The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-03-01


a special bulletin. yesterday, promising
substantial railfall, based upon informa-
ton that to the south the storm was OF
''torrential'' character, he knew what ne
was talking about.
The storm came and IL came almost in
a lump At dusk there were Few scat
tered drops, harbingers of the deluge soon
70 follow. and at O'Clock the food gates
of heaven were opened
Fortunate indeed was IL that there had
been a let up i'm the cold weather ana
that the great heaps of snow on the
streets and the deep mantle III
the country had been materially
| reduced. otherwise there would
I'm a degree, have been a repetition OF the
disastrous flood OF 1856.
There was then much snow and this
! held the rain. which fell I'm torrents for
| hours until there was sudden rush down
] the hill sides and dams. bridges and buiiu-
| ing were carried away, y,cutting on all COM
| munication north, east and west Win
! surrounding states and causing hundreus
| of thousands OF dollars loss.
| As n was much damage was done mere
| abotlts. principally 10 the streets. in the
suburbs the mills were Hooded and up the
PawtIxet valley there We're several eNclt-
ing episodes as we'll as damage To mili
property. -,
| The rainfall continued until after mid
| night the height seeming 10 be az W
! o'clock, when the ram HtetahS N"h
| down in sheets.
| The theatre people. having purchased
seats braved the tempest and arrived
| wet and much bedraggled but jolly Jusl
| the same There were few vacant seats
I'm any of the houses. When the cro"us
/ came ont they ran the gauntlet again,foi
| n fierce cloud-burst drenching everybody
and everything and the street cars did
NOT begin 10 accommodate the would-be
patrons.
WATER AND MUD.
The police began reporting bad wash
outs before midnight and the street ue'
nartment men and teams were gottei
ready for service as soon az day broke
Everywhere there was water, mud, con
fusion and interruption OF travel. lh'
floods poured down the steep streets ant
carried before them paving stones, curp
ings and the street building materials.
broadway, Aborn and Fountain streets
where they meet I'm common, was pit
lake of dirty water.
ON Francis street south of the CAPT
| fol about 20 feet OF the east sideWah
was washed away, the big granite curp
ing and paving stones were swept asio
and a hole six feet deep dug out an'
the sand was washed down TO Gaspe
street.
Among the more serious washouts wer
| the following:
Oakland avenue. south OF smith stree'
Is feet long 20 feet wide seven feet deeI
Branch avenue and Hawkins street :
feet long. three feet deep. three feet wide
Douglas avenue and Eaton street ~
"a. uffd dCfn.
smith street. near the city line, Is fee
LONG four feet wide. two feet deep.
. pranch avenue, opposite Opper street
IN feet long, nvo feet wide. six feet deer
Douglas avenue and Mowry street fou
feet long. two feet wide, two feet deel
River avenue. near Douglas avenue.
, feet long, four feet wide, four feet deer
. o'Neii street Its entire length. six Zee
wide and six feet deep.
: Rochambeau avenue. west OF cam
street. COO feet long, Is inches wide an
one foot deep.
Hawkins street, at tho cast end OF IN
bridge. six feet wide. four feet deep an
I the abutments So washed away that IN
4 | h,,dye was ordered closed to travel.
Admiral street from Grape 10 Doy
avenue. eight feet wide and six feet dee
Veayie street from O'Nen to- Brano
r avenue. ight feet wide and six feet dee
Vandewater street. 40 feet Ions. tw
feet wide. three feet deep
Veazle and Douglas avenue. 20 feet Ion
. four feet wide and one foot deep.
Congdon and iIalscy street. j. feet Tor
and two feet deep.
k STREET CAR SERVICE DELAYED.
The electric car service was quite bad
dcmorailzod. for II was impossible 10 n
through the floods and 20 ride over ~
piles of dirt and debris dumped upon q
tracks The South Providence lines We
/ the first 20 feel the effect of the storf
n and then the Union avenue line got IN
A trouble. for at Union and Webster av
a nues one of the cars Jumped the tract
aud landed IN the middle OF pond whe