Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-03
HAD EXCITING TIME
DAY! OF BIG STORM
One Woman Tells Trials of Her
Sex Wednesday,
Afternoon.
WATER BEAT UNDER DOORS,
CLOTHES USED AS MOPS
Hail Came in Parlor, Window Glass
Rained Down Stairs and Kitchens
We're Flooded.

about Washington last Wednesday after
noon, when the disastrous storm visited
the city, TO protect their homes from the
elements were exciting in the extreme.
To some the storm came like a thunder
bolt out OF clear sky. And when they
did begin to rush about their houses try
ing to close windows they found the
rooms filled with dust. with rain beating
in. and their attempts to close houses
were seemingly baked for the while.
Dumb animals in the house as pets
were looked after so far as Possible.
clothing OF all kinds from everywhere
was grabbed and used along with the
common, ordinary scrub rag for soaking
up the water which had come through the
open windows and through the window
panes smashed by the hail. 1t was just
dash from one end of the house to the
other and from top TO bottom in an eff
fort TO protect the home, only to ind
that the elements had beat them and were
already started on their work Of de-
struction.
My, next door neighbor was making
chill sauce and | was sewing out in the
back yard under the grape arbor." said
one woman. in discussing her experiences
before and during the storm. 7 had
been telling my neighbor's little boy
fairy story when 1t began to cloud UP,
and thunder rumbled little in the as
lance.
Didn't Like the Cloud.
My back was to the yard My neigh
Dor came to her window and gave me
three jars OF chill sauce and said: :,
Ladybird. Isden't like the appearance
Of that cioud.'5s;s
Il turned around and looked and then
| answered.:
Well. II this was down hohe,. Cfexa9
and people had cellar they'd be down
right now, cleaning theisnakes out of it.
The whole north and northeast was
copper eploredIgreenish. / turned my
chair upside down. laid my sewing on;,
the. kitchen table ann ran upstairs Be-
fore | got to the northeast window the
WIND gave almighty roar. Well, l never
closed sutherland put windows down so
quickly in,my life, but before could fin
ishSthe whole house was filled with dust
andy couldn't see across the street.
Things Were one wild turmoil and it be-
came too dark to see at all. II was rain
Ing and seemed to be blowing hurri-
cane. rushed down to the basement to
close the windows there. and found a
stream of water rushing through the
basement. jumped across and rescued
the littlest kitten, and then grabbed
things M of the pantry floor and put
sisted on nteSying at the water and stop
ping 1t with 6ne paw until she was driven
to the sfeBs. where she stayed and watch
ed 1t swirl around. There was cat on
every step as long as cats held out.
Il then flew upstairs. and it. was pour
Ing under And over windows, as II .miq-
s1.sse aad sy sksts e5gs s ga SI
stuck IL under the windows. The bath
room Nas-half an. inch deem in. water. l
threw things in TOT soak IL NJ. -wheiiit be-
gan to hail. When those hammers began
to hit that unprotected bathroom pane /
was almost .panicstricken.s shut the
bathroom door and fed to the kitchen.
1t was flooded. | mopped that up with
the kitchen rug and ran to the basement,
and found 1t was covered with water
three inches deep. The cats were crying
the kitten had hidden. You couldn't see
at all. not three yards. II the electricity
had given out in all that noise and CON
tusfoRI certainly would have been fright
ened. Il didn't know what WAS ihappeliing
upstairs. I~iidn't go up any more Well,
the worst of 1t lasted thirty minutes: In
forty minutes Ii was considerably quieter
and we began to breathe | opened my
front door and looked out
Not a Soul in Sight
Nearly every window across the street
was broken out. and not a soul was in
sight. / wrapped up and went to the
back and called my neighbor. Her back
windows were broken. and both of her
northeast shutters were In my yard.
Grapes covered the face of, the. earth,
mixed with hail: not flower was left
standing. chimneys and bricks were
blown off the roofs OF houses and the tin
on one of them was rolled up In one big
roll.
My neighbor came to the window with
the baby in her arms, and said every
thing In her house. beds and all. were
soaking wet, as she couldn't get things
closed at all.
Mrs. VI. $ windows were all broken She
windows and rained broken glass down
the stairs. and she. was so excited she
didn't know what she did or didn't do.
Phones were out of commission cars
were blocked by trees. the men couldn't
get home, and there we women were. all
alone
We stood around and told our ex-
periences awhile before we went To work
10 get the grit off of everything. / got
TWO coiored men to work sweeping out
the water In the basement. II was still
raining a little. and was dark Ii took
we're clogged with leaves and the area
WAYS filed with water until II ran into
tire basement
BY 30 O'Clock the men began to ar
rive. and we women relaxed nightly
Next DAY everything was hanging on the
c.otftng packed in trunks In the base
ments ~ upstairs rugs and bedding
~ seemed in retrospect as IL i was
gong through the second act of Peer
'iynt, where the unseen demons and
BobSohlins were assailing him on all
sides. Brief as II was n was rather ey
citing TO the women of the town who
wee all alone-believe me-"
I'M RIfFl lFsnA n ~ aA~u -