Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-02-17
THE WESTERN DELUGE.
LOWER MISSISSIPPI THREATEN.
ED WITH OVERFLOW.

AsheSe water Ever knoWn-Eears
OF sickness Prevalent in Louisville
The River Rising at New Albany
Legislative Relief for the Sufferers
LOUISVILLE, KY, Feb. 16.-The back
water at Washington street had. last
night, Hooded the basement of the Gait
House, and the rear rooms of the base
ment were submerged The water was
several feet deep in the new Short Lines
passenger depot. The situation was prob
ably more dangerous last night than at
any other time, the back water coming
through the sewer in many places. The
river was rising one foot per hour.
the clouds were gathering and it
was expected that there would
be rainfall before morning. The flood
has stopped the machinery in the water
works. In the pumping station, a mile
above the cut of, yesterday morning at 8
O'Clock the water rose so high that the
fires under the boilers were put out and
the engines stopped. There is no danger
OF water famine, as there is twenty
days supply in the Crescent Hill reser-
voir.
Fifteen houses ON the Point floated
away and over the falls yesterday. More
will probably follow. There is already
much sickness among the sufferers.
Health Officer Montgomery says it is moth
ing now compared to what it will be in a
few days. A sanitary commission will be
formed at once, and medical stations fixed
IN various portions of the city where
medicine and the attendance of physicians
will be afforded free.
Contributions in aid of the sufferers
from the floods here have reached up to
date $780, Assistance is coming from
outside places, but Louisville, while
thankful, feels able to take care of her
citizens. JeffersOnviIle and other smaller
places need help.
The river at 1 O'clock to-day reached
the highest pOint-fOrty-fOu feet five
inches-and it is expected to continue
rising slowly the entire night, when it is
hoped that its receding will begin. No
casualties have been reported. Heavy
contributions by citizens continue, and
there is no danger of any one suffering for
food or clothing.
INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 16.-A special dis
patch to the NeUS from New Albany. saws
the river is rising half an inch per hour,
that 1T rose fVe-and-a-half inches last
night, and that more water is coming.
One hundred houses have gone down.
There are 5000 people homeless. 1,20O
houses having washed away. The loss is
over $1,0OO,O00. If the threatened wind
and rain should come the damage will be
greater. Congress, the Legislature and the
people are appealed to for aid. The dis |
tress is very great and cannot be over |
estimated, but there has been no loss of
life. The water is now nearly three feet
above the famous flood of 1882 Immedi- |
ate relief is called for.
The report from Hardentown says the !
river fell there fifteen inches last |
night and is still falling slowly.
the mercury indicating go degrees, with |
indications of rain.
The House of Representatives this after
noon passed an act appropriating 100000
for the relief of the sufferers from the
flood. 1t will undoubtedly pass the
Senate. This is in addition to $4,000
already appropriated. The Board of Trade
Relief Committee are busy collecting
funds and provisions. Additional car
loads of provisions were sent to Lawrence
burg, Jetfersonville and New Albany to-
day. Reports from points ON the Wabash
show that the river is higher than ever
known at Lafayette. This afternoon it
was two feet higher than the flood of two
years ago, which was one foot higher
than ever known, and is still rising. About
half a mile of the Louisville, New Albany
and Chicago Railroad, near Lafayette has
been washed away. A committee of the
Legislature will go to JeffersOnville and
New Albany tonight to investigate the
extent of the damage.
CINCINNATI, Feb. 16.-The water con-
tinues to recede about one and half
inches an hour. At $3.50 a, IN. it was
siXty-fOur feet. This is still an inch above
the highest previous fl0od-that of 1882.
\ brisk wind rising this morning gives
cause for serious alarm to the owners of !
barges of all descriptions. From the first
they have said heavy wind would wreck
and sink every barge in the river No
where has the falling of the water given |
greater joy than in Lawrenceburg, Ind. |
1t is estimated that two hundred |
houses have been overturned or
washed washed away, and that three three
their houses with nothing but the clothes
they had on. The loss must reach $780, |
600. Generous relief has been sent to |
them from Indianapolis, Shelbyville, Gin
cinnai and other places, which has been |
received with unbOunded gratitude. No |
loss of life has yet been reported, but |
there have been many narrow escapes. a |
large furniture warehouse fell in, but |
thirty or forty people in the upper stories |
escaped. Fears are entertained that the |
court house foundations may crumble. |
-Four hundred people are sheltered in that /
building.
CAIRO, ILL, Feb. 16.-The river meas
ureS fOrty-fYe feet six inches, and is ris- /
ing rapidly. 1t lacks six feet five inches |
of being as high as last year, No serious |
damage is apprehended from the overflow !
unless a heavy rise comes from the Mis- |
sissippi. The Wabash and st. Louis and |
the Narrow Gauge Railroads have sus-
pended business on account of their |
tracks being Overflowed. There is an ice |
gorge at Maple Island, on the Mississippi, |
and heavy rains have caused rise of ten |
feet at st. Louis to-day.
MEMPHIS, Feb. 16.-The river at noon |
to-day was within two feet seven inches |
of the danger line and four feet nine |
inches of the extreme point reached last |
spring. 1t is rising at the rate of ten |
inches per day, and will surely go over |
the banks below here in many places /
where the levees broke last year, and |
were not repaired. The planters are max
ing preparations for the worst. So far |
there has been no Interruptions of rail- |
road travel ON any of the lines leading out |
sOf the city.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 16.-A special dis
patch says the floods in the lower Missis-
sippi. near Cairo and Memphis, will /
cause great loss of property. During the |
coming week the citizens at river towns |
in the lower Mississippi valley are warned |
4. .1..r..