Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-09-05
WATER FAMINE ENDED
Streams Filling Up as the Re-
 Sult of the Rain.

Water, water, water, everywhere! How 1t did pour for that one hour from II to 12. It more than made things look good up at the reservoir, although some parts of the city did look trifle worried. During the noon hour there was hardly car running in the center and everyone was compelled to use shank's mare in order to get home to dinner. The power gave out shortly before 12 o'clock and the people from the fac tories as we'll as from the stores and offices knew there was not much chance in getting car. Consequent ly they walked.
 Since yesterday morning at 2 o'clock until this noon the Branch rose eight inches. The rainfall at the reservoir this morning amounted to an inch and a quarter but it was even more moist in the city, some of the storm steering clear of the Branch. The water is still thirteen feet and a half below the spillway, but there is cause to hope in view of the weather of the past few days. The ILdoC 1hounIdlu lOSCl VIII lOoC o4 1iASh yesterday and an inch to-day. Sup erintendent of Water Kennedy said this afternoon that the rainfall had relieved the situation considerably.
 The total precipitation from yes terday noon until noon to-day was two and quarter inches.
 The storm sent such an amount of water into the water pipes that it could not be carried of. State street about 12 o'clock. was sight. There was fully two feet of water along the lower part of the street which looked like miniature lake. West Main street, near St Johns church was almost as bad and it was next to impossible to get by. The water main on Martin street burst and tore up the street considerably before the department arrived to re- pair it. On Bank street in front of Hampson-Sellew's store stream of water which rose to a height of about fifteen feet shot into the air from a sewer box and filled the street with water.
 But you should have seen things in Brooklyn! The water came down Washington avenue like a torrent bringing more than half of the street with it. The gutters were washed out, cobblestones and sticks were car ried down and big pile of rubbish accumulated in front of the Duggan school. The water almost reached the doors of the stores at this point and left large amount of mud on the walks. The conditions at the foot of West Porter street were about the same.
 Because of the storm the public schools had only one session, but in the afternoon the sun shone and it seemed as though the skies were to be clear for the remainder of the day. It is about time people stopped worrying the public about water famine and if they have advice to give tell them how to economize in other ways. With water running in rivers through the public streets it sounds funny to hear folks stewing over an impending water famine. Last night it came down in torrents and every. other half hour to-day it rained so that there was no such thing as going outside without get ting drenched. The storm was so great around the noon hour that many in the offices and stores about town gave up the idea of going to dinner and managed to get along on light lunch in the restaurants. The Branch reservoir held its own yesterday and at 10 o'clock it had come up three inches higher than 1t was the day before. East Mountain is in good shape so that there is nothing to be alarmed about, al- though, to be sure, 1t is we'll to be on the safe side, for while the pres ent rains are doing lot of good, mo- body knows how much they will amount to, and the public does not want to take any chances or such a thing, for it is almost out of the ques- tion to draw anything like true pie ture of community of this size wrestling with water famine. Most people never bestow a thought upon water except in connection with drinking and washing. but how about fire protection? Suppose big blaze should break out and when the fire men turned on the hydrants there was not a pint of water in them? God forbid that Waterbury ever should experience such sight, but it is L ot at all impossible and in taking time by the forelock and guarding against it Mayor Thoms and the board of public works deserve the support of everybody who does not