While Jim Thorpe was attaining legendary status for his performance at the Stockholm Olympics a century ago, many living in the town destined to take on his name in four more decades were recovering from a fierce storm that caused extensive flooding.
In the July 11 edition, a writer for the Mauch Chunk Daily Times called it "one of the most violent storms in the history of the town."
"It was a veritable cloud burst and the timid were scared almost to death," he stated. "Considerable damage was done principally to the streets which were torn up and plowed through by the torrents of water that took on the appearance of rivers. Telegraph and trolley wires were snapped off by the violent swinging occasioned by the wind storm.
"Trees and uprooted and limbs severed as slick as if done by a keen edge ax. In East Mauch Chunk which is noted for its shady tree beauty, the damage was considerable. Many shade and fruit trees were bodily uprooted while others were damaged by limbs being torn from them.
"Broadway, Mauch Chunk was not unlike a river. It was one sheet of water that even flowed over the pavements and into cellars. At the Opera House, which forms a junction point for all three wards, the flood was fierce. It carried