The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-02-17

every side and the like of which never before
met the view OF any resident of the Licking
Valley. The amount of damages which this
city has suffered is beginning to become ap-
parent in its terrible reality. All estimates
as to the loss at the present moment would
be mere conjecture.
The news that the river was beginning to
decline cast CLEAN of eheerfulness over the
anxious multtudes. 1t was the only thing
| talked of about the city, and passed quickly
among the eagerly-listenng crowds. There
was general sense of relief, to which moth
ing IS wanting save the assurance that the
worst had actually passed.
Throughout the day hundreds of those
who have been driven from their homes
gathered at the waters edge and watched in
tently the variations in the flood. The out
look to many of them had little that was
comforting. Men strolled about with babes
and children in their arms and watched
from the most convenient point their now
deluged little homes. The scene was one
which no one would care to see more than
once.
The sight-seers yesterday were more nu-
merous than on any day previous, Hun
| dreds of skiffs, yawls and other river craft
were kept busy carrying from place to place
the eager crowds who thronged hither from
| Covlngton, Cincinnati and other places adj
jacent Even the farmers for miles around,
| dressed up in their Sunday clothes, came to
| town with their wives and children to be-
hold the flooded cities The Covington end
of the Licking bridge was black with people
whose interest in the situation here had
| been aroused by the overwhelming Inisfor-
tune which has overtaken the city and its
people. The spectacles presented were such
| as could not fail to paw the observer
The continuance of the water in
/ the bottoms, showed its effect in houses be-
| ginning to float out into the stream and in
| the multitude of old fences, gates, barrels,
| buckets garbage boxes, tin cans, cstern tops,
| out-houses, transoms, tubs washbOards, ETC.,
| iloated around promiscuously on the surface
| of the water At other points houses and
| cottages just commencing to become loose
from their foundations were rocking to and
| fro, and many chimney was shaken from
| its elevation to a place beneath the water.
One of the singular features of the work of
| destruction was the tenacity. not to say folly,
with which numbers of families chung to
! their homes, even after they had begun to
float in the water To such an extent was
| this carried, that on several occasions the
police and firemen had to use force to get
some of them out OF the dwelling to place
| of safety.
The desperation OF these unfortunate peo-
| pie is truly pitiful. The majority OF them
were the owners of their houses, which had
| been erected in many cases with the hard
earned savings of many years. To see them
swept away so unexpectedly proved too much
| for human nature.
Notwithstanding the vigilance of the au-
thorities, a gang of scoundrels have made
their appearance in this city, many of them
| iail-birds from Cincinnati and Covington.
They seem to be organized, and are waiting
an opportunity to pounce upon the deserted
houses in the flooded district. for the pur-
| pose of Selling what valuables are left The
energy of the police and the guards tempo
rarily in charge, in the main, have baff1 ed
their schemes up to the present moment. 1t
is evident, however, that as the flood goes
down more vigilance will be necessary to
stay their ravages Should any of them fall
into the hands of the people they are certain
to be strung up to the nearest lamp-post in
| the moment.
The flood has proved too much for the sol
diers They have decamped with the rest
and have taken up their residence in Cincin-
natl, and yesterday order was received from
the Secretary of War directing that to be
made the headquarters for the next sixty
days. In view Of the great advantages which
it possesses for that purpose, it is suggested
that the government have the barracks
changed into naval academy, and give the
young mariners a chance to lombard Live
/ zey'S lumber pile.