The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-07-20
STORM
RACES; BREAKS
RAIN RECORD
Nearly One Inch of Water
Falls in Space of Single
Hour, Causing Much
Damage.
STREET CAR TRAFFIC
GREATLY DELAYED
Lawns and Gardens Suffer,
but Farmers Are Happy
Over Unusual and Needed
Precipitation.
A NEW climatic sensation was
~ furnished Salt Lake City yes.
. terdaY morning between 1910

n terday morning between 1910
and 11:1O o'clock for, in that
short space of time, the 24-hour pre-
eipitation record for July was broken
NOT to say smashed -
Until yesterday the 24-Apur record
stood at II inch for the month of
July, 1898. At 11:10 clock yesterday
morning, when the terrific downpour
ceased, 90 inch had been registered
at the weather bureau, and by noon,
the figures stood at Los inches. From
Z a. m., when the first shower occur
red, until o'clock yesterday evening,
LIE inches of rain fell in the affected
district.
The heavy storm was prefaced by the
usual oppressive heat and dead silence.
due TO the total absence of a breeze
At daybreak, heavy black clouds over
hung the valley and Though there were
signs Of clearing after the shower at
Z o'clock, the sky soon became over
cast and series of showers continued
until 10 clock, when the precipitation
became a steady and heavy downpour
Lashed by wind, the rain began to des-
ccnd in sheets, and within a few min
utes the streets had become beds for
rushing torrents, and Easements and
cellars were flooded.
Damage Is Heavy.
The sections of the city 10 suffer
the greatest amount of damage were the
north and east benches and the flat
portion TO the south. which was soon
flooded from the water carried down
from the benches. In the northern and
eastern parts the cutters of the steep,
streets could not carry the water and
before many minutes had passed fol-
lowing the beginning of the heavy down
pour, the water was flooding the park
ways and lawns and filling the streets
from curb to curb. =
In those sections, where many I'M
provements have been made and where
building lots have been terraced and
streets graded preparatory to paving,
the loose dirt and gravel were washed
completely covering the car tracks. In
the midst Of the storm, the Utah Light
g. Railway company began receiving
telephone messages from its conductors
and motormen that the cars were stalled
on the tracks by mud, In many cases
the silt was mixed with large rocks aud
pebbles which lodged in the frogs at
the switches and made progress for the
cars impossible.
Service trains were ordered out 10
various parts of the city and by noon
the cars were running almost in &C.
cordance with schedule. though 1t was
mId-afternoon before the cars were
covering the portion of their routes in
the flooded sections with the usual
speed.
Storm Not General.
A. H. Thiessen. director of the local
weather bureau. said yesterday that the
storm was local, as regarded the heavy
precipitation, but that the low barom-
ctric area extended over the whole
valley west of the Wasatch range The
storm moved from the north to the
south and even before the rain began
to fall in Murray and Midvale. Salt
Lake City had received the brunt of
the storm and the summer rainfall rec
ord had been broken.
The large crowds down town at the
time the storm broke were caught IN
the flooded streets. and on Main and
State streets at the principal corners
traffic was blocked for short time,
and in many places the water. unable
to get through the culverts, washed
across the sidewalks as far as the door
ways of stores. In the shopping dis
trict there was much lifting of skiFts
and much wetting of feet before the
shoppers found shelter in the stores and
office building lobbios.
. Immediately after the storm, tne
street cleaning department became the
busiest branch of affairs municipal and
scores of "white wings" and wagons
were rushed to the districts OF cioggsd
sulyerts and debris-covered streets. lt
fCo-,+{rnad an Para TUunA