Evening capital., 1904-09-15
RAIN AFTER LONG DROUGHT.
The Heavy Downpour Washed
Bridge Away - Flooded
The Streets.

VI.
right royalty wet style He gave the
town thorough ducking and from
the top of Olympus emptied all the
buckets of water that were handy and
dumped any old receptacle laying
round, upon the town. The rain
came in torrents but it was received
gratefully, following as it did pro-
longed dry spell.
The downfall was so heavy that it
drove people off the streets and flooded
many cellars. The rain was accom-
panied by heavy wind in the earlier
part of the night The wind started
out doing business from the northeast
corner. but at midnight swooped
arOund 30 the northwest and IA gale
almost hurricane, played havoc
with shutters, trees, doors left unlat-
ched, awnings and any old thing lay
ing around loose. The wind and rain
storm Of last night was one of the
most destructive which has visited
this vicinity of late years. The most
serious pieces of destruction were
that to the works of the Annapolis
Water Company. about four miles
from Annapolis. where two dams were
injured, and to the county bridge
over the Severn river, about mile
FROM Annapolis, at least 500 feet of
which was carried away.
There was also considerable damage
to the small vessels at anchor in the
adjacent waters and a great deal to
trees, fences and crops. Large gaps
were torn in the. dams which collect
the supply from both of the streams
which feed the reservoir, from which
the whole water supply of Annapolis
is derived, making it impossible to
get any more water from the usual
sources. There is about six days
supply in the reservoirs, but as re-
pairs cannot possibly he made in this
time the company will be forced to
put in operation their artesian wells,
which were dug for an emergency.
This water is not nearly as good as
the regular supply. In the meantime
notices have been sent to water con-
sumers to be as sparing as possible in
their use of it. The storm pushed
forward the work of destruction on
the county bridge over the Severn
river, about a mile from Annapolis,
which was begun several months ago
when a barge ran into the draw and
carried it off, Probably an eighth
of mile of the bridge was carried
away last night and much of it lodged
against the Santee wharf, at the Ma
val Academy. The part destroyed
was on the Annapolis side of the
river and the destruction stopped just
short of the home of the bridge keep
er, built upon piles, about hundred
feet from the shore.
Although there was considerable
damage to shipping it was not nearly as
great as it would probably have been if
the gale had blown with equal inten-
sity from some other direction. The
direction of the wind was northwest,
straight down the Severn and while
this exposed the vessels off the Naval
Academy, they were mostly strongly
moored, while the smaller vessels in
Annapolis harbor were sheltered by
the buildings aud elevations of the
city. However quite a number of
heavy barges and other vessels slipped
their moorlngs and one unknown
schooner was driven ashore on Green
berry's Point, opposite Annapolis, and
wrecked, there being, however, no
loss of life. The submarine boat Hol-
land, at the Santee wharf, had mar
row escape from destruction, heavy
barge nearly striking it. A pile,
which was situated only yard from
the Holland, received the force of
the blow and saved sit. In the harbor
several bugeyes and batteaux were
driven across TO the Eastport side of
Spa creek and swamped. The steam
er Severn, which runs from Annapo-
lis to Nowell's wharf, in the lower
part of the county, made its regular
trip this morning and reported that
damage to shipping in the lower Sec
tion of the county was not great.
There was a great destructionsof whole
trees and limbs, many of which were
very ornamental, both in the city and
at the Naval Academy. Perhaps the
largest tree which was uprooted was
a large maple in the yard of the An
napolis, Washington q Baltimore
Railroad depot, which was blown
across West street. Two highly orna-
mental weeping willow trees at Muir
ray Hill were uprooted and a maple
was blown down at the Naval Acad-
emy, where many limbs were torn of
different trees. A large locust tree
in the yard of Miss Ida Roget, on
King George street, was blown down
and fell obliquely across the corner
of the kitchen, demolishing that part
of the building and also demolishing
a closet.
One boat at Eastport dragged its
anchor and is high and dry on Bran.
zell's shore. Another schooner, the
"BIue Dick is ashore at the place OF
Mr.. Charles Cook, at Eastport, and
several are ashore on the bay side OF
Heller's railway. 1t is reported that
no end of boats were in distress last
night during the storm between An
napolis and Baltimore, and three large
trade schooners are ashore, high and
dry. at Love Point. The storm is said
to have been equally damaging in the
county and the roads are washed out
in many places. The tents of the
officers at the marine barracks were
blown down and the camp washed
out. Chimneys were blown down, tel
egraph poles and wires and poles de.
molished and the city's flag pole al
Market Space was broken off even
with the ground. Those returning
from the theatre were drenched, a.
all of the streets were flooded from
curb TO curb and the city was visited
-, a ,,,fuiaturo d0od