The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1884-02-23
THE FLOOD AT PADUCAH.


Towns Entirely Inundated--The Waters
Beccding at Cincinnati.
PADUcAH, Ky, Feb. IL.
Paducah claims attention as the scene OF
to-dsy's food sensation. Tho $4,000 people
of this pretty little city got up this morn
ing to find that the flood had wiped out all
previous records. The fact that the high
water of 1883 has been eclipsed here, while
the stage is below last year at shawnee
town and other points above, is easily ac--
counted for. The great volumes of water
from the Cumberland and the Tennessee
are turning out and adding to the Ohio.
The water is now twenty -four inches higher
at Paducah than it was last year, and has
risen all day at the rate of one inch an
hour. Three days ago it had wiped out.
Front and the first two thoroughfares par
allel with the river. pais noon the water
extends back into the business heart of the
city, and the merchants on Broadway and
the cross streets tour blocks back from the
river are scaifolding up their goods.
by atuai observation aud count the
| streets surrounding torty-three blocks in
the business portion are submerged. Where
| pavemens are high aad the first floors of
the building step or two above the side
! walks, the water has not entered, but
| where the difference in level between the
! floors and the streets is slight
| there is from three inches to two
! feer of water in the stores and
business establishments Along Broad
! way, in front of the II chmond House and
some of the large Wholesale places, the only
/ means of passing are raised planks or
skihis. The situation is novel, even to old
/ Paducahans, to 60 out five blocks from the
! river and look up ana down and see a
| stretch of water extending to the city's
| limits in both directions, with scores of
skffs plying to and FRO where vehicles were
three days ago, Is sight which the Oldest
| inhabitant does not remember to have
seen paralleled.
Paducan is now an island, and the dry
land is being reduced rapidly every hour,
for the rise to the center Ot tue plateau
which is the city's siJo is very gradual.
| Fortunately many OF the houses are e.e-
waited from one to three feet above the
streets level. Were they not the water
would be on three-iourtns Of the lower
floors in Paducah at this writing AS it is
the houses from which the people have
been driven number hundreds, aud those
the front doors of which can be reached
only by boating can be counted by the
thousands. As the water advances the
hogs and cows are driven III upon the dry
land, and now stand in droves IN tue CEN
| trial streets.
The city has to-day located number of
free skiH ferries TO enable the people to get
from one portion of the city to another.
The fires at the gas-works were reached last
night in spite OF bulk-heading, and tonight
the city has fallen back on lamps and can.
dies. This is city of churches, but such
was the Generalization to-day that services
were not attempted in any but the Method
ist and these only in the morning. All
day long the streets, such S were passable,
were thronged with people looking at the
/ extraordinary spectacle. Merchants are at
! | a loss to know what to 40. Mr. Lyle, who
: carries one of the largest stocks of goods
here, has made two moves, he said tonight.
| and is afraid now that his stock isn't high
enough. j. X. Smith, wholesale grocery
| Mt he, has "a fapt
deep, has already moved his stock once,
and says tonight that ii there is another
I foot more he will have to go into the water
and move the goods again. The tobacco
| warehouse people are i'll the most critical
position. They have hundreds of thousands
I | of dollars worth of tobacco on hand, which
they have been raising up rs the water adj
a vanced. The warehouses are great struct-
ures, but portions OF them stand in water
. twenty feet deep. The collapse of one of
{ these structures now would be attended
. with great loss. In many places the cur
i rent of the water through the streets is five
and six miles an hour. Her streets are Pa
durah's pride, but they viii be in sad con-
y dition after all this washing and wearing.
J.. Nothing has arrived from the Cumher-
), land or Tennessee, and the situation in
those rivers is unknown. There can be no
> doubt but that it is bad enough, however,
judging from the wafer coming out of them.
S The water at midnight covers over one
. half the area of Paducah, which has river
!, front of three miles, and aidepth back from
the river of one mile. People who can
e sleep under the trying circumstances have
gone to bed, prepared TO see almost any
c thing in the way OF water bY morning.
Captain Dick Morrow, of tho steamer
= ! NeSpit, reports the drowning Of a colored
3 man aud child in Indian Greek, just above
7 Clifton, and the miraculous escape of a
I. woman and two children. a cOlored man
AMI his wife and four children had started
in canoe to make their way out OF the
l'high water caught by the overflow of In
Y dian Greek, upthe Tennessee, when, in pass
7, ing down the creek, the canoe ruck tree,
;, and threw all OF tile oc, upants into the wa
. ter. The current was very swift, and the
: father and one child were soon swept be-
meath, but the mother caught two OF the
O children and saved them and herself. In
falling from the boat the woman was
- thrown against a small tree, and around
: this she wrapped her arms with a child m
e each hand and saved her life and two chill
n dren, one a babe and the other only year
. or two old.
~ Wen informed citizens say that 100000
~ will not begin to cover the actual damage
w to property in the city, leaving out OF all
Is question the stoppage of ,actories and all
y trade. An examination OF the gauge, which
- is now reached by Il pontoon, since dark
-" SHOWS stage of 52.l feet.
" Trains got out of town to-day by adopt
W ing novel expedlcnt The passenger
10 coaches were put in front OF tram OF thr-
~ ty freight cars and pushed Through the
- overlooked portion. Ihen anOuhef engine
le was attached and the train taken OUT
le This will be attempted tomorrow, but the
m railroad men are not sauSuine OF keeping
"A up. connection longer than another day.
- New Liberty, twelve miles above here, is
~ entirely abandoned, ami nothinS but tue
Id roofs OF houses can be seen. The situation
is but little better with many other points.
10 Four-ftths of Smithland, situated at the
~ mouth of the Cumberland, is under water.
H. Rose Claire. Birdsview, Raleigh, Elizabeth
k, town, Falrplay and FREQ f ghI are all sub
N merged. The front portion of Caseyville is
. under water to depth o. ten or twelve