Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-07-14

CELLARS INUNDATED
BY TERRIFIC FALL
nEscrE~ MADE ny OFFICERS
Automobiles abandoned by Drivers
md Occupants and several Acct
dents Are Reported

Richmond carly yesterday evening"
"as visited B.. a cloud hurs, that left
IN ir wake dsmar. estimated a, sew
IRA thousands ~ dollars While tn.
~ rcipa! hamsp" was don. on lower
Main Street. between Fourteenth ana
>sFentecurh streets. hardly a sec
ton ~ tho city and it's suburbs
escaped IN havoc wrought py the
sh"rt-Is"d. hut terrific. downpour.
In addition to flooded cellars and in
undated streets. al least ono accl-
don't. with resultant injury 10 on"
person. directly 4, attributable tu
ih- storm. In number OF instances
occupants ot automobiles nerc com.
psilsd TO abandon the cars. some o,
which were put of Of commission by
tne pranks OF the electrically
charged hesvenI
East Main Street. the length OF
three or moro blocks. for three quar-.
i"rs of an hour. was covered yNI,h
hEN feet OF wafer, the bulk OF which
backed into Main. Franklin and
other parable, and cross streets from
@hockoe creek. which rapidly rose
beyond its hounds and oyerrowed
rs bana,
storm Follow. Calm
Following = calm ,ha, had So, in
f''lo"l light and refreshing
hover about ) o'clock In the after.
noon and ~hich had the enec, Of
bringing mmch-n-cded relief 10 A
'M+IterinS cts heayy. rolling black
clouds suddenly gathered from out
~ fh' west. The storm which soon
vas t" de'ccnd N all It's peut-up fury
vas h"raldcd hy large and widely
scattered drops ~ rain. THIS soon
Huickened and within few minutes
m. rain Literally came down in
sheets
The downpour continued from
lev minutes after o'clock until
shortly before S. During this rimc
t"o and 'ixty-two hundredths Of an
Inch OF rain fen almost one-thirt
of the total Precipitation locally
since Januar! |. Rain that fell after
the last Official reading OF the day
a. the United states Weather bureau
on Chimhorazo Park at o'clock. II
IS believed. carried The total pre-
c!p!tation for the day TO three
inches. probably establishing a rec
ritory 1t marked the drs, time
many recalled last nigh7, that rain
""a'N enough "a drive Shockoe Creek
""' o! its hounds and inundate Main
ana neishborins streets in the vi.
entity of the Main Street station has
fallen hereabouts
h"useholders Arc Mnrooned.
seFerai rescues OF marooned or
mNnaced householders nv poIic. ar.
men and rivermen in the iowland.
"' me city marked the early evening
men IN" waters began mounting In
th- vicinity "f Main street S,a,,o,
ana s"irled their way into tho cot.
'dr ana hrst or ground floors or
lover Main Street stores. police and
hrrmeh warned occupants Of mo
second and third floors 10 vacat. for
rear foundations would ne weskep.d
and collapse OF buildings would fol-
low '"
Goods and ohattols on oountars
sheives In the flooded stores ona
shopn in tho Inundated area 49,
picked M by the rushing waters and
nodteo on tho water in Main Street
HhopHeepers and merchants paddled
a'ou' the stream with graphing
h"ohs ana poles seeking to recover
their property.
flre apparatus was dispatched 10
nc scene. and. as huge searchliebts
were played on the waters and huIId
hss' ropes were secured TO fire plugs
ana hoisied TO the cornices of hujId-
'nss IN the flooded district and o.,
'"Pants OF second and third floors
Ntre aided to safety Rowboats
pl'eo their way up and down the
"a'er-swept thoroughfares and sue
continued on Page 1. Col. II