The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-07-23
A DELUGE OF RAIN.
Heaviest Rain In Years Visits Kenosha City
and County Friday Evening.
(From saturdaY,s Daily.l

(From Saturdays Daily.
Kenosha city and county was buried
under wealth of water and mud last
night, the leavings of one of the
hardest rain storms ever known in this
section of the state. The little brooks
about the county are swelled into tor
rents and the owners of farms in the
low lands have sustained heavy losses
on account of the havoc wrought by
the beating rain storm which con.
tinued for more than seven hours on
Friday evening. It is estimated that
the rainfall during the afternoon and
evening exceeded three inches and the
oldest citizen is this morning compar.
ing the storm with the storms which
occurred before the war.
The storm in the city was one of al
most unprecedented violence for the
midsummer season and the rain which
began at one O'Clock fell in unbroken
torrents until nine O'Clock in the even.
ing. The sewers were unable to carry
off the water and ia many places the
streets resembled miniature lakes.
The wind blew gale from the south
east and the lake was dashed into
fury. With the first breaking of the
storm hundreds of people went to the
lake front to watch the dsshing of the
angry waves against the water front.
Considerable damage was done to
the projections about the city and the
fierce velocity of the gale which swept
the city practically drove pedestrians
and business from the streets.
Service of telephone and telegraph
lines was interfered with and for
number of hours during the fury of
the storm the city was practically cut
off from the outside world. The trains
were belated by the deluge of water
and the passengers were forced to
suffer in the rain.
Out in the country where the farmer
looked forward to great crops of oats
and corn on the low lands the damage
is the greatest, for the rain and wind
sweeping over these growing crops
simply left them a ruin. Corn was
broken off and the oats, almost ready
for the sythe, was so blown down that
it will be almost impossible for the
reaper to gather it up for theharve st
All the low lands about the county are
simply covered with the water and it
will be days before the farmers are
able to till the fields again.
The street commissioners had a
large force of men at work today clear
ing away the effects of the storm in
the city but it will be several days be-
fore the refuge left on the streets by
receeding waters can be cleared away.
Many complaints have been heard this
morning of cellars being filed with
water and it is thought that the dam
age in this way will be considerable
throughout the city.
Out in the lake districts of the coun-
ty the storm assumed the fury of
cyclone and trees we're torn down and
rooted up. Small buildings were
blown over by the wind aud fences
were leveled. The damage cannot be
estimated at this time and the broken
service of the telephone companies
makes it impossible to get the full
details of the great storm.
The weather man seems to be of the
opinion that the storm swept across
the country all the way from Texas
and he predicts more rain for this
evening and Sunday.