The Arizona sentinel., 1909-08-19
A DISASTROUS RAIN
Heaviest Downpour of Which
There is Any Record Here

showers Sunday night ana early
Monday morning, there was a
veritable cloud burst about niue
O'Clock and for more than two
hours an almost solid sheet of
water descended; it continued
internationally, however, until
noon or after. During the times
mentioned 4.Ol inches OF water
fell. and all but One-siXteenth Of
an inch between $50 o'clock and
II O'Clock Monday forenoon.
When it is considered that the
average annual rainfall for Yuma
is less than 3 inches it may be
understood that many were un-
prepared for such deluge and
suffered thereby.
Serious damage was done to
the stocks Of number Of mer-
camille firms by the water pour
ing into easements and cellars.
Business men and their assist
ants jumped promptly into the
breach and fought with pick and
shovel or any old way to divert
or stem the floods, opening cul
verts and drains and building
temporary levees with sacks of
flour, sugar and coke, in their
endeavor to save their goods,
and many thousands Of dollars
worth were thus saved. Had
the heavy downpour occurred at
night, Mr.. Sanguinetti states
that his loss would unavoidably
have been from twelve to fifteen
thousand dollars by the water
pouring into his basement from
Second street.-the greatest
source of food troubles to the
business section.
Among the heaviest losers
were Splitter & Huffman, E. +.
Sanguinetti and J. NJ Molina.
Second street was d raging
torrent, water sweeping from
front to back door through some
Of the buildings. Main street
We'd with the ella in Good time,
the water sweeping over the
sidewalks in miniature waves.
So fur as distress was concern
ed from which there was no es-
cape, the lowlandS east Of Main
street and north Of Second bore
the brunt Of the deluge. The
poorer classes of people inhabit-
ing the adobe hutS and shantieS
in this section were driven from
their habitations by the water,
and IN many cases the houses
either collapsed or were under
mined and ruined. Water pour.
ed in at doors and even over
window sills, setting afioat the
furniture and household posses
sions which were finally removed
to dryer spots. Many OF these
flood ridden people were given
refuge by Billy Dunno in his
group Of buildings back Of The
Tavern. Every express wagon
and cart in town was pressed into
service, and not until nightfaII
was all the property removed
from the submerged district. In
Rincon alley the water was
waist deep.
West of Main street the most
serious damage was that done to
the Levy home ON Madison av-
enue, occupied by B. G.. Heyl
and family. Two feet of water
covered the floors of the house,
soaking and running carpets and
furniture to the amount of 5000.
The cement sidewalk in front
was broken through in two plac-
es to permit the escape of the
water: but even then adequate
drainage was impossible. Late
in the afternoon the walls had
settled to such an extent that
the building was declared unsafe,
The family moved into one of
the Molina cottages on Nam
street.
During the day the Colorado
river rose . feet. There were
washouts of magnitude west of
Yuma. Five trains with over
300 passengers were maroonod
here for eighteen hours. The
greatest railroad damage report
ed was between Ogilbee and
| HanlOn Junction. At one noint