The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-19
WORSE OUT IN THE SUBURBS.
WHAT HAVE BEEN STREETS IN
THE WINTER SUDDENLY BE-
COME STREAMS.
NO SIDEWALKS in SIGHT AT ALL.
Condition That May Be Expected
10 he Worse Rather Than Better
for a Few. Days.

PNoPN0 ANAuS -d1OHS the course or the
lower Mississippi are not in it with
the trials and tribulations of the sub
urban residents in and about st. Paul.
A trip through Hamline, st. ANTHONY
Park or Merriam Park will remind one
OF his last visit to Venice. In MANY
places the streets running through
these residence districts present the
appearance of swollen streams, with
mere and there a vast lake to break
the monotony, and along the line of
the street cars the tracks are buried
out of sight beneath from two inches
to foot of water.
1t Is an extremely amusing sight 10
see a street car come to a stop in from
OF a switch, and then view the actions
OF the conductor as he dons his diving
suit and shoulders his graphing hook
preparatory to his hunt for the switch
Wading boots that reach to the hin
and f1atboats are the order of the dav
IN Hamline and the parks Navigation
in any other way is almost an impos-
slblIlty. Along most of the streets the
snow has been banked up on either
side to the height of five feet in manv
places, and these banks make capital
levees
Langford park, at the end of the
f1amllne line, reminds one of an island
Tor the boulevard which surrounds il
is covered with water to the depth If
loot. And the fact that this same ISL
and may be entirely submerged is not
an 1mpossibility, for both Langford
avenue and Knapp street lead directly
into the boulevard with a drop of about
enc foot in every three and both are
furnishing water to the already fairly
large lake at the rate of a barrel a min
ute.
The agricultural college which stands
to the right of the Hamline line Is al
most completely isolated. Just after
the last heavy fall of snow the boys
at the college got out their big snow
ploW and made path from the college
buildings to the track. That same path
now forms the bed Of an excellent sub
stltute for good-sized creek. and
those same boys are now calking up
the old fiatboat at the college, and 1t is
their intention to be able to make reg
ular trips, and, if it becomes necessary.
to meet all street cars Ie
AT the intersection Of Lexington and
University avenues a beautiful natural
lake is forming, and, if it remains long
that one Of st. PauPs pushing real
estate men is figuring on plans for the
erection of a large hotel ON It's banks
with the intention Of giving the people
or st. Paul one Of the finest summer
resorts in the North, without havin..
to undergo the fortunes Of a hot. dusty
ride on the steam cars
Through Merriam Park the condition
or the streets is almost as bad as in
Hamline and st. Anthony park. The
street cars have to make a run for their
lives in order to get through the sea of
water that has formed under the Mil
Waukee bridge on Prior avenue. In
many places the walks have not been
cleaned during the entire winter, and
1t is not an uncommon sight to see
pedestrians sinking up to their knees
almost in the great stretches of mud
and slush. Should the thaW of the past
two or three days continue for two or
three days more, it is a certainty that
the condition of the suburbanites will
become worse rather than show signs
of improvement.
The water in the1river yesterday was
trif1e higher than it was the day be-
fore, although the stage is still far be-
low average summer mark. The
weather bureau and the government
engineers say that should the thaw
continue the ice is liable to go out IN
two or three days and the river will
rise. The expectations are that the
thaw will continue in it's extensive
area
The Floyd river in Northern Iowa
is rising rapidly, as well as the Rock
river in Western Minnesota. The
water is already nearly up to the stills
of the railroad bridges on the line of
the Omaha. General Manager Scott
said last evening he was somewhat
anxious for fear the river would cause
trouble. unless there should come a
freeze. Tracks aid over the state are
soft. The Milwaukee road and other
lines running through Southern Min
nesota and Northern Iowa report the
same trouble. +5tAtt