The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-05-17
1t will Amount tic Thousands
of Dollars.
1T WAS A CLOUD BURST
HOUSES AND EASEMENTS WERE
FLOODED.
NEARLY 3 IL INCHES OF RAIN FELL
Scores Of Negroes Lost all in The World they
Possessed. Children Narrowly Escaped
being Drowned. Work Of The
Lightning.

Lightning.
The storm of Sunday night was the
most terrific Raleigh has ever seen
both i'm point of fury of lightning and
fall of rain.
Several thousand dollars of damage
was done in this city and to the farmers
in the county around, for the storm
seems to have swept over this whole sec
ton
There were really two storms, both
accompanied by terrific thunder crashes
and vivid lightning flashes. There was
little wind during either Of them. For
about ten minutes only, at the begin
ming of the second storm, the wind at
tanned a velocity of 30 miles an hour.
The first storm burst at O'Clock and
lasted for nearly an hour. Dur
ing its continuance 80 inches
of rain fell. The second storm
began at 11:15 and lasted an hour. Dur
ing that time y inches of rain fell, beat
ing any record for precipitation ever be-
fore knewn in Raleigh.
The only record anywhere approaching
it is that of June 2Sth and 10Th, 1889.
During the twenty-four hours then, DIS
inches of rain fell.
But Sunday night half as much fell in
one hour as fell in June, 1889, in twenty
four hours. The heaviest fall of rain
Sunday night occurred from 11:20 to
11:30 o'clock. During these ten minutes,
just exactly one inch of water fell. This
is enormous and amounts to 6 inches
an hour This is equal to Il tropical
thunder storm, or cloud burst
nf of hA
suffered by this storm was yesterday
pitiable indeed. \ score or more of
negroes. principally washerwomen, have
lost all in the world they possess. Not
only did the water rise in their houses
and soak everything, but when it went
away. it left all it touched covered with
Shiny o02e.
A number of children sleeping on pal
lets narrowly escaped drowning, for the
rush of the waters was very sudden.
In the sections of the city where the
negro houses were flooded the startled ill
mates could be heard above the roar OF
the storm praying for mercy and deliver
ance.
But the negros were not the only peo-
pie who suffered by the deluge.
Among those most seriously damaged
were:
DIR. II. Fl. LEWIS, who had his
dairy and apparatus, two miles north Of
the city, washed away or damaged. His
loss is estimated at $1,000
b. w. BAKER. coal yard, near Union
depot, flooded Wood washed away and
coal covered with mud and dirt. Other
property more or less injured. Loss es-
timated ut 500.
GUY v. BARNES, State Printer
engine room and store room under Acad-
envy of Music Damage, $500.
J. H. MARSHALL, Oak City Steam
Laundry on Fayetteville street. Hooded
on account Of defective roof Damage.
$40.
JAMES /. JOHNSON. druggist, Gel
lar flooded Damage. $40.
MORNING POST, on Fayetteville
street. press room flooded. Damage $40
JOHN BRIDGERS. tailor, on Fay
etteville street, flooded by defective
roof. Damage 500.
CITIZENS NATIONAL BANK on
Fayetteville street, basement Hooded
SHERWOOD HfGGs & Co, Fay
etteville street, defective roof to office.
Damage So
JONES & POWELL wood yard near
Union depot flooded and wood washed
away or damaged. Loss $50.
corner Martin and East streets. base.
ment flooded and household goods dam
aged. Loss so.
o. ]. CARROLL, about dozen
houses on Carroll avenue flooded or
damaged. Loss $50.
JOHN \. MILLS, wagon factory on
South Fayetteville street. flooded and
engine damaged. Loss $40.
NJ. l.. HALL. merchant on South
street, store flooded and stock damaged.
Loss so.
ID. ID. JOHNSON. merchant on Soutlr
street, store flooded and stock damaged.
Loss So.
ELLEN SMITH, East street, base
ment flooded. Damage so.
GEORGE GRADY, East street
basement flooded. Damage So.
JUNIUS WOODLEY. near Ellis
store. residence struck and damaged by
lightning. Loss SO.
RALEIGH ELECTRIC co. dyna-
mo injured and engine house flooded
Loss unknown.
JOSEPH ROGERS. South street
house flooded. Damage s..
The loss though, perhaps fell heaviest
on the negro population of tho CITY
Many of them lost all they had in tho
world. They lived i'm the lower parts ~
"A
and thus their houses were deluged with
water and mud.
Among those that suffered most arc
the following:
NJ. n. DUNSTON, corner Martin and
Harrington streets, shoe shop six feet
deep in water. Everything covered will
mud Foundation washed from uude,
the house. Damage $50.
ELI GUNTER. Idlewild. house struck
by lightning and set ON fire. House AL
most a total wreck and its content.
drenched with water
ALLEN GOSSE. West street. waite,
stood five feet deep in his house. Beds
tables and chairs fioated around Wher
the food subsidized everything was GOV
cred with mud.
MLkfJE ALEXANDER. Yves
stDcet, house flooded Water rose il