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Floods in Birmingham
Overflow Streets; Stop Cars; Train Off Track
(Associated Press) BIRMINGHAM, ALA.,
July 7--The unprecedented rainfall in Birmingham
showed no signs of ceasing tonight. At 7:30 o'clock the
weather bureau records here showed precipitation of 10.75
inches within the previous 48 hours, and slightly over
seven inches of this was in the twenty-four hours ending
tonight.
All railroad service to the south is in bad
shape. Overflows on the Queen and Crescent, Southern and
Louisville and Nashville have caused delays and in several
cases the annulment of trains.
In Birmingham the
lowlands along Valley Creek and Village Creek are flooded and
many negro residents were taken from their houses in
boats.
At East Birmingham it was estimated that Valley
Creek was nearly a mile and a half wide.
Shades Creek
across the mountain overflowed making it necessary to cut a
spillway at Edgewood Lake to save the dam.
Tidewater
electric cars were unable to run at all today because of
overflowed tracks at various points all the way from East Lake
to Pratt City.
Avondale and Woodlawn also suffered
because there was no car service. On the North Highlands lines
the cars had to stop at the creek, which was several blocks
away, and early tonight passengers were hauled across the
overflowed bridge in wagons.
A Seaboard Air Line train
left the track in Avondale and the passengers had to be
brought to the city in taxicabs.
Boyles, a suburb, has
been cut off all day.
The only death reported was that
of Jim Coleman who was drowned while riding on an improvised
raft near Ensley.
Birmingham as an inland town resorted
to all sorts of methods to handled (handle?) the floods this
afternoon. Fire companies were called out. Motor boats
commanddeered wherever they could be found and a motor fire
truck was sent out with a load of canoes to assist. Fire
engines were pressed into service to pump out basements. The
subway through the station was flooded because of the
overtaxed sewers.
Corn fields below Bessemer were
reported under eight feet of water. Some of the largest
Industrial plants in the district had to shut
down.
President Ward of the city commission prevented
the munition plant from shutting down by putting a large gang
of negroes to work building a dike around the
plant.
Source: Montgomery Advertiser, July 8, 1916
- Transcribed by C.
Anthony.
Heavy Wind Damages
Trussville About $12,000
Special to The
Advertiser.
Birmingham, Ala., Aug. 10--A
report reached here from Trussville, in the norther part
of Jefferson County today that heavy wind and rain which
passed over the county yesterday afternoon did much
damage. The stock house to the Trussville blast iron furnace
of the Southern Iron and Steel Company was blown down.
This stockhouse two years ago cost $10,000. Outhouses,
fences and corn were blown, the total damages being estimated
between $10,000 and $12,000.
Source: Montgomery
Advertiser, August 1, 1912 - Transcribed by C.
Anthony.
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