The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-13
CITY FLOODED FOR AN HOUR.
LIGHTNING PLAYS FRANKS AND
RAIN CLEARS TEE STREETS.

The series Of tropical showers that began
about 4 O'Clock yesterday morning and
lasted several hours did q variety OF un-
usual things. Il reached its climax at 10
o'clock in a furious downpour, In which
almost . inches OF rain fell, with an 40
companiment Of vivid flashes Of lightning
and terrific crashes Of thunder. While
the storm was on the streets were flooded,
he sewers proving entirely inadequate TO
carry of the sudden deluge, and, ave for
tho trucks and cabs that had no time to
pet to shelter, the ~thoroughfAres were
practically deserted.
From the roof Of the Butterick building
a, spr4ng and Macdougal streets there rose
Yesterday morning q iagpole about eS feet
IN height. 1t lie there no longer. When
the storm was at its busiest q bolt Of light
ming hit the flagstaff and broke IL short on
about IS feet from the roof, hurting tho
uGntered fragments to tho tops Of the
adjoining roofs and to the street.
over 1000 persons are employed In the
building, most Of them women, and for Q
f~w minutes after the bolt struck Il was q
ices I'D whether there was to be ar UNI
oontrollable panic. Scores Of persons were
haH stunned by the fash or the crash,
tables and chairs were thrown to the floor,
lnd everybody was badly scared. The cooler
ones soon treasured the panic stricken,
however. and a stampede was averted.
On the top Of the flagstaff there was an
ron ball weighing about 100 pounds. II
has not been seen since the bolt struck. and
Ebe accepted theory is that 1t q melted
BY The lightning.
Over in Brooklyn lightning struck .
factory building at l28 Thirteenth street.
About $50 girls employed thepe were 30 badly
scared that they made a rush for the street.
In the excitement half a dozen Of them
tainted and a few were trampfed, but none
Of them was hurt badly enough to need the
attention Of a surgeon. Some OF the cleo
the fluid got to Michael Yellen, a machinist,
and q seney Hospital ambulance surgeon
who was summoned found him uncon-
scious. At the hospital It was said that he
was in a serious condition but would proba-
bly recover. In the excitement somebody
turned in a fire alarm, but the panic was over
when the engines arrived.
While the storm was passing VI Will
iamsburg a bolt struck the flagstaff on
Public School l23 at Irving avenue and
Suydam street. The pole crashed toward
the street, carrying a piece OF the coping
with il The children in the rooms under
the roof, alarmed by the heavy clap OF
thunder and then terrified by the falling OF
the fagpole, jumped out OF their seats and
ran TO the stairways in great confusion.
Finding that they could not control the
frightened pupils, the teachers sent for the
principal, Joseph L. Furey. He ordered
ordered one Of them to sit at the piano
and play The Star Spangled Banner as
loudly as possible and then assisted to get
the children back into their seats. Within
ten minutes they were singing away as
though nothing had happened.
At a meeting Of the Ridgewood Board
Of Trade last night the members passed .
vote Of thanks to the principal and teach
ers for averting a panic.
The Kings County Court House was
soused good and plenty. The eSers backed
up so rapidly that soon they were scouting
Eeysers into. the streets. The torrent in
vaded the court house and the private cham
bers Of County Judge Crane were soon
flooded, while in the corridors the water
reached a depth Of two feet. Judge Aspin-
all was driven from his chambers to the
corridor before the food had risen to its
highest. He stood uncertainty, ankle deep
in water, until an attendant waded over to
him with a chair. Upon this the learned
Judge scrambled hastily and stood there
until the waters subsidized.
Justice Van Kirk was sitting in Special
Term when the fiood entered the court
room and set the chairs and benches floating
about as fast as each was relieved OF it's
burned Of legal talent. Court was ad-
journed for more than an hour before the
lawyers regatta ended.
In Manhattan the storm bucked up against
the curb market and bounded of van-
pushed. While the rest Of the outside
brokers fed. three conscientious young men
stood out on the sidewalk and transacted
business in their s~recialties all through
the downpour, making deals with buyers
and sellers who conducted their part of
the transactions from nearby Office windows
and doors.
The municipal ferry house at Staten
Island had its floor at least a foot under
water at the height Of the storm. Scores
Of men passengers took OF their shoes and
socks and rolling up their trousers waded
from the boats to the trolley cars. The
ferry attendants carried many women
through the water to dry places.
Al the Manhattan end Of the Long Island
City ferry at Thirty-fourth street several
boats landed their passengers when the
water was coming down in sheets. A large
majority of this row consisted OF women
members OF the various smart Long Island
colonies who were coming over to do some
shopping. From the end Of the incoming
ferry Sins to the nearest shelter there Ii
about sixty feet OF uncovered space 10
traverse. The devastation to millinery and
lingerie was shocking. Few OF the women
had umbrellas, and the stiff breeze blowing
would have made them useless II they had
had them. Over the pavement the water ran
something more thar ankle deep. To &C
dry shod was impossible. There were q
few cabs, but all zoe few. No cars were
running. .t
Up on the platform OF the elevated Dad
was gathered an interested assembly Of
ubbernecks who observed the wadine
match with undisguised glee, and as for
silken hosiery-well, IL was better, that n
10 say, worse, than the F1Atiron Building
neighborhood in a March gale.
The only woman OF all HI hundreds who
got on scot free was a little old lady ciac
in rusty black. She emerged from IN,
shelter Of the ferry shed and stood looking
timidly out at the food. Then she trick
% open her ancient umbrella, but its rib.
we're stubborn and she couldn't managi
it. A bury ferry employee observed he
distress, gathered her promptly to hi
bosom and carried her dry shod across tn