Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-11
FLOODS SWEEP
CITY STREETS
CANOEING BECOMES POPULAR
PASTlME
Many Amusing Incidents Witnessed
Where Rushing Waters Block Path
Of Pedestrians and Small Boy
Turns Pirate

First Clubte-"I hear Billy NeVin
has been pinched again"
Second Cubite-"That so, what's he
been doing now %
First Clubite-"Oh. just speeding his
gondola down Broadway
with whoop and roar sending
the shoppers and pedestrians scurry-
ing for shelter. the annual cloudburst
which with Hatfield or without Hat
field forms one of the features of the
local winter season. descended upon
the downtown district yesterday after
noon, and for nearly two hours the
streets were seething whirlpools of
water.
There wasn't even hint of warn
ing that the wetness was due and
for a moment the pedestrians were
startled when old Jupiter Pluvius
reached over to the storm button and
switched on full power.
As usual the storm drains went on
n strike and the water washed up and
down the streets looking for some nice
place to go and stay awhile. but with
no place to drain the wetness stopped
over the sidewalks and into stores and
hotels with utter disregard as to the
proprlety of things.
No One Is Unhappy
But true to the old legend the Los
Angeles rain crowds failed to see any
thing annoying about rain. 1t was
certainly good for the entire section
of the country, and a few spoiled
dresses and hats didn't amount to
much when that fact was taken into
consideration.
At Fourth and Main streets. the low
est corner in the city, the water
swirled and eddied like some gigantic
whirlpool and teams and automobiles
attempting to force way through the
flood were dashed aside and almost
overturned by the force of waters.
In front of the Belasco theater the
entire street was filled with water.
The tracks in the center offered the
only means of travel and pedestrians
were seen walking down the tracks
like forlorn losers from Ascot.
The rain was at its strongest just
about matinee time. and Main street
merchants with an eye to courtesy
placed boards from the gutter to the
center of Main street in front of the
Belasco.
Many people used the bridge until
il became shaky from the swirl of
waters. A party of five, three young
men and two girls, later attempted to
effect crossing over the wobbling
planks But fortune failed to smile on
them and they made the mistake of
attempting to cross the plank all at
the same time.
Maidens in Distress
The board bent beneath the weight
and a young woman found to her dis
may that the muddy water was caus-
ing serious damage to her neat clock
work hosiery. With a little scream
she attempted to hurry forward, and
while the crowd looked on and cheered
NtTtf = Ill H. laA axvA Il -f.sr.
swayed from side to side on the
wobbly plank until at last a gust of
wind whipped a fine derby from one
of the young men and sent the head
gear floating down the gutter.
In flash the man jumped for the
hat and landed in three feet of water,
from which he emerged coughing out
questionable adjectives and shaking
his fist at the fast vanishing article of
adornment.
Two boys stopping about in the gut
ter captured the once pretty hat and
demanded ten cents before they would
return it to the raving owner.
At several corners young women
were seen to hesitate and look with
dread at the waters and think about
their skirts and shoes until some man
with a stout pair of boots would step
forward and hesitatingly offer to carry
the distressed damsel across the waste
of wetness.
And in every instance the girl or
woman blushed. hesitated and then
held on fearfully while, amid the yells
of encouragement from the onlookers
the helpful youths would pick them
up and carry them to safety.
Young Brigands at Work
But the boys reaped the harvest of
the day. At nearly every crossing the
lads bIti1t 11ri6 A hov
was placed in the center of the gut
ter water. Then one plank was placed
from the center of the street to the
box and another from the box to the
gutter. The most perfect of these
bridges was thrown across the north
gutter of Seventh and Broadway, OPP
posite the Lankershim hotel. The flood
there caused small river to speed
down the gutter and it was impossi-
BILE TO cross to that side of the street
without using the bridge.
Two lads We're In charge and they
waited patiently until some pedestrian
stepped on the bridge. The victim was
allowed to reach the box in the center
before he was stopped by a lad who
demanded a nickel. The front plank
was drawn away to show that the
young bandits really meant business
and the victim generally paid, where
upon the plank was replaced and he
was allowed TO cross. IT he refused
TO be buncoed he turned to retreat only
TO find that the rear plank had also
been Withdrawn, and that he was
standing on a soap box in the center
of the flood without means to retreat
or advance. And there the victim was
allowed TO stand and rave and get
as mad as he wanted to, while the
bandits looked on with cold and calm
eyes, knowing that sooner or later
the victim would have to pay up.
Bridges Are Thrown Across
But the lads were chivalrous in the
extreme and whenever a woman ap-
peared without an escort the bridge
tenders escorted them over the bridge
and refused to take money for it. They
were honest robbers and had dealing
with men only.
Several ambitious clothing stores
swung bridges across the cutters as
advertisements. These were made in
the form of suspension bridges and
Were equipped with ratings.
AT both the Spring street and Broad
way stores the Sherwood Haber-
dashery company came TO the rescue
OF the distressed public and neat lit
tie bridges bearing the advertisement