New-York tribune., 1903-06-30
ALMOST A CL0UDBURST.
CITY STREETS FLOODED.
Brooklyn Chief Suferer-Deoth an
iSeuer CaUe-in.

A rainfall that IN volume ana neICeHeeo VI
downpour approached a cloudburst two 1nches
of water falling in little over TWO hours
caused flood conditions, minus the hardship and
loss of life, to prevail in parts of this city ana
New-Jersey yesterday, unusually high TIDE
and inability Of some sewers to carry off the
torrents contributing to the inundation in var1-
quarters.
Brooklyn and the low parts of Manhattan
abuttfng on the North River were the chief suf-
ferers. The rain was accompanied by thu1oer
and lightning, the latter smashing nagpoie
but doing no other damage in Manhattan
though It played havoc with telegraph and tele-
phone systems in Brooklyn
Not in six or seven years had Brooklyn been
visited by such damaging foods Parts OF near
w every section OF the borough were under
water which in places rose in streets ana celars
to five feet The foundations of houses were
weakened anc caved in, causing the hasty exit
of the OCCUPANTS sewers collapsed and manholes
were forced off flooding certain sections with the
water that had come from higher streets miles
away For a short time traffic of all descrlp-
1ions through the streets was suspended Irohey
cars were held up and in outlying districts the
tracks were washed away SO that the running
of cars was not resumed until night
One laborer was killed and nineteen others
placed in peril by the caving in of a sewer that
being a
second-st. New-Utrecht. The one who lost his
life was Peter Sears thirty-siX years old, of NO.
S67 Sxtieth-st. His body had not been recov-
cred last night and it is supposed it was washed
into a completed portion of the sewer.
Although it was raining steadily the twenty
Italians engaged in a fifteenfoot trench were
kept at work Suddenly at 10 O'Clock. the sides
of the trench gave way, letting in HOOD OF
water and an avalanche of mud, With consld-
era BILE difficulty all of the men were rescued eX-
Cept Sears.
Another flooded district was in Ridgewood'
between HaIsey-st. and Evergreens Cemetery
Eight hundred children were imprisoned in Pub
lie School No. s., Evergreen-ave. and CoTert-st.'
and were unable to get out al the noon hour.
Men made a raft and rescued some of the chill
dren.
In the cut along the Brighton Beach division
of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company the
water was four feet deep in places. and the
running of cars had to be abandoned A tram
on the Long Island Railroad on its way 10 the
sheepshead Bay racetrack was held up by floods
between Rugby and Vanderveer Park. and had
to go back to East New-9ork where the pas
sengers were left Hundreds Of electric light
and telephone wires were down in every part of
the borough The operators at Police Head
quarters in Smith-st. were swamped with
reports of wire breaks. flooded cellars and other
damage.
WILLIAMSBURG SUFFERS MOST DAMAGE.
The 6eenes+ and most extensive floods were
Yroba h1v in what has come to be known as the
flooded district in Williamsburg. This in gen
eraI extends from Walton-st. to Mlddleton-st-
and from Nostrand-ave. 20 Broadway. 1t was
said there were places in Harrison-ave Wnere
a man would sink out of sight. The tenants IN
the hathouses No. 173 to 1S1 HarriSon-ave-. be
came scared at the water in the cellars fear-
ing that the foundations might be undermined.
and moved out as hastily as possible. When
the first van drew into the street the water was
I'D to the flooring of the cart.
William Miller and his wife sought refuge in
the second story of their two story cottage, at
No. 1TS Harrison-ave. When the foundations
began to sink they climbed out on the roof and
were later rescued by the reserves from the
CIymer-st. station
horse belonging to Fritz Hendrich & Sons,
Of No 2O3 East Fifty yseventh-st Manhattan
was drowned in three feet of water at Marcy
and Flushing aves He stepped on fallen live
u-ire and was knocked into the water by the
shock
oyvine tn the fact that it was high tide in the
bav the sewers did not carry off the water, and
complaints of overiowing sewers came in from
all parts of the borough. Five reserve engines
were lent (by the Fire Department for pumping
out flooded cellars. and the engine owned by
the Department of Public Works was pressed
into service early in the morning.
GEYsER JUGGLEs MANHOLE COVER
The big Greene-ave. relief sewer which is sup
posed TO have draining capacity of two inches
of rainfall an for the district it covers. was
taxed beyond its capacity. At several points
the water backed out of the manholes. At
Fourth and St. Marks aves a two hundred and
fifty pound manhole cover was hoisted four feet
Continued to second page.
The Four-Track News for July is full OF articles
of interest TO traveIers all beautifully illustrated