The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-09-13
DO WNPOUR EXCEEDS
ANY FOR Il YEARS
More Than Five Inches of Rain
Fell Friday Night and Much
Damage Resulted.

Not until the city got up yesterday
morning and began to look about, was
the full extent of the damage of Fri
day nights storm realized. Every one
who happened to be out between the
hours of 6 in the evening and 3 the
next morning knew that it was raining
about as hard as it could all of the
time, and a few of the weather sharks
began to talk of records, and precipi-
tation and normal rainfall.
Not until the ten hours of storm were
| over, however, and the wqlther bu-
reau had read the gauge, was it dis
covered that the rainfall had beaten all
the records of the city with one excep-
| tion-that OF July q, 1892, on which
occasion the fall was six inches, as
compared with 500 inches on Friday
night
Fortunately there was not very much
wind or the damage would have been
greater than it was. Even so, the to-
tai damage will amount into the thou
sands by the time every thing is re-
stored to its former state.
Possibly the city was the hardest hit
Of any one and the engineers depart
ment calculated the loss from streets
washed out, sewers and culverts flood
ed and washed and sewers caved in,
in all parts of the city at close to $15,-
600, if it does not exceed that amount.
Many Sewers Damaged.
On East Concord street, near Page
street, the road was washed out so that
the sewer was left in the air and had
to be braced up in order to prevent its
breaking. Large holes were also wash
ed in the street on Western avenue,
| between Carroll and Rondo streets. A
sewer on Harrington avenue and st.
Anthony avenue caved in and and one
of iNyfh nd CIV had Ivy
damaged by washout. The Battle
creek culvert was weakened and will
be closed to traffic until repairs can be
made
Reports came in to the engineer from
all parts of the city of minor injuries
to sewers and water mains, while
flooded cellars from the flooding of the
sewers and other causes, number into
the hundreds.
The service of the street railway
company was seriously hampered by
the storm and several times during the
storm the cars on many of the lines
stopped for periods, varying from a
few minutes to two hours.
The first serious trouble occurred on
the Merriam Park line, when a car ran
off the track at Lexington avenue in
such a manner as to block both lines
for an hour or more. This derailment,
as were the others during the night
was caused by sand washing down on
the rails so that when the wheels of
the car struck the heap the wheel
would not catch the rail even when
going at reduced speed.
Similar accidents happened on the
South Wabasha street line, near the
south end of the bridge, and on the
West Seventh street line. In spite of
delays, however, the service was kept
UP all night after a fashion, The SUI
perintendent of the street railway COM
pany reported last night that the dam
age was only to the service and no
damage had been done to the track or
equipment.
Telephone Companies Suffer.
Both the telephone companies suf-
fered about equally. The Northwest
ern had two Of its large cables burn
ed out by lightning. One Of these
was for the SERVE to a large num-
Der of the commission houses in lower
town and all yesterday morning, the
subscribers in these houses had to
other cable was for the service over
most of the hill district and the sus-
pension of this service caused much
inconvenience and complaint from the
sufferers. The company also had
troubles on all Of its lines in the
suburbs.
The officials said yesterday that they
could not repair the damage done in
less than three or four days, although
they had a large force of men out.
All of the Twin City lines were more
or less damaged, especially in the out
lying districts, and while the COM
pany was doing its best to get things
Strengthened out 1t would be some
days before the last of the damage was
repaired.
Neither Of the companies would put
money value on the damage sus-
tanned as they said the immediate and
material damage was not so great,
but it was in the loss to the subscrib-
ers and the Inconvenience and delay
occasioned which really counted in
such matters. This loss they declare
is very great.
The loss to private citizens, while
not computable, is a big item, and will
amount to many thousands Of dollars.
This consists of flooded cellars, Leak
ing roofs and broken trees and such
things.
All Trains Delayed.
Every train entering ST. Paul yes
terday arrived from three to fourteen
hours late. Both passenger and freight
traffic was brought almost to COM
plete standstill by the heavy down.
pour. Washouts and landslides along
the routes Of all the lines were
numerous, and the soft tracks added
to the difficulty travel Telegraph
wires were blown down by the high
wind, and many trains were stalled
! in out of the way places, without any
means Of communication.
| Probably the Omaha was the most
| seriously affected of all the roads. that
line being obliged to annul two of its
Western trains The Chioa on I;D,;+o5