The Topeka state journal., 1906-06-23
SWEPT BY STORM
Topeka Visited by Severe Wind
and Rain.
One Barn Destroyed and a
Building UnrOOfed.
MANY TREES DAMAGED
Horse Is Killed by a Live
Wire.
Telephone Plants Suffer More
or Less Damage.
A SEWER CAVES IN.
City Force Busy Cleaning Up
the Streets.
YineWOod ExcursiOnists Ma
rOOned and Cars Delayed.
SEWER CAVES IN.
City Force Busy Cleaning Up
the Streets.
VinswOod ExeursiOnists Ma
rOOned and Cars Delayed.

Topeka's drouth and spell Of beautiful
summer weather which has been raved
at and about alternately for the past
month or so, was broken last night, or
rather was smashed by a storm Of ter
riilc violence which visited this sec
ton at q little before o'clock and
lasted for two hours, during which Al
inches of water fell
The rain storm which was not entire
" unexpected. seemed to come from a
little north Of west and meet another
from the southwest when just over the
city. and then came the deluge. Water
fell IA torrents for nearly an hour and
the cutters and sewers were unable to
carry away the surplus and as a re
suit cellars and Easements were flood
ed and sidewalks covered with sand. At
the intersection Of Sixth avenue and
West street the cedar block pavement
is washed out for a distance of 20 feet
by 8 feet in breadth and in another
place it bulges as though from the
effects of an earthquake.
The wind which accompanied the
storm came from the northwest and for
a half hour had a velocity Of IS miles
an hour which was sufficient to unroof
number OF small buildings and tear
great limbs from trees. Telephone and
electric light wires went down by the
wholesale, mixing the live ones with the
dead ones and lending life to all so that
travel on the streets during the night
was extremely dangerous Claude Long
VINO lives on Sixth avenue was return
ing home from an evening drive when
the storm broke and drove into an al
ley between Clay and Buchanan streets
ON West Sixth avenue, when a tele-
phone Wire which had fallen across an
electric light wire struck the back of
instant death
All through the business portion OF
the city the streets and alleys were
literally alive with telephone wires
which had fallen across the heavily
charged electric light wires. This con
dltion was particularly noticeable on
ansas avenue and the adjacent alleys
and the mystery is that no one was
killed as the streets were lined with
people as soon as the rain ceased fall
ing. who were striving to get to their
homes Hundreds of people had
taken advantage of the excursion rates
TO NineWOod park and many of them
had just reached the city when the
storm broke and the city street cars
went out of commission and they were
compelled TO walk home from the
transfer station.
The city street cars were put out of
commission soon after the storm com
menced at 1910. and considerable
trouble was experienced in locating
the breaks. The trouble on the Kan
sas avenue line was caused by limbs
falling on the wires near Garfield
park. The Oakland line was out OF
commission on account of trouble of a
similar nature The Vinewood line
did not 90 down and the crowd of peo-
pie experienced but little inconve-
nience in reaching the city, other than
soaking for those in open cars bur
their troubles commenced as soon as
they reached the transfer station as
all o. the city lines were down and
they we're compelled to walk the re-
mainder of the way to their homes.
Some OF the main line cars did not
start Until about 1 o'clock
The velocity Of The wind was so
great that many large windows about
the city were blown out. and many
of the street show eases We're wrecked.
A large case filed with china which
stood in front of the Fair department
store Vas completely wrecked and its
contents ruined. One Of the large
plate giass windows IN the W F. Lake
drug store was smashed. Electric. and
gas light globes which werc exposed
were blown about and smashed A
number nj iarge awnings were torn to
snreds and in many cases windows
broken by them as they fell.
Damage t. Telephones.
Both telephone systems were put
out Of business though workmen had
most of the Independent lines working
shortly after midnight. The Bell com
pany did Let fare as we'll and many
of their lines We're cut of commission
this morning The 6amage to the tel
eph0ne lines was occasfoned bv limbs
from trees falling across them and
either breaking or short circufting
them. Two large giasses were blown
ont of the dome of the state house
and the rain poured in at the openings
made Many of the large and more
beautiful trees of the city were ruined
by being torn apart and many limbs
foot iE diameter were broken.
Lightning played about through the
clouds In an almost continuous blaze
and for time while the street lamps
We're out furnished about all the light
that there was. This morning present
ed a scene similar to that following a
tornado. the streets and walks being
a3led with huge limbs Of trees, boxes,
signs and wrecAage of almost every
character Just when the storm was al
its height a fire alarm was turned in
from the Washburn college district
where small barn had been struck
by lightning and which was almost
completely destroyed before the arrival
Of the department
Building Is UnrO0fed.
The building at S26 Kansas avenue
occupied by O. G. WOlverton as har-
ness shop was unroofsd and the oc-
Bupants Of the building suffered con-