The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-07-09
CAPE RESIDENTS
FLEE TO CELLARS
TO ESCAPE WIND
ClOudburSt Floods City Stores
and Turns Streets Into
Creeks.
TWO BARNS BURNED
BY BOLTS IN STORM
DOwnpOur Carries Garbage Cans
Into River-Rain Enters
Homes.

A cloudburst, which fell for more
than an hour on Cape Girardeau and
vicinity last night, wrought much
damage. 1t was the most spectacular
storm that has visited this city this
year, and for volume of water, it has
seldom been surpassed.
Streets were transformed into creeks
and the current in some of them tempo
rarily stopped auto traffic. The water
passed over the curbstOne in front of
the Park Theater and flooded the play
house, both in the parquet and base
ment.
The Buckner-RagsdaIe store was
damaged slightly by the storm. The
water came down Broadway with such
force that the momentum swept it
over the pavement and into the store
When the storm was at its height, it
is said that water stood at a depth Of
several inches over the huge floor.
A corps of clerks were put to work
after the storm abated and the water
was swept out. The damage to goods
was slight, it was unofficially stated
last night.
While the storm ragged, lightning
struck the new barn on the farm of
Green Bailey, three miles west Of
Jackson, burning it to the ground. A
large amount of grain was destroyed
and some live stock perished.
Mr. Bailey and his family were pre-
pairing to retire when sharp flash
of lightning was followed by terri
| .fving crash of thunder. The next mo-
mert they discovered a bright light
in the barnlot and upon investigation
found the barn was burning. Despite
the downpour, the building and its
contents were reduced to ruins.
A shed on farm about two miles
north of Cape Girardeau, on the Bend
road, also was struck by lightning and
burned to the ground According to
renorts which reached this city late
last night, no stock was burned in the
building.
The storm followed a sultry day
which became humid after the moor
hour. A stiff wind blew during the
afternoon, but there were no indica
tions of rain. Shortly after o'clock
me horizon vanished behind bank Of
heavy black clouds. The wind blew
gale, but one cloud after another blew
over without any rainfall.
Shortly after o'clock the whole sks
became a mass of threatening clouds
Four distinct storms seemed to form
one from each of the four corners o
the heavens. The wind howled defiant
ly through the trees, bending the sap
Iings almost to the ground.
1t precipitated an electrical dIspla,
seldom witnessed in this city. Sharl
flashes of lightning darted from tn
southeast crossed the sky and Joine
an electrical streak in the southwest
forming an almost complete circle.
The display became almost bewlI
dering as the storm came nearer tn
CITY. Finally the great black clout
rolling furiously, swept in from tn
northwest, bringing with it a hlg
wind and a veritable deluge.
The progress of the disturbance ha
been watched by people in every sec
ton of the city, and when it brok
many families were in hiding IN tn
Easements of their homes. The win
blew as long as the rain fell, and tn
deluge and gale seemed to vie Wit
each other.
Branches were torn from trees a