CLOUDBURST over Rushden late on Friday afternoon did tremendous damage to property and was the fiercest storm within living memory.

The rain, admittedly, was just what was wanted, but the town was taken aback by the suddenness and ferocity of the downpour.

Hundreds of pounds worth of goods were destroyed, and so fierce was the downpour at times that windows were broken, cars stranded in 50-yards stretches of water on main thoroughfares, factories had to close, manhole covers danced merrily on the top of cascades, and springs burst their channels.

It was a storm the like of which has not been seen in living memory.

Thursday had been sultry, and on Friday morning the air was so "close" that everyone was predicting a downpour. About quarter to five there was a flash of lightning and then—rain.

30 Inches Deep

It was not ordinary rain, either, but literally bucketsful. Within 10 minutes one stretch of the High-street was 2 ft. 6 ins. under water, and shopkeepers found their basements flooded almost before they could seize a broom to stem the onslaught.

The main areas flooded were High-street (bottom of Queen-street), the bottom of Hayway, College-street (outside the schools), Duck-street (of course!—in three low-lying parts), the junction of Wymington-road and Bedford-road.

In Higham Ferrers, cottages on the Higham-Rushden boundary, opposite Wellingborough-road, were flooded, and the residents had a busy time baling out.

The cottages at North End, below the Walnut Tree, received more flood water than they could control, situated as they are at the bottom of two long inclines.

Nevertheless, Higham was one up over Rushden in that five minutes after the storm abated the drains had taken away all the water, and none was left standing in the streets.

Rushden drains were so glutted that after the climax, at 5 o'clock, it was close upon half-an-hour before the water in High-street, for instance, was carried off, though in Duck-street the brook did yeoman service. But the townspeople had a sorry story to tell.

From Boot Making to Water Baling - Girls have to be Rescued from High Street Factory

So fierce was the torrent from the sky that windows in Messrs G Selwood and Co.’s factory were smashed.

Operatives in all departments at Messrs John White’s Newton-road factory had to turn from boot-making to water baling.

The High-street factory, lying as it does in the path of water escaping down "Cock's-yard" into Duck-street, several girls had to be carried out of the floods.

Messrs. R. Tarry and Co.’s factory in Duck-street, at the bottom of College-street, perhaps suffered most of all the works. The swirling waters burst through the door as if sluice-gates had been raised, and one department was knee-deep before a man could say "knife"—or any other word that came into his head!

A dozen stalwarts worked with a will— and with buckets—to keep Messrs. John Cave's factory in College-street clear, and with a real measure of success.

Marriott's Garage, at the foot of a run-down from the High-street, was thoroughly washed, and cans and boxes were floated. Nothing could be done. The pit was three parts full, and a considerable amount of gravel and sand was washed down.

Messrs. Hollis Bros., in Duck-street, were extraordinarily lucky. The river stayed 'way from their door!—and the only damage done was in the bakehouse, and that was trifling.

Floating Shoes

A considerable quantity of shoes were "floated" by an inrush of water in Mr. P. W. Wills' "Corner Shop" at Ward's Corner, and across the road, at Messrs. E. Abington and Sons' premises, the rain came in the roof and damaged a special window display of goods.

Mr. G. W. Battersby's side of Queen-st was more fortunately situated than the other corner in the High-street, but somehow the assistants at the Star Supply Stores kept out the water with brooms and matting.

A cellar at The Louvre, almost filled with stock, was completely submerged, and the floor of the shop itself was several inches under water. Yet the Empire Meat Co., next door, suffered no damage at all—though they nearly lost a packet of skewers which started to float away!

Among the other shops which reported damage were Hooton's Bazaar, where the water went up the far end of the shop ruining much stock, and Messrs. Poole's though most of their stock was off the ground level.

The trouble there was mainly due to the traffic passing by. Every time a bus, for instance, ploughed through the 2ft. 6in. floods its great wash swept into the shops, carrying all before it.

Two perambulators from Messrs. Poole's floated out into the roadway, but were quickly retrieved.

Messrs. Woolworth's basement was flooded, though the shop itself was safe. At Messrs. Curry's the water was knee deep, and at Messrs. Hepworth's a foot deep. Messrs. Tomalin and Son's premises were flooded, and a manhole lid was flung off in the passage leading to the Misses Tail's hairdressing saloon. Their waiting room was invaded by the water, but little damage was done.

"Stream"of Traffic Held Up - Tyre Completely Wrenched From Car Wheel

The climax of "the great adventure," as an old inhabitant put it, came when the storm was ceasing, and an omnibus, passing through the main expanse of flood in High-street, got water in its carburettor, and stopped dead.

About 20 cars and buses behind were held up, and the other stream of traffic (stream is a good word!) was held up by a small car in a similar plight at the other end of the flood. They got away eventually, but traffic for a while was completely dislocated.

Rain ceased, and then at six o’clock started again, heavily. But its fury was spent, and it soon left off again. And as the waters departed along the wake mud, grass, sand and gravel, and the strangest miscellany of flotsam.

The tyre of a car travelling along Wellingborough-road, was wrenched off while passing through water close to “Heatherbrea”.

Long Haydens, the riverside lido on the road to Bedford, was visited by a thunderbolt, which struck an iron roller and was “shorted” with a blinding flash. Luckily no one was close by.

Theatre Closed - The Royal Theatre Was Unable to Present Its Programmes at Either "House"

The water collected to a depth of 3ft. in the stalls, and although the seating was not seriously damaged, the carpets had to be taken up, and men were working all night in an attempt to clear the water and prepare the theatre for this evening's performances. There will be no matinee, but the manager (Mr. C. W. Sell) says the programmes will be as usual to-night.

The actual rainfall at Rushden was two inches, but where it was needed, at Sywell, only 0.61 inches was recorded. The level of the reservoir now stands at 15ft. 10in. below the overflow cill—a rise of just over half an inch.

The story is told of members of Council Surveyor's staff watching from their office windows the amusing antics of a manhole cover objecting to "the powers beneath" which threatened to uproot it.

Mr. J. W. Lloyd was not questioned on the accuracy of this suggestion, but it is a fact that outside the offices, and in Park-road, streams six feet wide were tearing along the gutters and on the pavements.

Messrs. Walter Sargent and Co., in Glassbrook-road, had to cease work at the factory when rain came in the roof, and the operatives devoted their energies to brushing and baling the water out. It was ankle-deep everywhere.

All the houses on the top side of Beaconsfield-terrace were invaded, water pouring down the garden paths into kitchens and sitting rooms, and bringing with it mud from the gardens.

The Rectory had its share. The rain came in torrents down the slopes of the garden, and was stored up behind the walls to a depth of over a foot and even oozed through the stonework.

Church Invasion

Water gushed in a torrent from yards at the rear of the Independent Wesleyan Church in High-street, and the church and schoolrooms were flooded.

The Rev. C. J. Keeler, who was on the premises when the storm broke, found a basement classroom filling to a depth of about two feet. In a few minutes the stokehold was full, while muddy water, said to contain evil-smelling matter from the sewers, covered the church floor. Vestries and ante-rooms were in a sorry condition.

The minister and more than a dozen helpers spent the whole evening baling out of the basement classroom, and found that floorboards had bowed up to a height of three or four inches. This room will not be fit for use to-morrow. The church had to be cleaned out by a special staff this morning, but it will be possible to hold the Sunday services.

Two oil drums from the backyard of a shop, floated into Alfred-street, and coke drifted all over the road.