Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 July 1915 — HEAVIEST RAIN FOR YEARS [ARTICLE]

HEAVIEST RAIN FOR YEARS

Visited Rensselaer and Vicinity Saturday Night, Doing Much Damage to Crops. One of the heaviest rains of recent years and perhaps one in which the greatest amount of water fell in a given time that was ever known here, visited Rensselaer and vicinity Saturday night, beginning shortly after 9 o’clock and continuing withcut cessation until 2 o’clock Sunday morning. The government register at St. Joseph college showed a fall of only 2% inches, but the register is surrounded by trees to such an extent that it probably did not catch all the

water, and the college people do not think the amount registered is correct. Open vessels both in town and country showed a rainfall of from four to six inches. Much damage was done to farm crops. The uncut wheat was beaten still closer to the ground, while oats and grass were likewise beaten down more. Corn fields were covered. with several inches of water in many places and gulleys were washed in the fields where the deluge ot water rushed for an outlet.. In some places tile were washed out of the ground. Road grades were damaged in many places, and it will cost considerable money to repair the small washouts, created by the flood, while the crop damage will probably exceed SIOO,OOO in the entire county, perhaps double that amount. The storm was general through this section and Wolcott, Remington, Goodland and Kentland got it almost as bad as here. In fact Wolcott is «aid to have been one vast lake. It was not as hard in the north part of the county and did not reach as far south as Lafayette.

In Rensselaer basements in the central and east part of town were flooded w’lth from three to five feet of water, and in the east part of town the streets and sidewalks were covered in places with a foot or more of water all day Sunday, notably at the junction of Scott and Harrison streets, and the junction of Cedar and Scott streets, near the former Conrad Kellner property now occupied by Carl Duvall, which was entirely surrounded with a foot of water. Many of the dwellings near the Monon railroad in the east bart of town on both sides of the track, but worse on the south side, were completely surounded by water, in some instances it being right up to the floor of the porches, and the occupants could only get out by wading the water. This condition prevailed to some extent until yesterday. Hundreds of chickens were drowned, Jesse Snyder on the Pleasant Ridge road, whose place was almost wholly surrounded by water yet Monday, losing 350 and two 140-egg incubators that were in his basement. The river continued to rise all day Sunday and was the highest ever known here at . this season. It reached up on the siding of the Sharp studio a few inches and I spread out all over the Day pasture at the east side of the cemetery. Burke’s bridge, north of town, lacked about one foot of being covered, the grade at each side being several feet under water, and was impassible Sunday and Monday. The “kids” got lots of enjoyment out of the high water, Wading and swimming about in the streets and yards, and several young men arrayed themselves in bathing suits and amused an admiring and envious crowd all Sunday afternoon in diving off.the extreme top of the Washington street bridge, a distance of perhaps 30 to 25 feet. They repeated the stunts again Monday afternoon.

The water from the recently oiled streets made a nasty mess in the basements and overflowed yards of North Cullen street and other sections of the city, and the cleaningup process is not a pleasant job. The basements of business houses' that were overflowed suffered some in. goods damaged also. .. Hundreds of country people were caught in town by the storm, while the home people who were up town, were also mar6oned by the deluge. Business houses kept open until midnight and after to accommodate those seeking shelter. The Gayety airdome was filled with marooned until about two o'crock Sunday morning. Scores of women who were caught up town had to roll up their stockings and wade through a foot

or more of dirty water to reach their homes. No rain fell Sunday and Monday and yesterday was bright and pleasant. It is indeed hoped we will not get any more heavy rains until the farmers get their wheat and oats harvested and threshed and their hay put up. With corn plowing, wheat harvest, haying and oats harvest all coming right together, it is making the farmer hump his back to keep all the wheels" moving, and the weather man should give us a few weeks rest.