The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1883-02-21
THE FLOODS.
The City of Louisville Flooded-A Square
Mile under Water The Midnight
Alarm-Graph1c Description.

The Waters Still Carrying Destr uction in
their PATH Heartrending Scenes.
NEW ALBANY, Ind, February 13.-
The river rose eighteen inches last night,
and is still rising. All houses and fac
tories along the river are abandoned.
The water got into the furnaces of the
glove works and the fires are all out.
Mr.. Depauw will lose at least 100000.
About 3, 900 persons are out Of employ
ment. No estimate of the loss yet.
From three to five hundred families had
to move and every available room on
high ground is filled. The railroad track
between here and Jeffersonville is aban-
doned and the ferry boats are only max
ing occasional trips to the Kentucky
side.
EVANSVILLE, February l3.-The river
is forty-three feet eight inches, but not
rising so fast to-day. There is not dam
age done in the city, but great deal in
the low lands between Evansville and
Henderson.
MADISON, February 13.-Not much
damage here so far. AS the railroad de-
pot is flooded and the track under water
for some distance, all the trains stop at
the foot of the hill. The river is still
| rising.
HARDENTowN, Ind, February 13.-
f,f fA on far pa n
The damage will be very heavy, can't
be estimated till the water goes down.
| It is now about three feet higher than
| last February and up to morning raised
| an inch per hour. IaWrenceburg is en-
| tirely covered, some houses to the second
floor The entire village Of Hardentown
is covered. Some of the people had to
| abandon their houses entirely.
| SHAWNEETOWN, ILL.,, February 13.-
The river is rising an inch and a quarter
an hour and the citizens are moving
into the second stories. Much alarm is
felt.
| CINCINNATI, February 13.-The river
at II o'clock was sixty-four feet and ris-
ing slowly. 1t will certainly reach six
ty-fiye feet before it begins to fall. The
weather is cloudy and warm. The wa
/ ter works engines are idle and there is
water enough in the reservoir for six
days The police report no increase of
crime consequent on the lack of gas last
night A brick dwelling house on Och
Ter street fell this morning; no lives were
lost Much sickness is found among the
imprisoned people in tenement houses.
Relief boats are busy visiting all such
places and ample means are at hand to
prevent suffering.
LOUISVILLE, February 13.-Business
is suspended on account of the floods.
The Mayor is feeding the poor The
flood is the greatest that ever befell the
| CITY. The crisis came at midnight. To-
day square mile Of territory within
the city limits is submerged and 5000 to
5000 people are driven from their homes.
There has been loss Of life also, but it
is impossible to say how great. This
morning the city from Preston street
east to the cutoff and north to the Short
line fill is in the river. The residents
had plenty of warming, having seen the
disaster coming since yesterday morning
but We're infatuated and stuck to the
bottoms of old Bear Grass creek, and
most of them went to bed as usual.
About IL o'clock the crash came and the
water breaking the dam, the embank-
ment came down with a loud roar, flood
ing the entire low ground. People were
surprised in their houses. The roar OF
water could not drown the screams OF
terrified ones escaping from the doomed
dwellings. Skiffs shot about from WIN
dow to window: men, women and child
rem waded through the waters, each
with whatever household goods they
could lay hands on. Bonfires glimmered
from the higher ground which the poor
| ol1tcasts had gained and hundreds of
people shivered in their wet clothing
about the smoky fires. To an observer
who stands at the foot of Jackson, Shell
by or Clay streets, it is impossible to un-
derstand why the loss of life is not large.
/ The experience of last night beggars de-
scription People who were blissfully
sleeping in foolish confidence that the
embankment would shelter them, were
suddenly awakened by the food coming
| into the house. The stroke was like
| lightning and in the darkness and cold
they fled to watery death, half clothed
and carrying nothing with them save
the children and the helpless.
/ CINCINNATI, February ia shock
ing disaster is reported by telephone
/ from the western part of the city. Both
the freight and passenger depots OF the
Cincinnati Southern railroad have been
undermined and fell into the surround
ing water, carrying with them hun
dred or more people. The depots were
| one-story frame structures, and resting
on Mclean avenue, which was almost
covered with water. Both sides We're
filled by water from thirty to fifty feet
deep. The bank had become soaked SO
as to melt, and the catastrophe was fur
ther hastened by the breaking Of sewer