The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-09
THE FLOOD AND ITS EFFECrs.

gives an idea of the extent of disaster and
suffering entailed upon the people along the
Ohio river by the recent floods. 1t also
serves to emphasize how inadequate are and
must be all the means of relief and assist
ance noble as they have been, and success
full in meeting present and temporary cases
of actual need. No words however strong
and apparently exaggerated, can paint the
scene as it is, or give fair conception of the
experiences already gone through, or the ex-
tent of the effort at recuperation and reha-
Utilization yet to be exerted. So far as the
appearance of things at Lawrenceburg is con-
cerned, the half hundred houses absolutely
swept away count but little but their incon-
lation means much to those who, before the
flood came, found in them hospitable home
with all that word implies What is now to
be seen and what is to be encountered in the
work of reitting and refurnishing, are
streets blockaded with stables, outbuild-
ings, and in some instances dwellings,
piles of lumber, drift of all kinds,
deposits of filth and rubbish, and what seems
to be worse than all, so far as actual inter
ference with business and future probabilities
ofsickness go, immense quantities of shocked
corn fodder, brought into the town from the
bottom lands. This forms sort OF corduroy
mattrass, more or less deep, extending over
large part of the city, mixed with ooze
and slime and filth, over which all traffic
must pass. 1t looks as though the labor of
five hundred men with teams would be re-
quired for weeks to simply clean the streets
from this and from other distractions the
continuance Of which adds to the peril al
ready there of serious sanitary disturbance
There was but one dry floor in the town dur
ing the flOod-that of the Methodist Church.
Every business and dweling-house was I'M
der water for ten or eleven days The water
mark, plainly to be seen on the sides of all
the houses yet, shows the water to have been
nine or ten feet deep at the principal bust
ness corner. This means almost total ruin
to ali stocks of goods, while homes and houses
are water-soaked, and cellars and easements
and yards choke full of slime and
debris Some few residences are in fair order,
but they belong to those best able and pre-
pared to recover quickly The houses of the
poorer and middle classes are absolutely un-
tenantable; yet they are home" and the fam
lilies cling to them, making the best of the
dstrnssful circumstances EiraS an1 tba
weather are at work drying out the buildings,
but it is slow work; and as neither door nor
window can be well closed during the pro-
cess, it is next to impossible to find a COM
Portable room in the whole city during such
weather as We are now having Mud, filth,
dampness water in pools, in cellars in low
yards, furniture gone or practically ruined,
hundreds of houses overturned, wrecked,
lifted from their foundations and tumbled
into the streets, not an outbuilding intact
anywhere, one large brick building abso-
lutely ruined and caved in, streets and pave
ments lying under mud and debris-these
features go to make up the present condition
of Lawrenceburg Fully 200 houses are to
be "righted up" put back upon their foun-
datons and repaired so as to be at all habit
able, while very many of them must be
broken up into kindling wood just where the
subsistence of the waters has stranded them
Many Of the former occupants of these houses
are not now in Lawrenceburg. Some have
gone to relatives and friends in other locali-
ties, others are living with families whose
houses stood up under the wash of the waters,
while there are still a number yet "bunking'
in the upper floor of the courthouse,
building the atmosphere and condition of
which are more those of an underground
vault than anything else 1t is mystery or
providence, how any one can remain in the
courthouse for six hours without contract
ing fatal illness.
But wthal, the people are plucky, and that
counts for much The floods have gone, and
work can be prosecuted in store and dwell
ing. Nothing has been even projected vet
toward replacing or rebuilding the houses
tumbled about in such seemingly hopeless
confusion, because the committee do not
know how much money for such purpose
can be had and it is the desire to treat every
one alike, to give pro rata share to each per-
son needing help. But in the houses still stand
ing the scrubbing brush and the drying mop |
are busy, and the work of readjustment goes
rapidly forward. Merchants are opening
up their stores and bringing down the half !
rnined stocks from the upper stories. Per-
ishable goods, of course, are gone beyond re-
call; but the drying and polishing rag are
used in furnishing up, so far as possible, what
Is sllscentihla of snlvare I'm led innanass