Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1916-03-24
cayeraI Farms Cut to Pieces by Deep
T,enches-Fall Grain suffers
Pullman Escapes Damage

Much damage was done to fall
grain and several farms east and
south of Pullman were literally cut
TO pieces by the most severe rain
storm in the history of Whitman
county, which visited this section
Sunday evening. Several cloud
bursts we're reported and the Pull
man merchants were thrown into a
frenzy of excitement when telephone
reports were received here to the eff
feet that huge walls of water were
coming. These reports came from
the Chambers neighborhood and the
farmers just east of Pullman, where
the fury of the storm was most keen
" felt. The merchants had their
forces of clerks busy within a few
minutes putting the stocks of goods
above the high water line, fearing
that a repetition of the disastrous
flood of early March in 1910 was
:.
o'clock Dry Fork, running down
Grand street, began to swell, and at
1870 the creek overlooked its banks,
the water forcing its way through the
board sidewalks in many places and
some water flowing down Main
street. The water soon spent it's
fury, however, and the only damage
in the business district was collapsed
sidewalks on South Grand street,
where part of the bank caved in,
and layer of mud on Grand and
Main streets.
The South Palouse, which caused
the damage in 1910, was but little
higher than a few weeks ago, and
at no time was there danger of it
overlooking its banks, although large
crowds OF people watched patiently
for the creek to assert itself after
the excitem ent incident to the ram
page of Dry Fork had subsidized.
Several farmers residing east of
Fuilman suffered heavily through
destroyed fall sown wheat deep
trenches, some as deep as three feet.
pelng washed from the tops of the
hills to the bottoms, and much soil
being washed down.
One of the most pretentious cloud
pursts incident to the storm occurred
at the Edward Nagle farm, abou,
TWO miles east of Pullman. Mr..
Nagle was standing in the door OF
MS barn during the heavy rainfall
"hen suddenly he heard a roaring
sound at the head of the marrow
sulch between his house and barn
ana observed a wall of water 10 feet
ueep rushing toward the bottom of
the gulch. The Nagle outbuildings
were inundated and the grain fields
.iesehDled series of EurOpean
trenches when the storm subsid21.
MI Maggie states that the wall of
wafer passed in less than three min
"'es and that just prior to the cloud
'uis' the rain fell in huge sheets. A
Nuse boulder in the magic driveway,
AZ least three feet square, which was
ueeply imbedded in the soil, and
"hich Mr.. Nagle had been unable to
AioFe with team of draft horses
was loosened from its bed and tossed
GA ieet up the side of the hill, as
'"oueh 1t had been but a feather.
Deep gullies were cut in the
george Farrand fields, Just east of
me Nagle property, and when Mr..
"irand rescued his horses from the
warn the water was up to their bel
"7s' A large quantity of feed grain
Tue barn was washed away, and
"e corner of the barn was washed
'oih It's foundation. Damage to fall
s'&ih and fields is also reported by
Seo't Getchell, in the slme neignbLr-
0u' and it is probable thar the
STORM was at its height in this neiph-
o'hood' Huge piles o. mud were
Issued onto the new county macad-
road near Busbey warehouse,
TN cans, rocks and refuse made
.ic impossible until it was part
" cleared away.
About 500 feet of track on the
Nnman-Genesee branch of the
:. 'nefn Pacific were washed away
o. Various points between Pullm an
Johnson and no train was run
Denesee for "a hours after the
some damage was also done
"e main line track east of Pull
sa, and the evening train from
Aahe was tied up here for the