The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-06-17
TOO MUCH RAIN.
Prospective Damage Suits
Against the City.
ROsenberger & Currier Suffer Heavily
From the Overlooking of
Gutter.

The heaviest rain Of the season fell
Friday afternoon. and was followed
by another very heavy rain. Saturday
The clouds poured their con-
tents down for hours, and the cutters
ran full of water. while cisterns over
flowed, and some damage was done.
The farmers are complaining, as the
grain has made so rank growth that
it is already falling down in places
before the wind and rain. With
such thick mating on the ground,
the crop will be subject in a greater
degree to all of the ills that threaten
it, sucn as rust, blight, bugs and too
much vitality wasted in the straw,
leaving the heads small.
The rain started at about three
o'clock Friday afternoon and came
down for three hours or more with
little intermission. The CRATE lead
ing into the catch basin at Rosen-
berger & Curriers' candy factory cor
ner became clogged up with sticks,
tin cans, stones, grass, wire, ETC., and
: the water ran over the sidewalk from
both the Walnut and Second street
cutters, and filled the area space in
front of the basement windows.
When the water had climbed two
feet and half up the front windows,
one of the panes gave way, and there
> was rush of water into the base
ment. The sewer connections in the
floor of the basement were opened,
and in this way only two or three
inches of water was able to accum-
ulate anywhere, but quantity of
goods was more or less damaged, not
to mention the injury to the building.
Mr.. Rosenberger cleaned out the
cutters as best he could.
Saturday the rain set in again
and came down heavily for several
hours. The cutters again became
damned at the grating and the base
ment was flooded second time. The
firm place their loss at $500 to 1000,
and hold the city liable for the
amount, as they say that the cutters
had not been kept in proper condi-
tion by the city to handle the water
and that the territory drained by the
Walnut street gutter is too great.
In speaking of this, Chas. Beckwith,
of the city force, states that property
owners are largely to blame for the
condition of the cutters. When they
cut the grass on their lawns, they
throw it into the streets. Tin cans
and other things that have no bust
= ness there are thrown into the gut
tiers, and it is no wonder that they
get choked up under the cross walks.
The water from the alley and the
yard back of his place Of business, ran
into the rear of A. B. Ewing's store,
and also into the basement under
meath it. There was foot and a
half of water in the rear of the base
ment, where the potatoes are stored,
and an inch or two on the rear of the
first floor, where other goods, such as
sugar, tea, etc. ale kept. He states
that his damage will be not less than
$50, and that .as the water came
mainly from the alley he will hold
the city or the owners of the building
liable.
The basement of the National
Citizens bank also had baptism of
water.
- The Main street drain was COM
pleted just in time to care for the sur
face water which drains down on that
street from large area above. The
connections with the drain had been
completed, and the drain ran full to
the brim with storm water, showing
that the:council was wise in adopting
the larger size. This drain no doubt
saves the city large bill for damages
as it carried off all of the water.