Evening star., 1945-07-23
Storm Damages
DC. Churches;
Rainfall Mounts
62-Yeur Record
Approached in
Sunday Downpour

area yesterday damaged CWC
churches, flooded homes and
sewers, and disrupted traffic,
power and, telephone lines. In
a little more than an hour 1.31
inches of rain fell over the city
Three persons were injured.
The Weather Bureau said there
is flair chance" of more rain this
afternoon, and fairly high" hu-
midity.
The storm which officially started
at 1885 pm. and lasted until 2:50
pm, was accompanied by a violent
display of lightning.
Rainfall Nears Record.
The amount of rain that has fall
len so far this month has ap-
preached a new record for this
area, according to the Weather Bu-
reau. The precipitation for the first
20 days of July stands at 8.64 inches
compared with a normal of All
inches for the whole month. The
all-time record was made in July
1888, when 1858 inches of rain fell
here, the bureau said.
The Eldbrooke Methodist Church
at 400 River road NV, and the
Wilson Memorial Methodist Church
754 Eleventh street Sc, both were
struck by lightning, and the wooden
of the latter structure caught
fire.
Quantities of slate were knocked
off the Eldbrooke Church and a
brick from the structure was hurled
across the street with great violence
and into the side TO the Sears, Roe
buck 81 Co. store. A piece of terra
Gotta measuring S by 10 feet was
ripped from the steeple and hurled
into an adjoining lot. The Rev
Paul F. Harris, pastor, said damage
to the Eldbrooke Church could moi
Immediately be estimated but is
believed to be covered by insurance
Church Struck Three Times.
Lightning struck three times al
the Wilson church steeple, accord.
ing to reports. The framework of the
steeple, which is covered with slate
was burned, and the cradle roll clas,
room, directly beneath, suffered from
water damage. The Rev Allan F
Poore. pastor, said damage would bt
about $1,000.
Torrents OF rain, which almost
reached cloudburst proportions. hi
particularly hard at the city's sewer
system, especially in the Northeast
section. On d street NE, water
ran running board depth on auto
mobiles between Eighteenth anc
Twentieth streets when a sewer al
Eighteenth and D streets started
gushing water like geyser A water
main burst on Seventeenth street be-
tween Otis and Perry streets NE.
On the H street NE. streetcal
line water ran over the tracks SC
deep that trolleys were halted al
Kenilworth junction and passengers
were taken by bus to the District
line from that point.
Fireman Injured.
Among the injured, police said
was Bernard A. Osterman, 27. a
fireman of No. IS Truck Company
He was treated for knee abrasions
at Casualty Hospital where he was
taken after falling from hook and
ladder truck which was turning from
Rhode Island avenue NE. into
Twelfth street on it's way to a locaI
alarm.
The others hurt were Glenn Muir
ply, II, and William E. Bogart, Is
both of 3945 Pennsylvania avenue
Sc, police said. The boys received
cuts and abrasions when an auto
mobile in which they were riding
collided with the rear of a Wash
ington, Marlboro and Annapolis bus
on Central avenue near Davidson
vile, Md, according to officers. Both
were treated at Emergency Hos
pital.
Emergency crews from the Poto.
mac Electric Power Co. and tn.
Chesapeake & Potomac Tele.
phone Co. were kept continually
busy. Lightning knocked wire.
down in the 300 block of Ritten-
house street NV; in the 400 bloch
of jefferson street NV; In the 3OOt
block of Sixteenth street NV; ir
the 1900 block of Hemlock stree
N. W.; and in other sections of the
city.
Streetcars were stalled for a short
time at Seventh and c streets NV.
in the underpass at Rhode Island
avenue NE, between Fifth ane
Sixth streets and on Eighth stree
NE, when water flooded the tracks
On the Cabin John car line, &
high tension wire carrying 22,00,
volts, fell across feeder line ant
burned the latter in two. The Po
tomac Electric Power Co. made re-
pairs by feeding sufficient power tt
maintain service through an aux
iliary line.
The baseball game at GriffitI
Stadium was delayed for over al
hour, but good part of the crowd
particularly in the grandstand, re
mained seated until the game wa
resumed.
The storm left its mark in tn,
Silver Spring and Takoma Park sec
tions and in the Hillandale sectior
of Montgomery County.
Silver Spring police reported
streets were flooded, and that wa.
ter filled the underpass beneath
the B. & o. Railroad tracks OF
Georgia avenue, blocking traffic fol
more than half an hour.
The car of DR.. George Schulz
Vienna, Va, was pulled by Silver
Spring police from the flooded oot.
tom of the underpass. BY the tim,
the physician was pulled. to safety
water had crept up to the seat o.
his car. Police diverted train,
through Philadelphia avenue.
The Silver Spring police also re.
ported that several chimneys OF
houses were struck by lightning.
Takoma Park police reportet
barricades were placed on severa
streets flooded by small creeks
swollen by the downpour. They ais.
reported lightning struck a pole
knocking high-tension wires dowl
in the 2700 block of Flower avenue
Lightning Damages Suburbs.
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