Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 June 1887 — A CLOUD BURST. [ARTICLE]

A CLOUD BURST.

Nanticoke, Pa., Deluged—PeopleTake Refuge on Roofs—s 100,000 Damage in a Few Minutes. On the 9th inst., the town of Nanticoke, Pa., in the mining region near Wilkesbaf re, was almost overwhelmed by a cloud burst, which in forty minutes covered the whole place With water from bne to three feet deep. The sewer on the main street was entirely inadequate to carry off the water, and it burst. The river of water then j made its way through the cellars of tho business houses along the street, soon overflowing them and compelling tho people on the top floors to flee for their lives. The women and children were in the arms of men, and in the drenching rain, which had not yet ceased to fall, theyi were carried across the street and up the hill on Prospect street to higher grounds. The maddened waters soon made channels for itself and rushing through Arch street it partly emptied itself in No. 1 slope of i the Susquehanna L'qal Company. The miners who were at work were ter-ror-stricken. They thought the bottom of the Susquehanna river had fallen in and that it would only be a question of ! time when they would .be caught in the rush and drowned. The signal was given for the men to ran for life, and throwing ! down their tools a rush was made for the opening. All escaped. Ib the deluge the foundation wall of Evan Morris’ house was caved away, and the dwelling went down. The only person in the honse at the time wae Mr. ; Morris, who is totally blind from an accident in this mine. When the house toppled over the stove upset and set fine to the place. The old man’s- cries attracted the attention of neighbors, and the-fire-alarm was rung. This added stiff more consternation to the terror stricken people. The water continued to dash down on the earth, but this did dot deter two or three brave men from going to Morris’ rescue and taking him out of the house. He sustained injuries which, it is believed, will result in death. The water filled into the boiler houses of the Susquehanna Coal Company, quenching the fires and suspending all work in the mine. Thirty tenement houses near by were entirely surrounded by water before the occupants were aware of it. When they realized their condition they got on the tops of houses and were rescued later by a number of men in boats. The water did not cease to do damage until jt reached the Susquehanna river, a half mile distant, and when it began to pour into the big stream the, pressure in the streets was somewhat relieved. The telegraph operator at the Pennsylvania depot noticed that" the main track was blocked by a sand pile about one hundred yards from the depot, and right" on a curve. The fast train for Philadelphia was about due, and, grasping a handkerchief, the operator ran up the track, coatless and hatless, and stopped the train just as it was rounding the curve. The engineer reversed the locomotive so suddenly that the passengers were thrown out of their seats. The water had washed out the road-bed for 150 yards, and the bare ties were hauging to the rails. The loss to property will be over SIOO,OOO. The people say the water came down not in drops, but in heavy mass. It lasted for one hour and forty-five minutes.