The San Francisco call., 1904-03-11
Mission District
Damaged by
Storm.
U1indPLays Queer
and Costly
Franks.


costly pranks in the Mission district,
and property-owners in that section
received an object lesson in the made
quacy of the sewer system. AS usual
the vicinity Of Sixteenth and Folsom
streets suffered the most, and for sew
eral blocks in that vicinity the streets
took on the appearance Of millraces.
Cellars were flooded, living rooms con-
Nerted into miniature duck ponds, and
housewives stood in several inches OF
water while preparing the morning
meal The small boy was in his glory
and the many lakes situated through
out the district afforded him an oppor
tunity to put his seamanship TO the
test on improvised RATS.
From all accounts the wind and rain
were most severe about 6 o'clock yes
terday morning and the greatest dam
age occurred about that hour
A portion of one Of the steeples of
St PauIs Church, at the corner Of
Valley and Church streets, snapped off
like a twig and crashed into a neigh
boring yard, providentially missing
dwelling house.
On the san Mateo division Of the
United Railroads sand washed on the
track kept a force Of laborers at work
A tree opposite the Union Coursing
Park was uprooted and fell across the
trolley wires, causing an interruption
of traffic for some time.
Several schOOlhouses suffered slight
damage. and the advertising contrac-
tors who use the board fences as
medium Of publicity will suffer cOnsid-
cradle loss, as many hundred feet Of
fences in prominent locations are down.
Several skylights on the City and
County Hospital were broken and forty
feet Of fence on the Protrero avenue
side Of the institution was wrecked.
Many Of the sewers throughout the
Mission broke under the great strain
of the food and in many places the
overflow undermined the streets, caus-
ing them TO cave in.
Almost simultaneously with the de-
struction of the steeple Of st. Pauls
Church a sixty-fOOt smokestack on the
Enterprise Brewery. situated on Fol-
som street, between Sixteenth and Sew
enteenth, fell with a crash, but fortu-
nately did not damage any of the ad
joining buildings. The management Of
the brewery places the loss at $40O.
Reserve boilers We're placed in COM
mission and there was no interruption
TO business.
A barn Of the City Street Improve
ment Company at Division and Seven
teenth streets also came in for con-
siderable damage A water tank of
large capacity, elevated 100 feet on
trusswork in the yard, was covered
with an iron cupOla. The wind raised
this cover and deposited il on the roof
OF the stable. The structure is a two
story frame building, the upper floor
being used for the storage of hay and
grain and in the lower floor $50 head
Of horses are cared for. With a ter
rible crash the roof was crushed in
and the side Of the building fell into
the yard. leaving the loft exposed TO
the elements.
Folsom and Shotwell streets from
Fourteenth TO Eighteenth streets were
impossible rivers and the residents in
the vicinity suffered considerable dam
age. At the corner of Sixteenth and
Folsom streets c. Rasmussen con-
ducts a saloon and resides in the rear
with his family. The water and mud
flooded his establishment and home
and yesterday afternoon he was busily
engaged in cleaning the parlor car
pet with a hose. Rasmussen is bit
ter against the authorities for what
he terms their negligence IN not clean
ing the sewers.
Passengers were unable to alight
from the cars in this section and had
20 ride for many blocks beyond their
destination. When the food was al
its height Patrolman W. P. Dalton at
tracted considerable attention by car
rying two elderly ladies across Fol-
som street.
The basement Of the grocery store
conducted by Herman Kleen at Six.
teenth and Folsom streets was flood
ed to a depth of ten feet and at one
time the water threatened to under
mine the supports of the building.
On the west line Of Folsom street
near Seventeenth are four DWELLING
houses about two feet below the off.
cial grade. The water poured into
the buildings and the families upor
awakening We're confronted with ST,
inches of muddy water in every room
The loss TO the tenants. will be con.
siderable. They blame the owners
whom they declare are responsible fol
not raising the buildings. In the bach
yards the water was more than two
feet deep.
Captain Anderson OF the Seven.
teenth Street Police Station says that
the storm is the worst in his recollec.
tion. On several trips made by tn,
patrol wagon the water was over tn,
wheels.
A scow belonging to Mcmahon Bros