The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-03
TIE CITY S7ORN swept
Thunder and Lightning, Wind,
Rain, and Hail Held Sway.
"A Tremendous DVwnpOur Fills
4 street Railway COnduits - Small
Branches Torn From Trees ana
Cellars Floodcd-Wcnther Bureau
Reports 3.4S Inches Precipitation.


Ninds. and an electrical display yesterday
afternoon held sway for more than three
hours over the city. Streams OF water
flowed along the street curbs, choking the
sewers and rendering the crossing impass-
able, flooding cellars. filling the conduits
of the electric lines. and stopping the cars.
The fury of the wind tore branches from
the trees. and shrubbery was bent to the
ground before the blast. Lightning. jagged
and binding, at recurring moments, rent
the grey pail of beavy-hanging clouds, viv-
adly illumining everything for the instant,
10 disappear in the unbroken gloom while
She crashing thunder slowly rolled away
10 distant silence.
The clear skies of the morning and early
tternoon had induced the usual Saturday
shrcng of shoppers and pedestrians to ven
aure out. At about 2:30 o'clock an i'm
merse black cloud appeared in the south
west, rapidly driving before gale of
wind Soon the whole vault of heaven was
overcast and the umbrellaless crowds which
had filled the streets hurried to shelter.
Cars were filled to their utmost capacity
with those making their way homeward be-
fore the storm should fall. Shortly before
8 O'Clock the gates of the heavens were
opened and a terrific downpour COM
menced. the rain falling in sheets. dark
ness as at dusk accompanied the storm
In the doorways and under awnings and
wherever shelter was to be found those
who had been unable to reach their homes
sought shelter. waiting for the storm to
cease. With unrelenting violence the rain
continued to fall for over three hours.
Occasionally one of the number storm
bound. more courageous than the rest or
moved by visions of belated dinner, or
thoughts of urgent business. would beard
ahe storm and. with coat collar and trous-
Srs turned up, would rush out into the
gain.
The many thousand employees of the va
rious department released from their la
bors at O'Clock unprepared for the storm,
congested the halls and entrances of the
public buildings, and watched the steady
downpour. and the frequent flashes OF
lightning, and listening to the heavy
crashes of thunder that seemed to indi-
cate that the centre of the electric storm
was in the immediate vicinity.
AT about o'clock the downfall decreased
In violence, and the steady pour changed
10 fine rain, that soon ceased to fall at
all. Riffs in the lowering clouds dis
closed patches Of the blue sky. At $3.50
nc vestige of the storm remained other
than the wet parements and the records
of the weather department. The streets
were soon filled with the delayed crowd,
vending their way homeward.
Preceding the storm high temperature
had prevailed, and the thermometer had
recorded at O'Clock So degrees. This cp-
pressive heat was dissipated by the cool
rain and wind, and a drop of 10 degrees
was registered ct o'clock, when the mer-
Ri, l,
AT o'clock the temperature was Slightly
on the ascendant. END with the increased
humidity the temporary relief afforded by
the rain had disappeared.
For the three and half hours the rain
1ell at the rate of an inch an hour. The
report of the Weather Bureau recorded
rainfall of 3.is inches during the storm.
From the deluge of rain the sewers be-
came choked. the water rose rapidly, and
at several points. notably at the Pennsyl-
Sania Railroad depot. people were isolated.
eellars were flooded. and other damage
hone. The sewers adjacent to the station
hlled. became choked. oyerflowed, and the
fast falling water backed up rapidly tow
ard the station entrances. At O'Clock 1t
was foot deep. at i:30 rise almost to
the level Of the doors of the depot was
recorded. and more than a hundred people
were isolated from the outside world. But
in this extremity relief was found, but
only to limited extent. The porter, the
push cart man, and the hack man. all were
there. and a score of persons, perhaps,
were rescued from their temporary con-
6nement- Vehicles Of every description,
except alone street cars were pressed into
service. and a ferry through miniature
river was thus established
Reports of damage and troubles pro-
duced by the storm have been received
from all over the city. Many sewers filled
up with the rain and overfiowed into the
cellars of the adjacent houses. At Wood
ward G. Lothrops, Tenth and F Streets
northwest. the inflow of water in the eel
aar put out the fires in the furnaces and
damaged stock TO the value of 800. The
elevators, in the building were compelled
to shut down for lack of power
The electric traction lines report delays
OF from half to three quarters of an hour,
due TO the leakage of the electric current
in the water-filled conduits. This was at
an hour when the cars were filled with
passengers seeking their homes as
refuge from the storm. Trouble was ex-
perienced on all of the lines operating in
lhe city.
AT the National Museum a lightning bolt
either struck the building or in the i'm
mediate vicinity. and damaging the cleo
trio plant caused the electric lights in the
building to go out. At the National Mu-
Scum and at the Smithsonian Institution
the cellars were both flooded with water.
In Georgetown there is washout at the
corner of Thirtyf1urth and Newark
Streets. A sewer at the corner of North
Capitol and ! Streets also refused 10 do its
work. and water flowed into several base
ments in the neighborhood