El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-07-14
RAIN AND LIGHTNING DAMAGE
PHONES and INJuRE TRAFFIC
More Than 100 Phones Are Still Out of Commission
Lightning Causes Number of Small Fires; Parts Of
the City Are Flooded; the Farmers in This Section
Call the Downpour Very Great Blessing.

INIENSE lightning ana neaFy ram
Sunday evening and night caused
number Of fires. injured street car
traffic and put more than 1000 tele-
phones out Of commission. The rain
began in the city about o'clock and
continued until nearly midnight It
was welcomed by farmers.
More than 1000 phones. principally
in the city limits. but some in Juarez
and in Ysleta are still out OF order,
according to C. E. Stratton, general
manager Of the telephone company.
Due to whistles blowing when wires
were crossed and when fire alarms
were turned in. the telephone COM
pany had the biggest rush in It's MS
tory. The rush was even larger than
that made on the phone service during
battles in Juarez.
A total Of 30 additional telephone
operators were called to duty and
even this enlarged force was unable
TO handle the calls. For hours the
augmented force at the telephone
building worked ceaselessly to handle
the increased service.
The telephone company reports a
good rain at Wilcox. Ariz-, sunday.
and more rain Monday; a hard rain al
Las Cruces; a good rain at Alamo
gordo and three hour rain at
The company also reports no rain.
but cloudy weather at Albuquerque,
Roswell. Santa Fe and Tucumcari. and
no rain at Anthony or Carrizozo.
Trouble at Ysleta.
At $3.50 o'clock Sunday night a fuse
blew out on the road to Yslsta near
the Margerum and Levingston places
which put Ysleta in utter darkness
all night Crowds which had filled
the confectioneries and other places
open on Sunday. early in the after
noon. CROPPED their way through the
dark until they were able to reach FL
Paso
A number Of fires. an automobile
and a house struck by lightning. many
street cars put out OF commission. car
service delayed and flooded cellars
and Easements. were among the dam
ages. The rain amounted to 81 inch,
during the heaviest part Of the storm
while the total precipitation was such
as TO bring the total for the year TO
$50 inches or u inch above normal
Lightning Causes Fires.
Among the small fires reported was
a small blaze in the elevator shaft OF
the Two Republics building probably
caused by short circuiting Of the cleo
trical control Of the elevator. At Ma
coffin and Walnut. crossed wires re-
suited in a blaze on telephone pole
which was quickly eXtinEuished- At
POO Myrtle an automobile was struck
by lighting and ignited. but the fire
men stopped the blaze before serious
damage was done. A small house
near First and Campbell streets
was struck by lightning and the roof
SC damaged that water poured into
the residence, forcing the several fam
ilies living there TO move in the down.
pour.
on East Montana street and at Five
Points. the flood was heavy and water
ran in torrents through the streets. {
forcing the few pedestrians to wade
water almost TO their knees to reach I
cars and cross the streets several {
adobe houses were damaged by the
rising water and several families
called upon the firemen for assistance d
to prevent the caving in Of the houses +
The storm apparently passed over
the city 10 the south early in the af- /.
ternoon but later the wind veered and I.
carried IL again to the north, when It 4
broke in full fury
Broke Suddenly in Junrez.
The storm broke suddenly in JuareZ, }
50 that many pedestrians were I
reach shelter Street cars between FL I
Paso and Juarez were put out Of COM I
mission by lnghting and the streets
n Juarez presented the appearance Of I
! lake.
The street car company lost heavily.
The lightning and rain combined to so I
the service that extra
srews We're summoned. Additional Ia
1orers were placed at work Monday D
morning TO repair the damage done by
he storm to lines and tracks. In some
places havy rocks were washed onto
he tracks. which required extreme
are by the motormen.
In the moving picture houses the
electrical storm caused much fear and
n several cases panic was narrowly
lverted.
Valley Roads Flooded.
To the north OF FL Paso and slight