine the east
ern sky and cut si1zaGgedly through the great
bank of clouds, which changed from leaden to
\ dArkish brown color. The wind freshened,
and 1t grew darE as night in less than . minute.
The breeze came in ftful puns for few min
uIes. and then. to an accompaniment OF Thunder
aad OF lightning % vivid that the women and
children took refuge In the cabin Of the Ma
EentA the storm broke in all its fury.
The Captain Of the boat turned her nose into
the wind and steamed In the direction Of Staten
Island The rain fell In torrents, and the air
was su,phurous with the constant bombardinR
fearfuly interrupted By vivid lightning.
not q craft was visible while the storm con-
tinued. 90 great was the gloom.
thirty ysars eIperiencs 10 the New York
Harbor. he had never encountered Q storm OF
ana @ ia
alp ~ the foot of Whitehall street
The great downpour Of rain filed MP . num-
lars and stores. The sewer ct the foot Of Veeey
aIa IN the da. y
in front OF Washington Market. Everetts Hotel
S n.
eating supper when the storm began.
The rooms % run through from Tesey to Bar.
fve minutes when water began TO bubble up
through the cracks In the tesseIated door. The
customers moved away from these places and
continued their meal. but with one eye on the
rising water.
suddenly every light In the place went out
except the tiny oues on the Cigar counters at
each end Of the restaurant Then there was Q
sarglias sound and in nome1t che diners
nUUt rtKr ns6 made M way m over The Vesoy
Only those escaped wettins who neglected
the formality of paying their checks before
they went out
naes for The .e1srs IN west Tvensy.sscona' sec neS
they vars aooded rom Ninth a1.nns to shs the
Tho upusual flood Of water forced OF the
covers Of the mnnholes, which spouted like gey-
ssrs during the heaviest part Of the storm. Tho
IN IL. sna
third street car stables wero also flooded. and
tho street IN front Of them resembled Q minia-
mud several inches deep deep was left on tie Side. q
wsIks.
A similar food occurred IN the same place q
new Which begins $ q Sboue @ half WAY WAY ae be
InaIl to carry on a sudden nood Of water
Get Rufnf ;s the .spss sfs of The
Hotel, at Twenty seventh street and Broadway.
The pole WSs torn to pieces and the splinters
andnS M s r. wse
srs "Sieh cam. nae out % o. shs hsE' el0ads SS IL IL
ins to the policeman. forkcd lightning shot from
i and smote the Gag pole. when the ball was
ihirty feet from the ground it exploded. and
struck and felled q tree In front OF 81 West
Thrty-ftth street