The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-02-14

sickness and suffering The city has arranged
to provide for itself. kilograms have been
received to-day from Chicago, New Yorl,
and elsewhere offering assistance.
The school board has closed the schools in
the vicinity of the flooded district, and the
houses are placed at the disposal of the re-
lief committee for use by homeless people
A systematic visitation was made to-day to
all parts of the city, and all cases OF distress
were promptly relieved.
The militia, in still larger numbers, is
aiding the police tonight. Coal
oil lights have been placed
in the streets in the business portion OF the
city to aid the patrol by boats. No cases of
pilfering have been reported. Two false
alarms of fire tonight gave rise to a suspicion
that it was the work of thieves.
The water is deep enough on Pearl street
to allow skifs to run within one square and
half of the Burnet House 1t reaches the
market-house at Pearl and Broadway.
No essential change in the railroads.
Trains still run on the Cincinnati, Hamil-
ton & Dayton, though the track is COW
cred with water for a short distance.
The mails are very much delayed,
owing to the entire suspension of navigation
and abandonment of so many trains. The
city service is also greatly confused on ac-
count of inability 10 reach many portions OF
the city. No just estimate of the damage
can be made now. When an attempt is made,
the people talk only of millions.
The river has been falling at Ports
mouth, lis miles above, since last
midnight, and has fallen eight inches
There has been fall of eight inches at Pom
eroy This gives hope that the worst is over
here.
The river was six-fve feet and one-half
inch at 10 o'clock tonight, and falling. A
brisk steady rain is falling and the weather
is warm,
PROMPT RELIEF MEASURES.
The recommendation of the Common
Council to ask the Legislature for aid
was sent by telegraph, the West
ern Union Company giving the free
use OF its wires for the purpose. Within
half an hour a bill was intro
duced and passed in the Senate au-
thorizing the city to borrow 100000
and the bill sent to the House. Among the
contributions here to-day was 81 900 from R.
R. Springer and $500 from David Sinton
Chicago firm sent $3.50.
THE Loss TO BUSINESS.
MI
houses and manufactures will amount to
$l,50000O Included in this is the suspen-
sion of distilleries In the bottom dis
tricts fifty wholesale grocery houses are
under water; ITO commission houses
are affected by the food. These with the in
Vulnerable small businesses in this district
alone, will bring the actual loss to several
hundred thousand dollars. West and east
of it, on up Mill creek valley, are the
large manufacturing sections, from which
over 10000 employees men women and chill
dren.-have boon out off by the VICTOR.
Adding to this the cessation of labor and
business in smaller lines, the number of
working people throughout the city in en-
forced idieness by the food will reach So 900
Averaging their wages at 81 per day shows
fully $500 taken from the poor daily. One
cannot estimate the great suffering entailed
for coming weeks upon this class.
Duration of the Floods of 1882 and 1sA7.
There is no authentic record of the dura-
ton of the great flood of 1882, which, until
this time has been so exultingly referred to
by the oldest inhabitant at each recurrence
OF rise in the river. An Enquirer reporter
called at the city water-works Office yester-
day to ascertain how long it had lasted, and
was informed that they had no record of the
time. Several old residents were interviewed
in regard to the matter, but their remem-
brance in regard to time was very indistInct
Said an old gentleman, who was approached
on the subject: 81 have no distinct recollec
ton of the food but | know that lived at
the time in one of the upper stories of house
on Main street, between Second and Pearl
streets, and know that l was cooped up for
nearly a week" Another gentleman, who
lived lower down and nearer the river, said
ne lived in the third floor of his home for
three weeks He said: Il also remember
seeing from my second-story window the
Covngton ferryboat sail up Main street and
unload its passengers on Pearl street"
A brief description of the food of 1847 in
book shown reporter by Superintendent
Moore OF the City Water-works, says that
the pumps of the water-works shut down on
account of high water on the morning of
Dec. Is; that the river continued to rise until
the 18th, and that the pumps could not re-
sumo operations until the morning of the
2lst," showing that this flood must have con-
tinued for over week.
Scenes and Incidents.
coIlated from Cincinnati Papers.
Like the huge elbow of some great inland
sea, the river sweeps majestically around the
bend which is crested by the hills of Eden
Park. From the crown of that hill the