Weekend Torrents Hit Boston, Cause Floods

The worst storm in seven years lashed Boston over the weekend, dumping close to ten inches of rain on the area. Torrential rains and winds of up to 50 mph caused 19 deaths and millions of dollars' worth of property damage in New England.

The University was comparatively lightly hit, although a spokesman for the Buildings and Grounds Department said that "there has been extensive flooding" in many Harvard buildings.

In Boston the storm, a combination of a two-day northeaster and the backlash from Hurricane Daisy, left a scene of havoc and destruction.

The MTA's Kenmore station was flooded under eight feet of water and service to Newton, Brookline, Watertown and Brighton has been paralyzed since Saturday. MTA officials hope to have the four rapid transit lines back in operation by tomorrow, and in the interim have put emergency Lus service into operation in the affected area.

Fifty emergency crews for the Boston Department of Public Works, aided by Fire Department and Civil Defense personnel, are working around the clock to pump out more than 3000 flooded cellars throughout the city.

Hardest hit were communities west and north of Boston. A state of emergency still prevails in some of these towns. Gov. Volpe ordered state troops into some communities to prevent looting, but rescinded his order when local police auxiliaries were placed on the scene.

The Weather Bureau issued flood warnings for the Charles River yesterday afternoon, but indicates that there is now no danger in the Basin. However, the upper river is expected to crest at four feet today and over six feet on Thursday, flooding lowlands and cellars in the Dedham and Dover vicinity.

Around the University, Buildings and Grounds crews worked 17 hours a day over the weekend with squeegees and pumps to bring the flooding under control. Almost all the Houses had some flooding, but House superintendents maintained that damage was negligible.

Leverett and Quincy appeared to be hardest hit. The courtyard in front of Leverett Towers remained under more than half a foot of water for most of Saturday until Buildings and Grounds crews got their pumps to work.

Mather's basement was equally inundated, and the Quincy superintendent reported that "the wind is blowing rain in through the walls of Mather." New Quincy was plagued by a sewer backup. Two pumps were kept working Saturday and Sunday pumping out the sewers in an effort to remove the unpleasant odor.

Two inches of water seeped into the basement of Lowell House, but no damage was reported. "All students' furniture was up high, and there was no problem at all," according to the superintendent's office.

The tunnels leading from the Central Kitchen to five House dining halls were slightly flooded early Saturday, but immediate action by the Buildings and Grounds Department eliminated possible complications.

In light of the disruption of MTA service, all parochial schools and public high schools in Boston will not begin today until 10 a.m. Harvard classes, as in the past 325 years, will meet at their regular times