The sun., 1906-02-18
20 PopuIous Blocks a Lake
Full Of Islands,
BLAST SKATERS Z MAINS.
Enormous Loss Of Property
Lives ImperilIed.

Stores Lose Stock and Families
Their Household Goods Br every DAM
age Set st 500 yOOO-sO Pound Dyna.
mite Plast Hurled Giant Rocks on Con.
vent Avc.-4 Foot Mains Crushed Like
Egssheils-Ge,sers spouted an Hour.
A light draugh. Hudson River steamboat
might have navigated parts OF Harlem's
busiest streets Yesterday afternoon without
dragging its keel, For two hours section
q Manhattanville from l?9th street, be-
tween Convent and Amsterdam avenues.
70 roS-h street, between Amsterdam and
ST. Nicholas avenues, was literally under
vater-oelars full to the street level, five
foot lakes block long in the valleys.
A fifty pound charge Of dynamite care
lessly set of by Italians at work on the
old grounds of the Convent of the Sacred
Heart, Just east of Convent avenue between
l2sth and l2sth streets tore the heart out
of rocky hillside, lifted five ton rocks
fifteen feet into the air and dropped them
on Convent avenue with such terrific impact
that they broke through asphalt paving
and earth and smashed two Of the eight
.forty-eight inch water mains that run under
Convent avenue at that point.
In half a minute Convent avenue, which
drops rap pdly to l27th street, was rushing,
roaring waterfall
A molasses colored torrent dropped over
the cliff to the west of Convent avenue and
deluged an old settlement Of ancient frame
houses. This stream spread on westward,
putting Bernheimer & Schwartz's big
brewery out of business. 1t turned Amster-
dam avenue into river and it ended up BY
rushing into cellars.
The main torrent. shooting straight down
Convent avenue. sent swift, deep streams
east and west into l27th, 126th and l2oth
streets, reaching Morningside and St.
Nicholas avenues and forming deep pools
10 al the low ground.
HAD 10 Run FOR LIFE.
People in the streets everywhere in that
section Of Manhattanville had to run for
tie lives when the rush Of water came
suddenly upon them Children at play
in front Of their homes we're caught by the
wiling food and saved from drowning
ony by the quickest, nerviest kind OF work
tvmen who weren't afra id to ia Ike chance
In The Gulch" as Harlem calls the COL
lection Of ramshackle, old frame buildings
in the low ground vest of Convent avenue,
Eeople we're caught without an instants
warning IN the Easements and first floors
of their houses. Before they had time to
think the yellow water vas on them.
80 nd philSraD n
the old houses we're carried out over roofs
ked cilss of lumber by fremen. Old women
tlcz 10 bed we're snatched up hustled out
over ladder bridges and got to dry ground
eomehow. Women forgot their babies in
ths panic Of the thing and recovered them
at fire houses when the scare had died away.
In the main avenues, like Amsterdam
and Manhattan. which caught the worst OF
the food, people had to get out of the base
toents and ground floors and take to the
upper stores, leaving their furniture afoat.
Pedestrians, warned of tho coming of the
food by shouts and cries of alarm that
started up on Convent avenue and ran all
tho way down to lo5th street, scurned for
safety, lodging for the hillsides or getting
as high up in the buildings as they could
Street cars rum. ae suddenly into deep
waters, were held up tof an hour and half,
tbs passengers getting out over wagons
backed up against the cars or carried out
by policemen and fremen.
wA1ERY WASTE.
In all the section thousands OF people
Uho had lost their furniture and we're ex-
cited and urnerved by the panic OF the
moment shouted and cursed, while they
looked down into Easements where good
chairs and tables we're floating in yellow
mess and humping against the walls
Saloons on corners that caught the worst
Of the food were awash to the level OF the
bar during the worst of and frantic saloon
men stood on deserted counters and damned
their luck Their patrons had fed with
the first rush of water. and most OF them
reached hard ground as soaked without as
they were within.
There was no loss Of life or serious INJURY 10
any one in the de!uge that Harlemites will
hereafter classify with the one mentioned
IN Genesis, but the damage TO property Is
inoalculabe. In grocery stores estaurants,
bakeries and hundred and one different
kinds of stores along the courses Of the
lood--sone la !se, some small; all prosper
Gus II that busy, populous section--the
water which poured into the cellars and
placements ruined an amount of stock on
which nobody could venture an estimate.
There are hundreds of these shops scat
tered along ths big avenues and IN the
side streets.
In Bernheimer 6 Sohwartz's brewery, at
Amsterdam avenue and l27th street. the
amount Of damage was put at more than
$1,000 by the president OF the concern,
and this doesn't cover loss in time caused
by the brewery having to shut down 10!
repairs and cleaning up.
Hundreds Of householders lest furniture
The dve!lers in The Gulch' lost everything
they had on the lower floors, and they con-
e,der themselves lucky in getting clear with
their lives. Horses, dogs and chickens we're
drowned in rnultitudes.
10 many respects it was the worst disas-
Conhr ued on Fifth Page ...