The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-23
TURNED INTO TORRENTS
STREAMS IN VICINITY OF THE CITY
TUGGING AT THEIR BANKS.
White River Rising RapidIy-LittIe
Damage Yet-RaiIrOad Traffic De-
mOralized by WashOuts.


nights, ranging from drizzle to a down
pour, with only brief intermissions when
an umbrella could be lowered. In the twelve
hours ending at o'clock last night LIZ
inches Of rain fell, and since March Is, when
the rainy season set in, the gauge at the
weather bureau Office has registered AL
inches, which is 4.19 inches above the aver
age for this month. The spring freshet is
much earlier than usual
All the streams near the city are brim-
ming and threatening to go over their banks
with a wild rush, but there has been no
great damage done yet, although this after
noon may have another story to tell un-
less the flood abates.
White river is greatly swollen as a re-
suit of the unusual rainfall. AT 1880 O'Clock
last night the water-gauges in the pumping
station at West Washington street and the
river showed depth of nine feet and nine
inches. Between and 10 o'clock the river
rose rapidly. At 1920 o'clock the night man
at the pump-house said the water was ris-
ing at the rate OF three inches an hour. The
stream looked turbulent and much drift
wood was floating North of the Washing
ton-street bridge, in the neighborhood OF
the cotton mills, the turbid river was out
OF It's Ua0KS at IL o CLOCK anu NiiltS AANOA
park was a sheet of water.
The man at the pump-house recalled that
the highest waters ever registered at the
pumping station occurred in 1883. On Fen.
of that year the guage showed seventeen
and two inches The water flooded the
pump-house and caused much inconVen-
fence. 1t was said last night that the river
could rise four or five feet yet without par
ticular danger to property in the neighbor-
hood of the pumping station. There was
rumor last evening that the occupants Oh
one of the households south of the WASH
ington-street bridge had narrowly escaped
being engulfed in the flood. One of the
boats sunk but it was unoccupied
THE wEST-SIDE LEVEE.
The West indianapolis levee still stood
high and dry at midnight, in no place less
than eight feet above the water level, but
the water had seeped through in places and
many West Indianapolis cellars had sew
eral inches of water on the floors. On the
east side of the river the water was backed
up from forty to fifty feet, but behind this
the ground is high and the flood cannot
spread.
West Indianapolis residents are trembling
for their property. The water last night
was rising several lncneS an nOuT anu IL TIE
rain continues to-day some of the houses
will soon be afloat. Many of the suburban.
ties were promenading the levee last night
between kentucky avenue and Morris
street, and even further south, looking for
crevices and watching the swollen stream.
POLICE MAKE REPORTS.
From all parts of the city patrolmen sent
in reports to headquarters of the high
waters. Shelby street for several blocks
was covered with water, and the condition
of the thoroughfare greatly interfered with
street-car traffic. At Harlan and Prospect
streets the water was six inches deep ali
over the pavement. There are two or three
saloons in the neighborhooS, and for two
hours business suffered considerably. At
o'clock the patrolmen of the district report
ed that the pavement at Harlan and Pros
pect was SO badly flooded that business
was entirely suspended" Between and
o'clock English avenue. from Laurel street
TO State avenue became almost impossible,
but at 10 o'clock 1t was reported that the
water was gradually passing off.
At Ash and Eleventh streets the sewer
pipes became clogged and the pavement
was soon flooded. Early in the evening a
waShout was reported from Illinois and
Twenty-sixth streets. AT 10 o'clock a heavy
washout was reported from Sherman drive,
thoroughfare running north and south
and east of the Belt Railroad. The street
runs parallel with and very close to Pleas
ant run. This stream became a raging tor
rent for time and carried away about
thirty feet of the street. The thoroughfare
was said to be in a dangerous condition,
and the man who telephoned the news to
the city said there was hole In the street
big enough to sink several teams.
ATLAS WORKS YARD FLOODED.
The heavy rains made a flood of Pogue's
run, but the damage done was not great.
There were grave fears that several bridges
would go out and it was rumored on the
cfp fhaf h,,k
the fears were ungrounded. In the extreme
northeast part of the city, where the run
is narrow and shallow, it could not contain
all the water that rushed toward it, and
there was wide overflow. The state ditch
also was too small to hold the water, and
the Fourteenth-street sewer, into which it
flows, would not receive the water fast
enough The result was that between the
two streams the land lying about was over
flowed. The yards of the Atlas engine
works were flooded, but little damage was
done. With all the water, the most serious
damage is in the washing out of street i'm
provements. Some streets in that portion
of the city have been recently grayeled and
the work is almost entirely wiped out.
The only damage along Pogue's run from
lent Tenth street down was at Highland avenue.
This damage was not strictly from the rum
fer the water passed several inches below
the bridge and did not injure that structure.
On the south side of the bridge the pedes-
TRANS approach, on the lower side OF the
stream, was washed out. This was caused
by the rush Of water in the strees. High
land avenue was fairly large stream itself
for two or three hours last night. The
water rushing down from the hill south of
Michigan street washed away the loose
earth leading to the bridge on the vest side.
crooked run comes in on the east side CT
this bridge, but the approach there was left
intact.
Many people gathered upon the bridges
along the course of the run to witness the
mood AT Washington street, where the
bridge was known to be safe, several hun
dred watched the waters. The CUTOFF into
the Washmgton-stree sewer took away a
large volume OF water and relisVed the
stream perceptibly. Below this point the
water came close to the bridges, but at no
time was any fear felt for their safety.