The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-09-19
HEAVIEST RAIN IN
PAST TWO YEARS
FOUR INCHES FELL IN TWENTY
FOUR HOURS YESTERDAY.
Record Has Been Surpassed Only Three
Times in Last Fifteen Years. Ter
rife Downpour Disorganized Entire
streetcar System and Crowds Caught
Downtown Have Trying Experiences.

Last nights storm was, in the
| amount Of rainfall, the heaviest which
has visited Minneapolis in two years.
| hours, and 3.34 inches between 4 pm.
| and midnight
| This record has been surpassed only
three times in the last fifteen years.
The other heavy grecipitations were:
A Avg 2a, 1898 and 4.se inches, Sept. II,
Minneapolis bore the brunt Of the
storm. While the weather bureau re-
ports show rain turnout the entire Mis-
sissippi valley, the precipitation was
nowhere so heavy as at Minneapolis.
/ Minnetonka reports show less than two
inches, while ST. Paul got off with only
| l.56 inches.
The terrific downpour disorganized
the entire streetcar system With the
exception Of the Interurban, Minnehaha,
Fort Smelling, Lake street, Western av-
enue and Bryn Mawr lines, traffic was
completely at standstill for several
hours. On the lines which managed to
keep running the regular schedule was
entirely disregarded.
Many Held Down Town.
i It is estimated that fully 5000 peo-
pie were down town at $3.50, when the
! storm became so fierce as to tie up
the lines. These either waited until the
blockade was removed or walked home.
Those who attempted to make their
way home on foot did so with great
difficulty, for the rain, coming at times
with the rush of cloudburst, flooded
the streets from gutter to gutter and
overlooked the sidewalks.
While there were few washouts,
the greater part Of the trouble was
4 caused by the heaps of sand washed
! regular Wrecking cars were rushed out
at once, and an equal number of work
ing cars were ordered out of the barns
These, with a crew Of 200 men, were
worked all night clearing away the
sand blockade and putting the track in
!. shape. ~ =
. Three blockades on the south end OF
the Washburn park and Camden Place
line, the nearest to town being at Sew
: enteenth street and NicoIlet, and one
at Plymouth avenue. N, tied up the
First avenue cars going west and thu
Plymouth and Bloomington line, as wei
as the Washburn park and Camde1
Place. The south end blockade bega1
at $3.50 and lasted until 1l:20. The tie
up at. Plymouth avenue was Of shorter
Is duration. -,
Sand on the curve of the Kenwoot
line at the foot of the hill, made traffi,
over that line impossible for severa
q hours. 4. e.,
J. The Lyndale avenue line was block
!. AIDED at Ridgwood, close to Franklil
; avenue. H.. a-., :.
j. At Twenty ninth avenue NE, tn,
IS Eighth and Central cars were haltet
). by the same distractions.
}, The Como internrban was obstructe,
n at st. Anthony Park.
e The Fourth avenue line escaped tn
}, general tie-up at $3.50 only to meet dis
s aster by a landslide from the Milwau
= kee viaduct embankment at Twenty
d ninth street which covered the trac]
E. with sand and ,boulders and tied thing
l. up from to IL pm.
J. The blockade was the most complet
J. and the longest in the history Of tn
g, streetcar company 49,.
II Many Cellars Flooded. ..
l. Many of the street sewer basins wer
t. plugged and the water stood in tn
street foot deep or more. AS til
storm extinguished many Of the stree
lamps, not a few people strayed int
4 the torrent and got little wetter,
N such thing was possible. The heav
raincoats of little avail and umbrella
il hollow mockery.
!. On the North Side many cellars wei
= flooded from overtaxed sewers. Tv
70 grocery stores on Twentieth avenue
81 called out the fire department. to Gle:
" their cellars Of water. At the Dewe
n theater the high water flooded the has
W. ment and made a number of the dres
y ing rooms untenable.
az While the storm was at it's height tt
% roof of the courthouse and city ha
~ sprung leak and the water started
~ ~ come thru the ceiling of the count
~ chamber. The fire department w
u called on for assistance and by sprea
q. ing tarpaulins under the leaking pc
er tions Of the roof, averted further da1
u age to the costly decorations in t.
8, council room. -
OF Downtown restaurants were crowd
e9 with people cut off from their HON
~ by the storm, and the hackdrivers al
oh o "''> N-o 80 $3.50 ~