The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-12
CAR LINES TIED UP
STORM PLAYED HAVOC WITH THEM
FOR WHILE.
FLOODS STREETS AND TRACK.
RAINFALL THE HEAVIEST IN SA-
VANNAH FOR A LONG TIME.

Severe Electric Storm Followed an
Afternoon of Intense Heat-Light-
ming Played Franks With Wires
md Timid PeOpIe-Sewers Unable
to Carry OF the Flood on the
Streets and Sidewalks Overlooked
and Piled Up With Sand-StOrm in
Alabama and Warning Signals Up
on the Coast.
The heavy electric storm over Sa-
vannah last night caused almost a
complete tie-up of the street car sys-
tenn, and for nearly an hour only very
few cars were run.
Through some peculiar influence of
the lightning over the car motors, four
cars were stalled on the tracks, in
different sections of the city, and it
was long time before they could be
hauled away. Heavy lightning bolts
striking in the vicinity of where the
cars were running completely de-
passengers in darkness.
Two cars on the Thunderbolt line at
Bonaventure suddenly came to a stand
still and the lights went out in the
midst of the heavy storm. A car at
Fortieth and Whitaker streets was af-
fected in like manner and another at
Duffy and Habersham streets.
This effectually blockaded nearly all
of the city lines, although the E. &
w. belt line was only slightly affected
by the tie up.
Other cars and wreckers were sent
cars were brought in to the power
house.
Shortly after II o'clock the stranded
cars had all been removed and the sys-
tenn was in working oGder again.
During the hight of the storm the
streets were flooded and in some places
on the Whitaker and Abercorn car
lines the water was up to the running
boards and the motors were submerged.
The machinery got hot and in some in
stances the cars were ION fire.
The storm was the heaviest in Sa-
vannah this season. Up to o'clock,
before the second heavy thunderstorm,
the rainfall was go of inch, but this
amount was greatly increased by the
storm which came afterwards. The
precipitation of the big storm is not
known, as the last observation by the
Weather Bureau was taken at 8
o'clock. 1t is estimated that the total
rainfall for the day, however, will APP
proximate two and one-half inches.
The heaviest fall was between S:45
and $3.50 o'clock. During that time the
rain came down in torrents. The light
ming was livid and the thunder sent
tim1d people to various shell
ters. In some sections of
the city, the streets and sidewalks were
impossible. and the water was a foot
or more deep. In the eastern and west
ern sections the streets were badly
washed and outside of the city the
bitches were filled with water. Wheth-
err any serious damage was done is not
known. The sewers We're clogged in
some sections of the city and the side
walks We're filed up with sand.
During the day the weather was ex-
ceedingly hot. The highest tempera-
ture was recorded at 2:30 o'clock in the
istered SO degrees. 1t seemed much
hotter than it was on account of the
high humidity, which made everything
sticky and disagreeable.
At Jacksonville advisory signals were
displayed.
Savannah, Charleston and WILMINGTON
on account of a disturbance apparent
ly developing in Alabama, the move
ment of which was uncertain Brisk
east to southeast winds along the
South Atlantic coast are predicted to-
day, with rain to-day and tomorrow.