The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1908-07-17

Passengers Have Weary Waits.
Passengers on trains seeking to get
out OF town had weary waits. They
felt fortunate, however, that they were
at station where they could get plen.
~ to eat, and not out in the country.
Hotels Crowded over Night.
All Norfolk hotels were crowded for
the night, cots being brought into ser
vice. The fact that many trains failed
to go out left an unusual number Of
people stranded in the city.
Came at Church Time.
In Norfolk the storm broke at church
time. the first heavy rain coming
about 1880. The rain continued until
about o'clock, save for one brief
intermission. About o'clock the rain,
falling faster and faster, was dashed
about by a strong gale which blew
for some minutes.
Most OF the churches were crowded
during the greater part of the early
afternoon by members of the congre
CATION unable to venture into the flood
outside.
People who went to church were
trapped by the storm. Some ventured
home through the driving rain. Some
waited couple of hours for a slight
let.up. Some managed to get cabs
called.
Father Walsh Dismissed Church.
The congregation at the Church OF
the Sacred Heart got home before the
storm. Father Walsh saw the storm
coming and dismissed church at 11:05,
so that all we're able to get home
ahead of the rain.
Stopped Y. N. C. A. Meetings.
The storm stopped both Y. NJ. G. A.
meetings planned for Sunday A mems
meeting was to have been held at the
First Congregational church at a time
when the church was surrounded by
foot or so of water. The mass meet
ing at the Auditorium was called off
early in the afternoon.
Hacks in Demand.
Hacks did a rushing business all
afternoon. They were the crying need
of the day. Despite the fact that Nor
folk has more cabs than any other city
in the world of its size, it was difficult
to get them.
Sturgeon and Taft Get a Fall.
Mayor Sturgeon and County Com
missioner Burr Taft were victims of
washed-out hole in Norfolk avenue,
caused by a sewer ditch, shortly after
the storm. They were driving west
between Twelfth and Thirteenth
streets in a cart. The horse stepped
into soft sewerditch spot, sank down
and as a result pitched the two cart
occupants out into the mud The
mayor was then run over by the cart
wheel, his shoulder being slightly
bruised and his cheek opened to the
extent of drawing blood.
Hacks Went Into Sewer Holes.
Scores of holes are to be found in
many streets of the city, where the
sewer bitches have caved in. One cab
dropped into two different holes on
Tenth street and another one did the
same on South Fifth. Nobody was
hurt. Single horses dropped into
holes all around town.
Old Trenches Settle.
In The Heights and other parts of
the city where there has been recent
trench work, the trenches settled dur
ing the storm, leaving in some cases
deceptive crust still intact.
Many cab men Sunday evening re-
fused to answer calls from The
| Heights on account Of the unsafe con-
dition Of the streets. Men represent.
| ing the city and the firm OF Smith &
Son were out as soon as the storm
Stacked, marking dangerous places in
the streets.
At night scores of red lanterns
blinked on Norfolk streets.
Monday morning Ed Bley unknow-
ingly drove into a hole in the road
his wagon overturning with whole
load of can goods, Bystanders helped
right the wagon.
Foundations Cave In.
The rains were disastrous to foun-
dations in many parts of the city.
Serious damage was done to the foun-
dations of new houses being erected
on South Ninth street by C. F. Dough-
ty and ]. L. Weaver. Sections of
foundations in several other parts Of
the city caved in.
Barometer Was Low.
Sunday morning was intensely sui
try. People were awakened at 5
O'Clock, unable to sleep in the oppres-
sive air. While no reading was made
of the barometer, it is certain that
the mercury was low in the tube, as
indicated by the oppressiveness and
later by the terrific wind that swept
down from the northwest.
Many View the Scenes.
Scores Of people-some barefooted
I-waded up Norfolk avenue during the
afternoon to see the result of the over
flow.