The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-02-15
LOUISVILLE.
The Entire Seven Miles of River Front SUBJ
merged.

merged
LOUISVILLE, Feb. 14-The Ohio river is
forty-one feet six inches, and rising one
inch per hour Reports from upper points
of rain and continued rise in the Ohio create
immense excitement. Business is practically
at a standstill No boats arrive or depart
Trains on the railroads are Irregular, and
many are stopped entirely. Old river men
predict that if the river does not soon
recede, the water will cut across
the east end and surround the en-
tire city. The widest estimates of
damage to property continue to be made
Nobody knows what estimate should be made.
Nothing further is known regarding the
loss of life by the cutoff disaster, owing to
the impossbility of entering the houses, save
by means of divers. The people are on the
streets. and the flood is the only subject of
discussion. 1t is generally agreed that the
loss of life has not been extraordinarily
large.
The river has risen slowly but steadily all
day, and is now rising one inch an hour, but
owing to the preparations made less damage
is being done than at the beginning of
the flood. Owing to the fact that the
former guage marks are far under water
disc-ct;;2 ncies occur in the statements as to
the stage of the river. Enough to say that
IDe NaItT Is ulSuSI Jlldll ever knOWH mere
before. The stage of water at this hour may
safely be put at torty-two feet at the head of
the canal and sixty-eight feet at the foot of
the falls, and worse coming.
All along the seven miles of Louisville's
river front to-day, the water has been creep
ing nto the second stories of buildings and
widening its extent toward the western
boundaries of the city. Perhaps one hun
dred additional buildings have been taken
more or less INTO its watery en-
brace since the last report This morn
ing the heavy embankment of the Short
Line railroad not far removed from the
river 'front.' broke at the foot of Clay street
for sixty feet at one point, the earth being
swept away. The rails andNies are twisted
around, and the road is under water from
First to Vented street, a distance of nine
squares, to depth OF four to ten feet. A lot
of freight cars. kept on the track to prevent
a break, were tossed aside like bubbles, and
are lying in the water at the side of the
track. The sixty-foot break caused twenty
seven houses to be inundated These houses
were hitherto protected by the fill. No loss
of life occurred by reason of the break.
1t 10 o'clock this morning, man and
woman with trunks were seen in skiff in q
portion of the Cutoff district known as the
chute" They had no oars to propel the skiff
A party set off to rescue them, but before
they could be reached the skiff struck a log
and broke in two parts. The man and wamen
were lost before the rescuers could reach
them.
A trunk found broken open contained a
lot of childrens and other clothing. If any
child was with them it was not seen. A
package of visiting cards was found in the
trunk, and bore the name of Rosina NJ.
Griesbaum, which is supposed to be the
name of the-woman lost. There is nothing
to indicate the name of the man,
In the Cutoff district 100 families are liv.
in the most Su bStan tial twO-StOrV houspS
and are furnished supplies by boats kept
constantly running under directions of the
mayor and relief committee These people
refuse to leave homes because thieves are
plundering in every direction at every
available Opportunity Police are patrolling
the district in boats. Last night Officer
Brock fired on party of rascals and wounded
negro, who ESCAPED.
Two brothers, George and John Gray lie
in the garret of their home on the cutoff, ill
with the smallpox, without attention. Dr.
Ed Carrigan rowed out to their relief this