The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-02-21
CINCIN Natl.
The River Failing, But Other Misfortunes
just Com nl sn ned-Eears a Pc It

The River Failing, But Other Mist0rtunes
just tCommeDced-Fearso OF a Pestirs saees
CTKOfENATI Feb. I7.-At o'clock this
morning the river stood sixty-two feet, ten
inches; at q 1o'clock, nine and a half inches;
at O'Clock, seven inches; at o'cloekS six
inches; and at 20 o'clock, five and half
inches, showing fall of only half an inch
in the last hour. It rained nearly all night,
but is much colder this morning. The wind
and falling water disturbed many houses
1t is still cloudy and the wind is frornsthe
west. Tire total decline lacks an inch end
a half of being fouz feet.
The river is now sixty-two feet two end
one-half inches p. ma fall of half an
inch in the last hour. The weather is
cloudy mercury 3i'.
There are some unpleasant features coz
nected with the present catastrophe that
bring out,Strikingly the wickedness of man
kind or womankind. Yesterday female
with a small babe in her arms called ct the
CoviDgton engine house, and having related
pitlful story of her unfortunate circum.
stances was furnished with an abundance
of good things She departed, and
shortly after another woman approached the
scene bearing the identical baby that hsd
been there before. She went through the
same pathetical business, bringing tears to
the eyes Of Mrs.. Hogan, and melting the
usually sympathetic heart of Colonel Orville
Winston like SNOWFALL on a red-hot stove.
She was provided for like her predecessor,
and went away rejoicing. Scarcely fifteen
minutes had'passed when third one made
her appearance. carrying the same precious
specimen of infsntile humanity. She tried
the same old racket, bnt the machinery was
out of gear and the thing didn't operate.
The river is falling, but the extra misfor-
tunes have but Just commenced. Thousands
of men areout of work, and while private
premises will give work for many for quite
a while. relief will be needed for several
days yet by thousands. The subsidenoe
of the waters will leave a vast deposit Of
mud of a more or less malarial char
acter, whose baleful effects will
be aided by the decay of thousands of car
cases of animals drownded by the flood and
washed into outof-the way places. where
their presence Will be detected only by thsir
decay later. Should the weather turn cold
and remain so for some time, it will not be
so bad, but should the remainder of the
winter be mild, pestilence and death
will stalk ruthlessly through this valley
later on. The water should, at the
expected rate Of fall. be off the streets by
Monday morning. By that time the riss
from above slsoNld be here and may check
the tall and possibly cause small rise,
bringing the water to phenomenally high
plane for ordinary years, but it is not ez-
pcCtcQi1b WHY fcdCu bu1AB pfce
ent state.
The greater magnitude of the disaster. in
the larger cities has caused the condition of
smalli country towns Immediately above
here to be overlooked. In fact, they have
been inaccessible for days. Their condition
is about as here, except that the whole Of
them are in most cases entirely submerged
in some places nearly all the roofs being
covered and the people driven rom
their homes. They need aid as
badly as any. In one place bread
has been selling at fifty cents a loaf. The
estimate last night that 5000 people, With
in radius of twenty-five miles of 9Snein-
natl, were more or less affected by the 3ood,
is thought by many to be too small some
putting il at 10000. The first figures are
probably more nearly correct, though pos
sibly two small. The railroads cumming
into Cincinnati as yet have not'sufeTed any
great amount of damage by water, except
the Loss of traffic.
"a. m-The river is still falling an inch
an hour, reaching sixty-one feet seven
inches at p. m. The temperature is falling.
There has been great activity all day, and
continuing tonight in cleaning. houses that
are left by the receding waters. Additions
to the relief fund to-day aggregate nearly
$40 600.