The Washington herald., 1922-07-14
STORM MPARALYzES
CAPITAL TRAFFIC;
DAMAGE EGREAY
Suburbs Isolated and In.
terruption of Phones in
Record Rainfall.
STREETS FLOODED
Lightning Causes Several
Small Fires and Adds to
Heavy Losses.
Continued from Page One.

Continued from Page One.
In Bethesda. Nd. the barn In the
rear of the store operated by Alfred
Wilson. was wrecked by nre. al
though the dwelling. which is ad-
joining. was not damaged.
Considerable difficulty was expe-
rienced by the fire-fighting forces
OF the city in responding to the nu-
merous alarms, owing to flooded
condition OF the streets.
Engine strikes Curb.
While responding to the fre at
the Glover home the motor-driven
engine of Company ., driven by
| Private c. E. Smith. skidded into
the curb at Twenty-fourth street
and Massachusetts, avenue north
west. The apparatus was badly
damaged. but the fireman escaped
| injury. The engine OF Company s
also went out of service en- route
| to the same blaze.
| Telephone communication and
electric railway service was almost
completely broken down for several
hours. isolating the suburban Sec
tions.
In the city, telephone service was
Iimpeded throughout the night,
while large forces Of workmen were
engaged in repairing wires, switch
boards and exchange equipment.
Long distance service was severely
hampered until an early hour this
morning.
Many Trapped In Cars.
Offioe workers and employees of
the various government depart
ments were enroute to their homes
as the fury of the storm burst over
the city, bringing street cars on
practically all lines to a complete
standstill. and trapping the passen-
gers in the water swept cars for
nearly two hours.
In the central section of the city
the street car tie-up was caused by
| the flooded condition of the UNDER
ground conductor rails, while in the
outlying and suburban sections the
delay was caused by huge piles of
mud and gravel being washed over
the tracks.
Sewer coverings In many sections
of the city were forced from their
places by the great volume of water
passing through the underground
channels, some being washed sew
eral blocks through the river-likc
| streets.
Automobiles were stalled, some
| being abandoned in pools of water.
In a number Of cases the machines
were set afire. supposedly from the
effects OF lightning.
A young woman was forced I"
stand In water three feet in depth,
in a shelter at the fourteenth hole
on the Columbia Country Club golf
| course, owing to the suddenness
with which the storm broke.
W. b. and A. Tied-Up.
Trafic on the Washington, Balti-
moro and Annapolis Electric Rail-
way was at a standstill for six
hours as the result Of the damming
of a sewer at Bennings road. west
| of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
tracks. A shuttle service was set
up, by which cars were run to the
huge pool, where the passengers
were forced to exchange by walk
ing across the steam railroad
trestle bridge to cars. by which
they were enabled to complete
their journey. The Washington
and Virginia Electric Railway was
stopped to traffic for more than an
hour.
The heat wave which has held the
| city in its grip for several days,
| causing the death of BENJAMIN
Ford, AZ years old, colored, 217 Sui
livan's court southeast, just a short
time before the storm, has been
broken, according to the Weather
Bureau.
Today the temperature will hover
about the s0-degree mark instead
of 80 degrees as have been the av-
erage during the past week, the
forecaster stated last night. Yes
terday's highest mark was SO de-
grees.
c. F. Clemmons. 43 years old. 1923
Rosedale street northeast, employed
as Western Union messenger, while
riding a bicycle under the H street
viaduct during the storm, fell and
injured his right knee. He was
taken to Sibley Hospital.
Fire Damages Roof.
| northwest. caused by lightning,
damaged the roof to the extent of
$500. The house is owned and oc-
| cupied by DR.. c. A. Baker.
The house at 80 street north
west, was struck by lightning.
which tore a small hole in the roof.
| Damage estimated at $40.
A hog owned by Joseph Bowser.
colored, Twenty-fifth street and
Good Hope road. was killed by
lightning.
The joint excursion of the New
York. Alabama, New Jersey and
North Carolina State societies down
the Potomac on the steamer st.
Johns last night was postponed un-
I'll Monday. because of the storm