The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-07-29
Rain Fall During the Twenty
Minutes After the Storm
Broke Was Very
Heavy.

| Weatherman Clarke says that the
rainfall from o'clock to $50 last night
was Exceptional and excessive, but
not phenomenal" but IL is safe to say
| that the vast majority of the worthy
citizens of this city do not quite agree
with him. and will be quite willing to
stake their regulations that 1t was not
only phenomenal but phenomenally
phenomenal.
In the twenty minutes above men
toned no less than .9l of an inch of
ran fell, or 2.73 inches per hour. Old
inhabitants said last night that never
in the history of the city did so much
rain fall in so short a time, and those
who heard, and whose memories didn't
run back quite so far, were inclined to
agree with them.
The rain was accompanied by wind
that at times was quite high, and
wonderfully brilliant and awe-inspiring
display of lightning.
1t din't begin to cloud up until after
6 o'clock, but then it could be seen that
n storm was brewing by the intense
humidity of the air and by the big,
black clouds which began to sweep
from the western horizon across tho
sky.
Thunder, accompanied by vivid light
ming and a bracing breeze, began about
730 o'clock and the dUwnpour began
just about s o'clock. 1t didn't start in
TO rain gradually, but came down all
at once in sheets. which were driven by
the wind and sent whipping into the
faces of the thousands who were caught
on the streets and into street cars,
which were stalled by the ficrccness Of
the storm.
CAUGHT AT THE PARK.
There were about 5000 people at Nay
Aug park when the storm broke ana
nearly all of these got IA thorough
drenchinE, as they We're, in the major
ity of instances. away from the few
covered structures of which the park
boasts. A large number of persons who
were dining on the boulevard were also
! caught in the fury of the storm and
soaked to their skins by the drenchinG
rain, which kept pouring, without any
intermission or let-up, for just twenty
minutes.
AS usual the sewers in the central
part of the city proved inadequate and
| as a consequence sidewalks and base
, ments were flooded. Councilman Chit
tcnden'S scheme for the divcrting oi
water from the LaCkawanna avenue
sewer got a good test, and Candor COM
pels the statement that it wasn't alto
q gether huge success.
When the proposition to erect an ad-
ditional sewer on Railroad alley, to re-
! lieVe the main sWer on LackaWanna
avenue, came up in councils, Mr.. emit
tenden fought 1t vigorously, contendine
that the latter sever could he renewed
IL
sufllcientiy 10 prevent the foodlng o'
U any easements II the sewer basin al
the corner OF Adams ana LackaWanna
avenues were changed so as 10 aver
the water when ran into the Lacka
wanna avenue sewer INTO another seWel
y running down South Washington ave
nue..
y Ihe water running INTO the basir
comes from the territory bounded bl
ADAMS avenue Linden street Madison
> ana Lackawanna avenues. Mr.. chit
tenuen got resolution throuEh coun
u CHS providing for the change of th
pasin' IL was passed ana the basii
u was changed last week. Mr.. Chitten
( den looked WISE ana told MS friends t
wait ior a good transform ana the.
would see MS theory Nlndlcated.
TT CAME LAST NIGHT
NV.
nv t"i'o'oi, .. ~ can'e i"st ii'sa' an.
tu',ipe ~ ~ ,r, n"aei.e', VIZ hooue'
!, a. a. .t. go go ] p'p.neu up II
a,,oI y, ~ oo,n i'in ns ni.i ~ ~
~ NJ :. ~ wy ue'iI Vi 'iN i,lCiiTe
= the Coyne House cellar and abou
,r three inches in the cellar of Free
Il Durr's place There were three inche
d or water In the scranton House celia
also but TINS came from the alley be
e cause the basins there are not OF sum
le cient size TO carry the water away.
II ON wyoming avenue, there wa
,r Hooded also. The water blocked M
p IN the Globe warehouse basement, bu
,s did not damage, because the firm ha
erected stone wall Tor protection II
such an emergency. There were fou
4 inches of water in the basement of tn
. Postal Telegraph company's Office II
-, the Hotel Jermyn block, and Hanley'
\ bake-shop on Spruce street wa
y, flooded. There must have been seriou
>. flooding In number of other base
ments, which have previously been af
V fected during nigh rains, but nothing
could be learned as the buildings wer
IN closed.
Is Mr.. Chittenden was not inclined t
give in at all last night lie said tina
the rainstorm was too heavy to be
u fair test of his theory, and Cbe II whis
= pered on the side) he isn't at all sur
that Job wasn't put up on him in tn
changing of that sewer basin.
~ N,rrvrN, rr1r cOOD