The sun., 1901-08-25
DELUGE In CITY STREETS.
81 INCHES OF RAIN. AND 4 IL
INCHES IN An HOUR.
waterspeut sighted Making for the
shore west sf fire Island Floods in
Many broadway Omecs and Ferries
started Across west street River.

Waterspeut sighted Making fer the
SHORE west sf Pire Island Floods iu
Many broadway Omccs and Ferries
started Across west street River.
The stopper In the bunghole Of the sky
hereabouts was struck by lightning or
somethinE yesterday afternoon about ten
minutes past o'clock and then came the
deuge. The Weather Bureau timed the
beginning and the finish Of the phenom-
enal spurt Of rain. Spesklng meteor
logically. there was precipitation of
one and N-ioo Of an inch In one hour Ono
inch In that hour l. termed excessive,
and that s why Il Ia not bubbling hyper
bole to call Yesterdays hnal downpour
phenomenal. IL would have been called
a 'cloudburst- out In ths country places
where there are no sewers TO carry on che
wet
For the most part. In the business part
Of the city II was q straight up-snd-dow
rain, and Il descended with force that made
the streets of the town glstsn. after drying,
as N they had been swept with the steel
bristIes Of a mighty brush.
Preceding the heaviest storm. thunder
lees and without lightning on this island.
were four or fve other rainfalh. all coming
from clouds that aro~e In the west and
northwest. The first began at 200 A. NJ
and didn't amount to much: the others.
except the big one. measured about iA
inches; so tho rainfall for the dav reached
as inches. which l. q high diurnal record
for August.
The storm manifestations q, sea were
also out Of the usual order ON the south
Nh ff Isla a0A IA. a
from Babylon. ~aterspout sprang into
sinuous life. Capt Riddle Of the Phe iix
Lane steamship British King. saw the spout
about NJ. thr-s miles west OF Fire
Island. IL was heading directly for him.
The steamship was proceeding slowly
when the skipper caught the vision. II
was a question whether the spout would
or would not hit him; IL was swirling
his way rapidly. lie decided 10 dodge
Il 10y crossing its course.
He put his helm hard-aport and siRnnlled
for speed. II was a race betweon the
spout and the ship for few minutes. The
ship won out by twenty-five feet, and the
spout moved on north.
Unless the waterproof hit somewhere
New York and neighborhood got more
water To the square foot than any place
north. south. east or west OF us The las,
spectacular roar from the clouds was too
much for the capacity Of the sewers They
were clogg~d and overfiowed into tho
streets fronting the rivers and into all
PLACES al low levels. Jersey folks on their
ways to the ferries found West strss, AZ
Barclay murky river a foot or more deep
In spots.
Triokmen became ferrymen. charging
cents a head 60 take passengers across
the food. The saloons In ve=ey street
particularly those with floors on the level
81 the sidewalk. were overfiovcd with a
foot or more Of water. Ia ON. place.
Mckeevers. the food reached half the
height Of the bar The Office OF PcierF Meyer
Cookers partner, In the basement Of the
Trinity Building. was flooded by a stream
that poured from over the graves In Trinity
Churchyard. The welle- Building at IL
and 10 Broadway. the Empire Building.
at II Broadway and the Bowling Green
Building were damaged bslow tho side
walk level by the downpour.
The rain knocked 50 many caterpillars
on the trees in the neig ghborhood Of Abins-
don square that tho sidewalks were made
slippery and unsafe for pedestrians for
an hour or more.
The Rapid Transit tunnel was flooded
several feet deep In places and the work
men and engineers were kept busy pumping
the food out again.