The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-08-22


Downpour of rs of an Inch in
= Fifteen Minutes-Cellars
Flooded
A rain, wind and electrical storm
of tropical ferocity swept over the
Missouri Valley Wednesday evening
In Bismarck Is Of an inch of rain fell
in fifteen minutes, and in the couse
of half an hour the downpour aggre'
gated 1.2 inches, the heaviest record.
ed in any "a hours this summer. The
rain was accompanied 'by a 4S-nile
wind, which blew without cessation
for ten minutes, and there was a
heavy fall of hail for Is minutes. I
The rain came down faster than it
could run off, even fom the pavements.
Gardens and lawns were inundated.
In some places the water rose higher
than the tops of large tomato plants.
Many cellars and Easements were
filled ,and considerable damage, it is
feared, will result from this cause. A
brilliant electrical display added to
the general effect of the storm which,
while it. ragged, was one Of the most
terrific contests Of the elements which
has ever visited this section.
City gardens were badly beaten
down by the hail Tomato plants were
shredded and their fruit pounded to
pulp; sWeet-cOrn was beaten down and
broken, and extensive damage done
In the country it Is feared the dam
age to corn and flax fields will be ex'
tensive, and there Is much wheat
which has not been harvested that
will suffer. 81 49,
The storm would appea from meagre
reports received by o. w. Roberts,
federal meteorologist for North Dako-
ia, at an early hour today, to have
been rather general over the state
Grand Forks reported 1853 inches OF
rainfall during the night, and Dickin'
son had $50 inches. Larimore report.
ed half an inch, while at Minot the
precipitation dwindled to .13 Of an
inch. Owing to the stom, the wire ser
vice is bad, and there are many dis
tricts yet to be heard from. .....
1t is not believed that any lasting
damage will result to the. grain al
ready cut and shocked Dry weather
is the present prediction, and few
days hot sun. accompanied by a stiff
wind, will dry out the shocks. The
work of the harvest will, however, be
considerably delayed by the untimely
rains of the last week, which are ex.
ceptional for this time Of year.
500 Damage Repaired.
Slight damage to the 500 tracks be-
tween Underwood and .Washburn was
repaired during the night, and the
North 500 train which came through
this morning doubled bck shortly be-
fore noon. On the South 500 severe
hail damage to standing crops was re-
ported between Moffit and Braddock.
Heavy rains were noted elsewhere on
the line, but the hail damage was
slight.
ILL.,. Many Wires Down.
Both the telephone and telegraph
companies are having trouble with
their service, many wires being down
north, south and west of Bismarck.
500 Line Train Late.
The North 500, due in last night
shortly after o'clock, did not come
in until near noon today, the tracks
between Bismarck and Washburn hav-
ing been left in a. hazardous condi-
tiOn by the torrents.
On the Killdeer branch of the North.
ern Pacific 1T was reported this morn
ing the hail had shattered every pane
of glass from Hazen west to the end
o fthe line, and it was reported over
the telephone that standing crops in
this region had been wiped out.
No. 4 the Twin City express from
the west, was two hours late this fore
noon as result of the heavy weather
it ran into on the Slope.
Trains Held Up.
The Killdeer train Wednesday at
ternoon Guild not proceed beyond Stan
ton because of wash-out on the line
west, of that point, three miles be-
yond Beulah: Train No. 7, westbound
on the main line, was tied up at Glad
stone yesterday afternoon because OF
washouts at Gladstone and Lehigh.
Fort Clark was reported partially in
undated Wednesday afternoon. Much
flax and corn have been destroyed in
the entire territory north and west
of Mandan. During a cloudburst
which hit Dickinson on Wednesday
Easements we're flooded and gardens
drowned out .-. ,....
Roberts Report.
The average rainfall for the entire
state of North Dakota on Wednesday
was rs of an inch, reported O. w.
Roberts late this afternoon Reports
came in slowly because Of manv wires
being down in districts hardest hit by
the storm. The greatest crop damage,
states the federal meteorologist. ap:
nears to have been in the vicinity OF
Dunn Center and northeast of Brad
dock. All over the Missouri VALLEY
damage from heavy rain and the wind
was considerable. In.,the bottoms near
Menoken and Mckenzie thousands OF
shocks Of wheat are floating in tenn
'porary lakes. .itahd much iOss or grain
will result. It will be impossible, says
Mr.. Roberts, to prevent much OF this
grain from sprOuting. In other dis