The times., 1898-08-13
Precipitation of Nearly Five
Inches in Ten Hours.
RAILWAY TRAFFIC DELAYED
Missouri Avenue I'm the Vicinity of
TO a Depth of Several Feet-Lum-
ber Men Fear High Water Along
the River Front.

S"NpN oNCA liAt city lOOulIB
cellars. delaying traffic blocking street
cars and causing inestimable loss and
much inconvenience to the public in gen.
eral
The down-pour was steady and heavy
from early in the morning until late in
the afternoon, and the volume of water
that fell during the interim was sufficient
to cause a practical cessation of business.
The downpour was unaccompanied by
a terrific electrical display. as was the
case when Philadelphia was flooded last
Wednesday a week ago. and there was
consequently no damage by wind or light
ming. but the loss from the water alone
is reported as having been heavy in every
quarter of the city.
In ten hours time 4.92 inches of rain
fell, breaking all previous records of
local precipitation compiled by the
Weather Bureau. The rainfall is regard
ed by the weather officials as being "ex-
traordinary," and "all the more remark
able because no neighboring stations re-
port heavy rains. Lynchburg and Park
ersburg, strange to note, had only a
though rain fell in all the surrounding
States, the heaviest precipitations record
ed outside of Washington were Hatteras,
0:0i inches; Norfolk 0:24 inches; Phila-
delphia, 0.34 inches; Atlantic City, 0.12
inches, and Pittsburg. 0H inches. One
and two-tenths inches were recorded at
Cape May, which seems to have been in
the path of the deluge which swept this
city. The winds were variable during
the day, causing the direction of the
storm to vary frequently. but the gen.
eral direction of the wind was northeast,
and the storm was a veritable nor easter
From such vantage points as the dome of
| the Capitol and the top floors of large
office buildings the water could be seen
advancing over the house tops in vast
sheets. while the streets were flooded in
many sections by back water until they
looked like Venetian canals, and as the
| electric cars rushed along splashing
! water in every direction. only a small
| degree of Imagination was requisite TO
liken them TO gondolas.
This was only during the early part of
| the day. however, for on several lines no
cars were operated at all during the heavy
downpour which occurred in the after
noon.
The Ninth Street line of the Metropoli-
| tan system was compelled to cease opera
tions al half-past 3 o'clock by a flood in
/ the vicinity of the Pennsylvania Railroad
passenger station, at the corner OF Sixth
and B Streets northwest. The station was
! like a vast floating terminal, the water
/ having surrounded ii on all sides to a
depth of more than a foot. On the Sixth
! Street side, between B Street and Mis-
souri, Avenue, the depth of the flood
J seemed to have been about two feet. The
I Ninth Street cars pass along Missouri
I Avenue to Four-and-a-half Street, but
were hung up for fully three hours yes
| terday afternoon on account of the depth
! of the water on Missouri Avenue. They
/ stopped running at $3.50 o'clock. and were
| not in operation again until about dusk.
/ The water on Missouri Avenue was so
deep that il covered the motors on the
/ cars. and as 1t was feared that this would
injure the apparatus. ii was deemed wise
not to operate the cars until the flood sub
sided Much inconvenience was caused
by the delay in the traffic. When the
Postoffice, Patent Office and other down
town Government departments began tC
| empty their clerks and employees upon tht
streets at 4 O'Clock, there was mad rusf
for the f Street and the avenue lines ol
I MANY OF the DaSStiABcIo Oi AAic 49,
mer line debarked at the transfer station
ar Ninth and r Streets northwest witt
1 the expectation of Fastening home on th'
I Ninth Street cars They were not in op
eratiin. however, and transfer passenger
were soon herded under the small shet
like cattle.
All the Pennsylvania station travellers
were compelled to cross the street II
carriages and on the backs of porters Il
order to reach their trains.
The water has not been so high in tn
vicinity of the depot since the grea
Spring freshet Of 1883. the year OF IN
Johnstown horror.
The METROPOLITAN cars also found con
siderable difficulty in rounding the curv
opposite the City Hall at the corner
Fifth and d Streets northwest. Torrent
of water ran down the paths Of the Cit.
Hall grounds. carrying quantities o
sand into the street. AT the corner II
question. the conduit received grea
deal of gravel, and several cars wer
stalled in trying to round the curve
The Avenue cars were likewise oiocke'
for a. considerable length of time
The greatest loss caused by the storm
was to goods stored in cellars and ol
: basement floors. Many of the downtown
department stores and business house
suffered in this respect.
The river has risen rapidly a. a resul
: of the volumes of water which have bee
2 ernptied into it by its tributaries and tn
currents in both river channels are swift
The tide was ebbing last night, and tn
rising of the water could not be &C
curately gauged. AT the River View an
/ ! Mount Vernon steamer wharves, rise G
! fourteen inches was recorded The meas
urement at the harbor masters whar
was about the same
Fears are felt that the river will be te'
rihIy swollen when the wafer begins I
reach the river front today, at high tidt
Lumber men in Georgetown are man
Testing unusual anxiety in this regard.
the water was swift last night. Th
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal boatmen tt
port high water all along the upper Pott
mac. and at Williamsport and Hancoc
; the surrounding fields are submerged.
The chief benefit caused in the city D
the rain was the washing of the street
| and the flushing of stuSaant sewers.
Superintendent Stutler, of the stref
cleaning department. said yesterday tha
the city saved $3.50 by reason of the raj
| washing the streets clean.
The local forecast for today is rain
the early morning. followed by fal
weather later in the day. The wind
| will be easterly in the morning, but wi
veer around to the northwest in tn
| afternoon.