Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-07
.TORRENT|AL RAINS
HIT new ORLEANS
10.75.Inch Fall 0vertaxes
City's Pumping System.
Big Losses Reported.

| By the Associated Press.
! NEW ORLEANS, September New
Orleans awoke this morning to face one
of the most disastrous floods IN all Its
history due to excessive rainfall.
Torrential rains starting at dusk AND
falling almost continually throughout
the night overtaxed the city's pumping
system and flooded the whole city, IN
some spots as deep as six feet.
Fleets Of skiffs and motorboats man
ned by policemen began to succof the
marooned in the early hours, paying
/ particular attention to the removal OF
the sick and aged. Later food supplies
were carried to homes shut on by the
water.
All trafic was suspended for hours.
After daybreak some automobiles man
aged to splash through the higher
streets, but many avenues were blocked
by washed up debris and damaged
pavements.
Damage to public and private prop
erty will reach into the thousands, but
officials believe that unless the black,
overhanging clouds yield more rain. they
will have the water on the streets Dy
noon.
The Weather Bureau reported the to-
tai rainfall for the 24-hour period end
ing at am. today at 1915 inches,
which was exceeded only once before. on
Good Friday Of 1927, when the 24-hour
precipitation reached 14.0l inches.
But in It's general effect offlcials said
this flood exceeded the 1927 damage, as
a larger portion of the city was mum
dated and the water reached higher
level.
Serious food proportions were reached
at am. after n deluge began falling
shortly after midnight at the rate Of
several inches an hour.
Thousands Of Homes Flooded.
Easements Of Canal street stores were
flooded and water stood shoulder deep
in the orchestra section of the Sanger
Theater Thousands of private homes
were flooded. many citizens being
aroused from their sleep by water seep-
ing through the floors.
Water flooded the basement Of the
Baptist Hospital and electric lights
went out. the patients being attended
by candle light.
Hotel Dieu. another hospital, had its
basement flooded. Firemen were called
to pump the water out of the hospitals
to protect the patients.
At . am. the Police Department re-
ported the neighborhood of Broad and
washington streets as suffering the
greatest flood, water standing 2 feet
there at that hour The seriously
flooded area included the fashionable
residential sections. and in the district
bounded by Napoleon, Louisiana, Clai-
borne and Broadmoore streets only q
few householders were able to leave
their homes. While the uptown section
bore the brunt of the high water, the
downtown area also went under. as well
as that area known as back of town"
w L, R0genhaum Milan street and
ing the lower floor of his house in 4
fest Of water, fired his shotgun to
arouse the neighborhood to the danger.
After using all the shells he had he
called many families over the tele-
phone.
Many Are Rescued.
The telephone company and police
warned families in the most serious
areas. Women and children were taken
out Of homes on Calhoun street, six
children were rescued from q house on
South Prieur street, and at am Police
Sergt. George Rankin went In boat to
q house in South Rocheblave street
and rescued an aged woman and her
Two daughters who were standing on the
dining room table, with the water rising
around them. The woman refused to
go until the police also rescued her
poodle dog and canaries.
After rescuing people in danger, the
oolice carried flood supplies to all homes
where there were children from which
calls for aid were received.
Many stores opened with clerks doing
business in q foot Of water, with their
trousers rolled UP. Children put on
bathing suits and used the streets as
swimming pools. No loss of life has
been reported.