Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-06-06
That Was What Floated Down North Main and
 Other Streets Last Night
WORST STORM EXPERIENCED IN MANY YEARS
PART OF WASHINGTON STREET WAS COMPLETELY CARRIED AWAY -BITULITEuc PAVING ON NORTH WILLOW STREET TORN UP-THE DAMAGE WILL BE VERY HEAVY
 STREET WORKERS OUT EARLY

Last evening Waterbury was visit
 d by terrific rain storm, which
 converted the city streets into rivers
 and ripped up some of the public
 ways so badly that 1t will take thou
 sands of dollars to get them back into
 the shape they were in before they
 were gutted. Long before the storm
 commenced the clouds darkened and
 peals of thunder and flashes of light
 hing put people in mind of what they
 might expect. Soon after the down.
 pour opened City Engineer Cairns
 rushed into the department of public
 works meeting and stated that his
 odlce was flooded at that time and
 that no such storm had ever occurred
 In the history of Waterbury. His of- flee was flooded and the water was a
 foot high on the streets. This brought everybody to his feet and soon every
 body was on the porch, looking at the great sea on West Main street, the
 water being as high as the curbing clear across to the green.
 The storm ragged for about an hour and half when it abated somewhat and then people got out to see how much of the town was left. Several inches of mud, stones, some bricks and a little of almost everything else had found their way into Exchange place and some of the cellars along East Main and South Main streets were deluged and considerable dam age was done to private property. Not satisfied with pouring into cell lars the water rushed in on some of the ground floors, notably at Trott's. where a crowd of people were enjoy ing some cream when they had to skip. The trolley service was knocked out for time. but an hour or so af- ter the storm subsided cars were run ming on nearly all the lines on such time as could be made Superinten- dent Morris of the street department. superintendent of the sewer depart ment and a number of their help were out all night and did good ser vice. The damage to the streets is quite considerable, but not by any means as heavy as when North Main street slid from it's moorings and dropped into the center, but 1t Is enough, and the street department will have to come down handsomely to right things.
 Yesterday a force of men finished grading Niagara street and left it in splendid shape. A few hours later the place never looked worse. It was gull lied from one end to the other and it will cost far more to get 1t to look like a street again than 1t did to grade 1t. Wolcott street is also gutted and vast amount of damage oc- cured on Dublin street in the vf- cinity of the railroad station. Bald win street got share of everything that came down from the side streets, but the worst dose was at Pleasant street, where lightning struck the curb and ripped 1t out for long dis tance. loosening up the street so that 1t tumbled down on to Baldwin street in cart loads. A similar condition oc- cured near Scovill's bridge. Here the macadam road had been torn up for repairs and water made ravine through 1t and carried a pile of the crushed stone and planted it on the walk in front of the Longworth build ing. A large amount of sand and stones rolled on to Baldwin street from Stone street and Washington street, but the water had good facili- ties for getting out of the way and ft didn't tarry there long. On the way to the Naugatuck river oy way of Washington street the torrent col rfxn4 xrfsh th. ssdowa1U onstfh eide opposite the property Of Thomas Me Evoy. whipped out about 200 feet Of curb. carried away half the sidewalk aud made a rayine several feet deep down to South Main street and filling them to the level of the streets with sand and stone. Glen street was bad ly gullied and stone and sand came down on to South Main street. There was no damage to speak Of on Luke street Sylvan avenue came out of the wreck without a scratch and east of Fairmount. con- sidering it's steep grade. held It's own well. The damage was not heavy in simonsville.
 In Brooklyn Washington avenue. upper Bank street, Clark street. Dray- VI at<uut anu rCNtAal OAANA Eta~" suffered considerably and a glance at the places to-day shows that there is a lot of truth in the contention from that part of the town that all streets with sharp grades should be paved.
 North Willow street never was in vorse condition than 1t Is today Even the permanent pavement didn't escape. At Hillside avenue the water got under the bitulithic pavement and burrored between the pavement and the dirt for a considerable dis tanee. making bumps here and there and rendering ft absolutely necessary to take up and relay several hundred feet Of the pavement The foundation vas aieo washed from under some of the brick pavement In some parts of that street ditches were dug out sev- ersl feet deep and people ia charge of team had a hard time to get tkro1xk. W R s. Wake. the furni- tsre dealer. and his partner. Mir Wal lace. were on their way home and uken scar the new engine hcuse one 1f t1o hsf.1s dtmppeared in~a hole nnH t&3 nU10o1nn6e cf IL nrum<n hnk