The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-08
AROUND THE FALLS.
Present and Prospective Losses in New Al
bany-The River Still Rising.


bany-The River Still Rising.
Special TO the indianapolis Journal.
New ALBANY, Feb. THE river has risen
three feet five inches at this city since P Nj.
yesterday. At o'clock tonight the rise does
not exceed half an inch an hour, and strong
hope is entertained that the flood will begin to
recede tomorrow The channel depth is now &C
feet inches. The depth in the most disastrous
Hoods in the Ohio here is as follows: February,
1882, SO feet; Dec 10, 1S47, 6S feet inch, Feb.
p, 1882 60 feet five inches; Feb. IA, 1885, p
feet The flood sweeping down the river,
therefore, lacks five and half feet of equaling
that of last February. 1t may possibly be in
creased sufficiently to make the difference five
feet In its destructive effects, however, the
flood of the present bears no comparison to that
cf 1888 So far, there has been compare
lively but little loss of property, but
few more inches of a rise will prove
much more destructive. Many manufactures
are this evening on the danger line, and slight
increase in the deluge will bring disaster. The
furnaces of the gass-works are still
safe, but, should the rise be sufficient
to send the water upon them, the loss
to Mr. DePauw will aggregate many thousands
of dollars. The furnaces and annealing ovens
in the plate glass department are yet over one
foot out of the water. The pits of the furnaces
in the window-glass and bottle departments are
flooded but the furnaces proper are considered
safe. Large gangs of men worked all last night
and to-day in removing perishable property from
the works, and all the casting pots which are very
expensive, have been saved. The works closed
down in all the departments last night and
2,000 workmen are out of employment This in
itself is great calamity at any time. but es-
pecially calamitous with great food upon the
city. Quite number of factories, in addition
to the list telegraphed last night closed to-day
including Shrader's furniture works, l. B.
Friends planning MILL Haus's carriage
works, Barth & Co.'S and Hop
kins Brothers extensive tanneries
In all, fully $500 of the workmen of the facto-
ries have been thrown out of employment by the
overflow. This great number of persons in en-
forced idleness, most of them poor men, can not
fail to cause suffering. The needy are being lib
orally cared for by our own citizens and authori-
ties.
So far there have been no casualties by the
flood This is the more remarkable, as boats
have been necessary to carry many families out
of the water. Probably 500 families in all have
been flooded out and compelled to move. Many
of these are comfortably fixed, but most of them
are crowded into buildings to the number of from
three to ten families to the building Quite
number are quartered in our elegant court
house, There is much discomfort and no little
suffering in these closely packed houses.
The entire river bottom west of the city de
voted to market gardening is under the flood.
In some localities the current is fierce, and the
valuable land worth 5000 and 5000 per acre. will
be badly washed and cut up. The build
ings on these farms have suffered but
little. The people in the city and along the
river in the country, being warned of the coming
flood made preparations for it, and are thereby
secured against serious loss.
The river at New Albany is about two miles
wide covering the town of Portland, in Ken
lucky, where much damage has been done. 1t
is a frightful looking deluge, covered with heavy
drift and the debris of wrecked farms and ruined
homes. To the north of the city, and running
through its suburbs a vast muddy lake spreads
over the valley of Falling run, extending far
to the northeastward, and involving many fine
farms in this valley Many houses are covered
to the caves by the flood, and not few of them
are moved from their foundations Some build
ings have topled over.
Telephone reports this evening from Camel
ton, Leavenworth, New Amsterdam, and Mauck-
port say the losses in these towns will not be-
gin to equal those sustained in the flood of last
February.
LATER.-Rivor commenced rising again at
P. NJ, and is now coming up at the rate Of one
and half inches per hour. 1t is raining The
feeling is gloomy and the worst is now feared.
JeffersOnville Hopeful and Full of Pluck.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.
JEFFERsoNvILLE, Feb 7.-,Jeffersonville is by
no means as excited tonight as last night The
rise in the river this afternoon fell off to less
than three-fourths of an inch an hour, and the
news from above satisfied everyone that the
food had reached very near its height The re
lief measures provided for last night, at public
meeting of citizens, and by the council, will be
sufficient to meet all mertorous cases. There
really is not much suffering here Several hun
dred families have been compelled to move, and
the food is upon large portion of the city, but
the damage will be light, as compared to that
done by last winters great overflow The peo
pie prepared for the on-comng water, and the
merchants and grocers on Spring and other bust
ness streets removed their stocks in large part