The Washington times., 1922-07-14
SMALL ARMY IS .
BUSY REPAIRING
STORM DAMAGE:
Linemen Find Considerable
Damage Done to Telephone
and Telegraph Wires.

A small army of workmen today
is hard at work repairing the dam
age caused by the severe electrical
storm and intense rainfall which
gripped Washington and the sur
rounding country for several hours
yesterday afternoon and last night.
TIE ephone and telegraph wires
broken down in the storm are being
replaced speedily by a detachment
of linemen sent out early today by
the Chesapeake and Potomac Tele-
phone and Western Union and
Postal Telegraph companies.
Torrents Of rain flooded the city
streets yesterday afternoon, making
walking and motoring extremely diff
ficult Hundreds OF Government
workers were delayed in reaching
their homes. Traffic on the street
car lines was held up.
Eleven hundred telephones were
put out OF service during the storm
yesterday, c. r. Clagett, division
manager of the Chesapeake and Po.
tomac Telephone Company, said to-
day.
Damage to the telephone lines
the heaviest of the summer as the
result of lightning" Mr.. Clagett
said.
by nightfall we expect to have
all stations affected restored 70 serv.
ice. Repairmen began work soon
after the storm got under way"
About 700 cases of trouble were
reported in the city, 240 in the
Maryland suburbs, and l76 in Vir-
| ginia, near the District of Columbia.
The weather bureau estimated that
329 inches of water fell in the down.
pour. While the storm was raging
n Washington, Baltimore, only forty
miles away, experienced only .02 OF
an inch rainfall.
| Although the skies were overcast
| today, fair weather was forecast.
| The intense lightning caused sew.
eral small fires in various parts OF
the city. Several persons were
slightly injured, and one dog was
killed.
Stunned Playing Golf.
Among those struck by lightning
| was Gardiner +. Orme, $500 Georgia
avenue. He was playing golf at the
Columbia Country Club when q bolt
| of lightning struck near him. He
was stunned for several minutes.
Mrs. J. II. Robinson and Miss Mar
garet Heflin, both of Alexandria,
were shocked when lightning struck
Washington and Virginia car at
Twelfth street and Pennsylvania ave
nue..
The most spectacular feature Of
the storm occurred on the estate OF
Charles c. Glover, Washington
finanCier, on Massachusetts avenue
extended. A water tank. close to the
house, was struck by lightning and
was destroyed. Damage was esti.
mated at $4,000.
The fire lit up the sky for miles.
Several hundred motorists, needless
OF the downpour, watched the blaze
estate.
Rides to Engine House.
One feature of the fire was the
sensational ride on horseback of A.
F. Swenson. manager of the estate,
to summon the firefighting appa.
ratus. When the lightning struck
the tower, Swenson endeavored 10
notify the firemen by telephone. The
wires had been put out of commits.
sion by the storm.
Saddling one OF Glover's hunters
Swenson raced through the storm to
the headquarters of Engine Com.
pany, No. 20. at Wisconsin avenue
and Warren street. about a mile and
a half from the estate.
During the height Of the storm
Chevy Chase car line and several
downtown lines were held up for
several hours. A drift of mud had
been washed into the tracks.
Tents were blown down and camp.
ing utensils washed away when the
storm struck the tourists camp in
Potomac Park.