The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-07-31

The heaviest rainstorm of the year
did untold damage last night between
$50 and 1915 o'clock. Streets were
made impossible, cellars flooded and
trolley traffic completely tied up. The
downpour was severely felt by the
thousands who attended the Buffalo
Bill show and had to get home as best
they could, most of them afoot. the
rain fell in bucketsful and was accom-
panied by brilliant flashes of lightning.
No little excitement attended the Ell
forts of the show crowd to reach the
central city through sea of water on
Carbon street, beneath the Delaware
and Hudson railroad bridge, near the
Pine Brook breaker. A river of water
poured down Penn and Capouse ave-
nues. carrying with it refuse which eff
fectually blocked the Carbon street
sewer basins in the depression under
the bridge. When the rain stopped
there was lake ranging from two TO
five feet deep covering fifty yards or
the road and prohibiting traffic for a
long time.
Eleven street cars, which were wait
ing on the Providence side of the
watery barrier, were held at the edge
of the flood until II o'clock, at which
time employees of the Traction COM
pany waded in and cleared away the
debris which had accumulated over the
sewer openings.
MASSED IN CONFUSION.
The Carbon street road is the only
route to the central city and the con-
fusion resulting when the 1900 people
reached the place can be imagined.
The show, remarkable it is to state,
was given without a single omission
during the binding downpour. The
attendance was greater even than in
the afternoon and at o'clock the sky
from the tiers of seats looked like a
canvass dome, so clear and blue 1t
was. The performance had scarcely
commenced when the rain began. The
performance was given in a rain so
thick that the spectators could not see
the centre of the arena. The canvas
over the seats protected the 10000 very
nicely but great bulbs at numerous
points threatened to bear down the
tents. Men with long poles went about
pushing at these bulbs and forcing out
the water.
When the show was over it was wet,
raining and the car tracks for within
two hundred wards Of the arena were
impossible. A rush was made for the
street cars and ten minutes afterward
every car was crowded to the extreme
The several other thousand had to hoot
it through the storm. Some found ref
uge in the street car barn farther down
the street and others took possession OF
the three or four houses on Providence
road. After Mr.. j. p. cried quits al
1915 o'clock the bescged people wend-
ed homeWard. 1t was noticed that
some very we'll known residents of JEFF
ferson avenue. rode home on a wagon
controlled by the f.. Robinson Brewery
firm.
There was a dense jam of cars, cabs
| and pedestrians at the edge of the
Carbon street flood. All except those
who braved the elements and walked
| around the pond, remained there unit
after IL o'clock
IMMENSE DAMAGE.
The rain did immense damage at all
| points about the city.
Three feet of water flooded the base.
ment of the postoffice building; water
covered the sidewalk at the Mears
building, and wherever there was a
depression the houses suffered. Spruce
and Linden streets We're seas of water
and the Delaware and Hudson railroad
tracks near the Electric works were
covered with debris.
Water ran into the Leader store or
| Wyoming avenue and damaged the
stock to a great extent.
On the West Side the water flooded
the houses at the corner of Hampton
and Main: Kelly's Patch welcomed a
fresh influx Of dirt, and the residents
of Fillmore avenue at Jackson street
We're busy digging bitches. The street
car tracks on upper Ninth street were
washed out. and the up-bound car.
had to go over the old route via Robin,
son street.
Cellars were flooded all over the city
and it was impossible last night to as
certain the extent of damage.
The weather reports received las
night for this morning say "fail
|