Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-05-23
PHENOMENAL RAINFALL
Two Inches OF Water Falls Dur.
ing Two Hours of Thurs.
day Night.
Sidewalks and Crossings Washed
Out in Places and Gel.
lars Flooded.
Corn on Hillside Fields Washed
in PlaCes..Fish Escape From
Lake Dewey.

| A phenomenal fall Of rain, amounting
almost to cloudburst, visited this sec
ton of the state between the hours OF
s and 10 o'clock Thursday night. to-
| tai Of two inches of water was precip!-
tated during that time, and at least an
additional inch fell during the rain OF
this morning, which came after a m,
and was not included in the official
measurements of Observer Jones.
the high wind from the southwest car
ried it in sheets, driving it thru cellar
windows and roofs which were not
tight. Cellars in some of the lower
parts of the city were flooded and side
walks and lawns were submerged. In
places walks were loosened and some
of the boards were carried away, while
several street crossings were floated
from their places.
The storm sewers were not large
enough to take care of the storm water
and in places the streets, both paved
and unpaved, were flooded from curb
to curb. North Third street was badly
washed along the line of the street car
company, and in places the dirt was
washed to such an extent that the ties
were left on top of the ground.
The storm was beautiful one to be-
hold from upper story windows down
town. The arc lights on the court
house spire revealed the water pour
ing in sheets from the tower, the wind
carrying it off to the north In immense
sprays. The national colors, which
We're being whipped to and fro and
drenched by the deluge, waved proudly,
seeming to understand that 1t was to
brave the storm as an emblem of the
greatest government of the world. The
trees below, in the court house yard
We're shown by the intermittent flashes
of lightning to be swaying and bending
almost to the ground by the fierce
wind from the south. The water on
Center street, which was rapidly cours-
ing along the curbs to the lower ground
to the south, was picked up by the
wind and blown in the opposite d.
rection. having the appearance Of
breakers as they reach the shore and
spend their force on the rocks. Many
who happened to be down town, wit
messed the beautiful sight.
Fish Escape from Lake.
The heavy rains swelled Dewey lake,
at the Soldiers Home, to such an ex-
tent that the driftwood and debris were
washed toward the Brady creek outlet
where wire netting had been placed to
prevent the fish from escaping, and
still give the lake an overflow to the
river. The lake raised four feet In two
hours time, flowing over the dixie and
escaping into the river by means OF
Brady creek. Naturally the fish, seeing
chance to escape, made for the up
stream, and many were caught in the
netting and killed. Some, no doubt,
found their way to the river, but Com
mandant Horton is of the opinion that
very few got out of the lake. From the
netting there was taken out dead a suf-
ficient number to furnish a mess for the
old peoples building. They were large
ly bullheads, altho in the lot were one
nine and one-half pound pickerel and
several croppies The dam at the upper
part of the lake. which was riprapped
with willows last season, remained in
tact.
The railroads did not suffer materi-
ally from the storm, the overland trains
on the Northwestern, arriving on sched-
ule time. There was no rain on the
Central north OF Eldora, and compar-
atively only a sprinkle at that point.
South, however, on the Central, there
was heavy fall. East on the North
western, all the way to Clinton, heavy
rains are reported, butt damage. The
heaviest rain reported on this road was
between Marshalltown and State Cen
ter, where both north and south tracks
were under water in places. This ne
cessitated the issuance of slow orders,
compelling crews to proceed cautiously,
with trains under a absolute control
between these two points. On the Great
Western heavy rains are reported be-
tween Marshalltown and Waterloo. al
so from points south. There was no
serious damage, but considerable soft
track.
Several of the hillside farms in the
county were badly washed by the flood
of rain and the hollows were filled with
mud to the depth of a foot in some
places. Hillside cornfields will have to
be replanted in some places, as the
sedes were uncovered or washed away.
Considerable corn is not yet planted
and some was well along and had taken
root sufficient to hold it, so that the
damage in this respect will not be ex-
tensive.