New-York tribune., 1904-08-21
WATER STOPS TRAFFIC.
Tracks A1oash, Cars Stalled and
Train off Track.

/
/ A rainstorm, tropical in its intensity, accom-
/ panied by a sOueaster. swept this city and the
| surrounding country early yesterday morning.
only to be followed by squalls scarcely less in
/ tense. The worst of the storm was between s
and a. H.. when the cloudburst put the streets
/ awash, undermined some buildings and walls.
washed out some railroad tracks deranged the
telephone system and blocked the street railroad
traffic. doing thousands of dollars damage to
business
The soueaster accompanying the rain piled
up the waters against the waterfront until
miles of streets near the North and East rivers
were awash. The Hackensack Meadows were
one vast sea. in which the Passaic River was
lost Newark. Elizabethport and adjacent cities
were flooded. At half dozen places along the
lines of the New-York, New-Haven and Hart
ford and the Long Island railroads trains
stalled for hours. The tracks were deep IN
water, which erept up into the hreboxes and
put the locomotives out of commission.
Railroad traffic in particular suffered heavily.
The cut through which the Harlem and New
Haven trains pass north OF the Harlem River
held much water that in some places IL
reached TO the floors Of the coaches. Passen-
gers had either to stay isolated IN the coaches
or ford the stream to the high stone walls on
either side At Woodlawn there was washout
the tracks.
Where the Improvement work on the New
York Central terminal is being done in Lex
ington-ave. from Forty-fourth-st. TO Forty
ninth-st, the water rose until il was over the
trucks Of the work cars. The water in the ex-
cavatiOn for the entire five blocks was from
five TO ten feet deep. The big sewer from Mel
rose in The Bronx, emptying into the East
River, was plugged by the great volume OF
water seeking egress. and the water backed
up over the railroad tracks until they were COW
cred two feet deep.
RAILWAY TRAIN DERAILED.
The tracks of the New-York and Long Branch
Railroad at the Pennsylvania crossing South
Amboy. undermined. and PennsyIvanta
train deraied. The train was proceeding
slowly. and hurt The tracks were
submerged completely. and trains OF both the
Central Railroad of New-Jersey and Pennsyl-
vania Railroad which use the same tracks be-
low this point. were delayed for over an hour
until the derailed train had been replaced by
the wreckng crew.
In this city portion OF brick retaining wall
five feet high. at the rear of the park adjoining
the New-York Central tracks at West Sixty
sixth and Sixty-seventh sts.. was undermined
by the accumulated water behind it. and fell
over on the tracks. covering them with debris
several feet deep. The blockade was cleared
away in about an hour by gang of fifty men.
The tracks OF the POCohontas branch of the
Harlem Railroad were put out Of commission IL
being impossible to run any trains over them.
Only freight and milk trains run on this branch
which extends from Port Morris
TROLLEY LINES SUFFER-
The trolley lines in and around greater New
York suffered. particularly in The Bronx, where
most OF the tracks were submerged. The Bronx
he West
their banks. covered fields and streets. Many
trolley were stalled. and one was de-
rallied by the spreading of the rails
In front of the Highbridge police station the
tracks OF the. Sedgewick-ave. line were washed
out for some distance The were stopped
until the tracks had been raised to their normal
level and braced by wooden supports AT Burn
side and Anthony aves. there was waShOut on
the same line.
One of the longest delays IN travel in The
Bronx was in westchester-ave., alongside the
West Farms Creek. which flooded streets and
meadows for long distance. The trolley cars.
by moving cautiously. just managed TO get
through after long wait. Where the tracks OF
the New-Haven Railroad cross Westchester.
ave- the water. after Overfowing its banks
rushed down the, steep, embankments. threaten
ing serious washOut wOrkmen were sent to
dig trenches TO diverAthe course of the tor,
rent back to the wes 1Rarms Creek.
Superintendent Bushsnge of the New-Yorz
City Railroad Company said; TT raised havoc
with all our lines. II was impossible for mo-
tormen keep their schedules. AT One-hun-
dred and twenty -ninth-st. and Old Broadway
the water washed sand into the conduits. stall
ing the cars. At the South Ferry. along Canal
ST. and IN West Broadway the water poured
into the trolley slots fast to ground our
currents. making us helpless"
The rain caused considerable damage in Flush
ing and trolley traffic was at a standstin for
about two hours.
Thomas Dowiiug, butcher while attempting
to cross Broadway. stepped off bridge of rlankF
and went into the water up to his armpitS. The
DEWEY'S PORT WINE AND GRAPE JUICE
Cannot be exceIled for the sick
II. T.. Dewey & Sons Co.. 13S Fulton T., N. T.