The daily gazette., 1883-02-17
THE WESTERN FLOODS.
THE CITY OF LOUISVILLE SUB.
MERGED.
RESPONSE TO THE CALLS FOR AID
Louisville In Darkness and GloOm-The
Waters RecediDg in Cincinnati-rhe
Floods In Other Places.

fortunate flood sufferers. The river came
| to standstill, the sun came out bright and
warm, and the worst seemed over. Abou
| B O'Clock, however, terrible storm of wind
and rain blew up, and now, looking ou
over the floods, it seems as though the
heavens and earth had met in one avalanche
| Of water. The river is again rising, and
higher water is reported between this and
Cincinnati, and even more disastrous scenes
\ than those of the past week are hourly ex.
pected.
Yesterday the water works we're stopped.
| To-day the water burst through the back
wall encircling the gas works, and at this
writing the city is enveloped in the deepest
gloom, the occasional Pickering of the oil
lamps through the windows making the
darkness more appalling. For six weeks
past the city has been infested with gangs OF
desperadoes, who have sand-bagged from
four to a dozen people nightly. In the
darkness and rain tonight, with thousands
of men made desperate by want, nobody
knows what to expect. All who can keep
in their houses are afraid to leave them.
Great furniture wagons have been driving
through the streets all day, gathering up
clothing and food for the unfortunate
sufferers. Depots have been established all
over the city where the charitable can leave
aid. The prospect was never more gloomy
than 1t is tonight.
THE DANGER INCREASING.
The city is now surrounded by water on
all Sides except a email portion of high
ground ON the south. The river still con-
tinues to rise, and 1t is onlya matter of time
when all such houses as have been on the
brink of danger will be submerged. Each
hour houses are being swept away by the
foods; and, standing in the centre of the
city and looking out across the river, one
can see them come by, some bottom up
wards, some with only the roof appearing
above the surface and all containing more
or less of the household goods belonging to
their once occupants.
To day, Captain E. L. Dobbins, the super
intendent of our life-saving district, whose
headquarters are at Buffalo, arrived by way
of Indiana, he having found it impossible to
get through from Cleveland by way of Gin
cinnati.
INCENDIANIEs AT WORK.
To add to the gloom and almost terror
that prevails tonight, an immense fire has
just broken out out in the Northeastern part
of the city, lighting over half the city. The
fire broke out in large Touring mill, and
owing to the waters, which have cut
off six-eighths of the city from that
section, the 1remen have great diff
while the flames burn with apparent
ferocity. 1t is believed to be ineendiary,
| aud it is also feared there will be many sim
liar fires during the night. The Mayor has
just sworn in 60 men as policemen, and the
/ Marshal of the city court, with force of IL
| men, has rendered his services. If deemed
necessary, the military remaining in the city
| will be called out on patrol duty. In any
event, should the waters recede forthwith,
the city will remain in darkness, for it
would take four days to get up supply of
gas. The storm is abatiDg and the rain is
not falling SO fast.
DEsTITUTToN IN CINCINNATI.
CINCINNATI, Feb. 16.-The river is fall
ing, and the misfortunes attending the flood
are becoming more and more apparent.
Thousands of men are out of work, and
must be for some time yet. The subsidenee
Of the waters will leave a vast deposit of
mud of more or less malarial character, the
baleful effect of which will be aided by the
decay of thousands of carcasses of animals
drowned by the flood and washed into out
| of-the-way places, where their presence will
| he only detected later on. Should the
weather turn cold, and so remain 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.
The water works have succeeded in start
| ing their largest engine, and have increased
/ the depth of water in the reservoir two feet
| to-day, and the worst from that source is be-
| lieved to be over. The gas works are in
readiness to resume work as soon as the
water goes down to sixty feet. But day
or two will elapse before the water can be
| pumped from their pipes. They hope TO be
able to give gas by Monday, possibly Sun
| day night. The raising OF money for relief
continues, and the flood of contributions
from abroad is something marvellous. Not
a small part of the overcrowding of business
in the telegraph offices comes from that
source. It has been wonderful, and has
| touched the heart of Cincinnati in way
| that will never be forgotten.
The Controller to-day paid Treasurer
Urner $50, 900 out of 100000 authorized by
the State. Over 10000 people are now
being fed by the committee. The Standard
Oil Company instructed by telegraph, this
morning, Mr.. L. M. Dayton to draw on
them for 81 600. There is barlicade on
/ each side of the pavement of the relief COM
mittee's headquarters, aud a stalwertpolice-
| man at each one to keep back the crowd.
No individual applications for relief
are considered at the central office
| They are referred to the proper district sup
4
| been distributed to-day. The work of grap-
pling for bodies supposed to have been
drowned at the Southern Depot, was com
| menced this morning. The railroads running
| into Cincinnati as yet nave not suffered any
great amount of damages by high water, ex-
| cept the loss of traffic. Slight repairs will
have to be made on some of them, and In a
few instances bridges have been swept
away.
IN OTHER PLACES.
WABASH, IND, Feb. 16.-Much live stock
and growing wheat have been destroyed
by the floods in this section. The damage
done in the past 10 days will amount to
| 800 900.
MEMPHIS, TENN, Feb. 16.-The river al
noon to-day marked within two feet seven
| inches of the extreme point reached last
| spring. 1t is rising at the rate of 10 inches
| per day, and viii surely go over the banks
below here in many places, where the leveea
| broke last year and were not repaired. The
| planters are making preparations for the
i worst. So far there has been no Interrupt
tion of railroad travel on auy lines leading
out of the city.
| CAIRO, ILL, Feb. 16.-The river mea-
sures 46 feet inches and is rising rapidly.
| 1t lacks @ feet inches of being as high as
| last year. No serious damage is appre-
hended from the overflow unless a heavy
rise comes from the Mississippi. The Wa
bash and st. Louis and the Narrow Gauge
railroads have suspended business on ae-
count of the tracks being overflowed
ST. LOUIS, Feb. 16.-A heavy rain has
fallen most OF the day, and there is a pros.
pect that it will continue the temperature
being mild. The ice and snow are disappear