Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-13
DELUGE DRENCHED
Nearly Five Inches of Rain Fell
Here Yesterday.
CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE DONE
An Electric Road Washed Out
Over in Virginia.
TIE TIPS ON LOCAL. LINES
TIE UPS ON LOCAL LINES

Washington was the recipient of a visi-
tation of wetness yesterday that surpassed
all existing records, and to an experienced
person in such things the display between
and $50 O'Clock in the afternoon was an
excellent illustration of the way it rains in
Cuba during the wet season. Between 10
o'clock in the morning and o'clock at
night no less than 1872 inches Of rain fell,
and the greater quantity of this fell after
8 o'clock. The fall was so heavy about
this time that many of the sewers were in
adequate to carry off the torrents, and an
hour later the water was gushing back
out of the sewer openings In all the low
portions of the city. Missouri avenue from
AZ to 9th street, B street from 9th to 10th
were flooded and the cellars on the south
side of Pennsylvania avenue as far west
as 18th street were changed into temporary
cisterns.
Street Railways Tied Up.
In South Washington cellars were SINH
larly visited. The tracks of the Metropoli-
tan railroad We're under water from 9th
and streets to AZ street and Maine ave-
nue., causing the electric circuit to get
grounded and stopping cars south of F
street for three hours.
At the Pennsylvania railroad station the
water reached point almost on level
with the floor, and outgoing and incoming
passengers had to be carried to and from
the depot in vehicles, which conveyed them
through water axle deep.
The conduit of the Capital Traction Com
pany's line on Pennsylvania avenue, a few
feet west of 10Th street, was filled with
water about 4 o'clock, and the current be-
tween the bars was short-circuited, result
ing in the pillow of a west-bound motor car
melting and allowing the current to set fire
fSN,s to ha 4r1rar oJor If
fire was sent in by the special officer sta
toned at the junction from the box at 10Th
and G streets. Owing to the Importance
Of the neighborhood, this alarm is respond
ed to by a large portion of the department,
and engines, steam and chemical, and both
trucks came rushing to the spot. The rail-
road current meantime had been cut OFF
and the cars fire been put out, SO the
soaked and Disguised 1remen were not
called on for duty, but expressed severe
criticism of the special officer for sending
in a regular alarm. when special tele-
phone call would have suffced. The Trac-
ton lines were held up for more than an
hour, and the army of department clerks,
who patronize 1T, were drenched to the
skin, umbrellas were no protection
whatever from the falling deluge.
Much Damage to Sewers.
In oil parts Of the city sewers filled and
made local neighborhood floods of consid-
cradle size, and out in 'Swampoodle' near
ly every street was for time a running
stream. Many sewers were broken. and re-
ports by the police this morning show that
very extensive repairs will be needed. Con-
siderable damage was done to new build
ings in course of construction, many found
atoms having been undermined, resulting In
cracked walls. Many merchants and others
on the south side of the avenue suffered
considerably from cellars flooding. N. II.
Shea, No. $50 Pennsylvania avenue, esh-
mated his damage this morning at about
s. OOo Richards & Co. placed theirs at $500;
Browning & Middleton also suffered some
damage.
The most serious result of the storm,
however, was the washing away of nearly
half mile of the roadbsd Of the Washing
ten, Alexandria and Mount Vernon railroad,
from Four-Miie Run toward Alexandria A
great body Of water collected above 1t and
gradually undermined the bed. Then sud
denly the roadbed went down.
1t will require several days to repair 1t,
and meantime traffic the other SIDE of
Four Mile Run will not be possible. The
trains to Four-MHe Run and intermediate
stations and to Arlington will continue to
run as usual, and the Pennsylvania will
run hourly trains between this city and
Alexandria, leaving Alexandria on the hour
and Washington on the half hour from
o'clock m until 100 at night.
The Storm Was Local.
The storm was virtually local in cfarac-
ter, the heavy rainfall being confined to a
territory about twenty miles square, with
Washington as its center. The Potomac is
falling rapidly above Washington and no
further apprehension Is felt regarding a
repetition of yesterdays food.
Over in Georgetown.
The heavy rain Of yesterday did more or
less damage in Georgetown, especially IN
the county surrounding. The roads suffer
ed a good deal, and the roadbeds of the
electric roads also suffered to some extent
The cellars of a number of private houses
were flooded in the town itself. Another
popularity of the rain is that 1t has caused
the water in most of the wells in the
county surrounding to become almost as
muddy as the Potomac water.
The rainfall for the day was excessive.
and broke all previous records for the
Georgetown meteor illogical station. From
II easurements made by Prof. NJ. F. Bur-
rows. the total rainfall was 400 inches,
the largest ever recorded for a single day.
From the beginning of the storm about II
o'clock to o'clock in the afternoon the
rainfall measured lis inches. From to
4:3O o'clock the rainfall was little less,
was from 4:3O to o'clock in the evening
when the measui ements recorded 1872
riches. From to IL o'clock the rainfall
was comparatively light and measured only
90 of an inch.
Potomac and Rock Creek.
The Potomac rose to good height, and
last evening it looked though the flood
would do some serious damage. The water
came up to the edge of the wharf at the
foot of 32d street. which is quite high, md
in some places went over the wharf The
floats of the boat houses suffered some, but
not much. The current was extremely
swift, and coming down were quantities Of
driftwcod and logs. The first floor of the
Potomac Boat Club, at the foot of 31st
street, was completely inundated, the
water being nearly foot in depth. No ma
terial was washed away from the wharves,
SO far could be learned. Rock creek as
sumed the appearance of a small river,
and the water was several feet higher than
usual. Even the Chesapeake and Ohio
canal felt the rise In the water, and despite
the many outlets on the Georgetown level
the waterway rose over q foot above its
normal level, the water pouring in at a
much faster rate than it could evidently
be discharged.
Damage to Railroads.
The Great Falls electric railroad suffered
considerably, and traffic yesterday was al
fected accordingly. Several washouts were
reported the most serious being near the
Conduit road, which necessitated the run
of in hrAalx pnuld