The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-02-21

TEARSFROM THESKY
Jersey City Very Moist and
Muddy and Uncom-
Portable.
WIND ALONG THE DOCKS
Sewers Burst and Ovefflowed and
Streets and Meadows We're
Flooded.
WIND ALONG THE DOCKS


imagined than that which the river front
presented during yesterdays great storm.
Even in the slips and basins, the raging
easterly and southeasterly winds lashed
the waves into whitecaps and assisted the
tide in flooding great portions of the ad-
jacent lands.
In the morning the lower portions OF
all the great railroad yards were sub
merged. The lower part of Pavonia ave
nue., the big thoroughfare of the northern
section which leads to the Erie Depot and
ferries was flooded as usually after
storm, and Sunday morning pedestrians
and patrons were obliged to wade ankle
deep from as far up as the western end
of the trainshed, where the street cars
stopped, to the depot waiting-room en-
trance and ferry houses. Right in the
middle of the path leading thereto, be-
tween the two narrow row of flags, there
was cavern, and when the water sub
sided rusty old milk can, from the
depot across the way, was made do duty
as a danger signal.
In addition to the half dozen recent
cave-ins along the course OF the Ola
Thirteenth street brick sewer, the soaking
of the soil with the weight of dirt from
the trench of the Ravine road sewer
caused another gap within dozen feet
of the mouth The contractors of the Ra-
vine road sewer, who, by the way, nave
completed the laying of the big six-foot
pipe to the river and are now filling in
the trench in that vicinity, ordered some
of their own men at work to remove the
dirt and keep the mouth of the old sewer
clear. This was probably done to avoid
further collision with the city authori-
ties. who have threatened suit against the
Rayine Road Sewer Commission for the
condition of the old Thirteenth street
sewer, along which the Ravine Road
sewer, within foot, turns from Provost
street to the river.
Despite the efforts to keep the Thlr-
teenth street sewer open it is evident that
it at last became badly blocked, and
residents along Thirteenth street and mer-
chants in the vicinity of the intersections
of Grove and Erie streets and Jersey ave-
nue. and other streets above, are bitterly
complaining and it is not improbable that
suits will be brought against the city for
damages sustained by the flooding OF
cellars The cellar of Grocer e. E. Bunje,
on the southwest corner Of Thirteenth
and Erie streets, is flooded to depth
of three feet, and barrsds and boxes OF
vegetables and groceries are floating
about on the top. His damage iscon-
siderable A few doors below, at No. 255
Erie street, Baker ]. Ruess has had
man pumping necessarily since nine
O clock this morning and there was still
at the hour of going to press nearly two
feet of water in the basement of his store.
where the ovens are located. Men are at,
work in rubber boots, standing in water
almost to their waists. Over eighty bar
rels of flour have been damaged.
There was at noon almost foot of
water in the wine cellars of John Casey
at Thirteenth and Grove streets, and the
same condition of affairs prevailed in the
cellar of w. T. Hawkes. saloon at Thir-
teenth and Erie streets.
The gong out of the tide seemed to
make no difference in this vicinity. A
peep through a manhole disclosed the
fact that the water, even after time for
low tide, remained at the same height at
least above the crown of the sewer.
Lower Pavonia avenue was again sub
merged today, as was all the river front
in the Long Dock section.
There is a small cavern of Seventh
street, directly in front of the Seventh
street station house. and danger signal
protrudes therefrom.
Monmouth street, between Fourth and
Ninth streets, is completely under water,
every receiving basin being closed and
overfiowing. The same is true at Cole
and Seventh streets, and on Grove street,
between Fifteenth and Seventeenth
streets, also at Eighth and Grove streets.
No cave-ins or other causes of delay to
trains were reported at the dispatcher's
office. at the Erie depot up to last even
ing.
The wind blew down number of cleo
trio light wires in Hudson City last night
and for several hours there were lights
in Central avenue from Franklin street to
Congress street. Linemen were busy all
night repairing damaged wires. The
Postal and Western Union Telegraph
Companies also experienced great deal
of trouble In the offices the instruments
every half hour or so would click strange
ly. telling of fresh break or cross in
the wires. AT four o'clock this morning,
the sewer in front of No. 1873 Magnolia
avenue caved in. Residents on Jackson
avenue suffered greatly. Water poured
down from the SlQe Streets, dIu a1TOIu p1e
direction of the Central Railroad, over
running the receiving basins, and in many
instances the sidewalks flooded some of
the cellars Thousands of dollars worth
of goods were damaged by the flood. On
Communipaw avenue the people learned
wisdom from former experiences, and
were prepared for the rush of water. In
each of the Easements in that section
stands two feet high are built and goods
are kept on these. This gives the water
no show TO damage them. At Commrni-
paw and Monticello avenues, Contractor
M. 7. Connolly is building a large main
sewer. He had the trench nearly COM
pleted, and had been pumping the water
from it for nearly week SO that he could
lay the pipe. The rain of the last two
days has partly filed the trench and
washed tons of dirt back making it neces-
sary for him to do a great portion of his
work over again.
The West Side section is in terrible
condition. 1t is impossible for wagons
to pass down West Side avenue. Those
that attempted it early this morning be-
came embedded in mud up to the hubs
and had difficulty in getting extricated.
All over the city the continuous down
pour converted the meadow tracts into
seas, while vacant lots were lakes and
ponds. Mud was washed out over the
sidewalks and ir, many places either I'M,