Morning journal and courier., 1886-02-16
News by Telegraph FROM ALL QUARTERS. THE WATERS GOING DOWN No More Danger From The
 Floods. REFORMS IN THE TARIFF. BIand's Bill Beaten In Con-
 mittee. LAND REFORM IN IRELAND. Bismarck's Surrender To
 The Vatican.
THE WATERS GOING. BACK.


 Great Suffering Caused by the Flood
 in Boston-A Corpse Borne to It's
 Rest Through the Angry Waters
 The Torrents Going DoWR and the
 People Breathing Free.
 BOSTON, Feb. 15.-Bostonians breathe easier, for the waters have began to subside. There has been fall of about twelve inches in the flooded district and it is thought the bulk of the water will run off within forty eight hours. The worst features of the flood are revealed by the subsiding waters in the sunken sidewalks, bulged foundations and torn up streets. In many instances the current has forced hole ten feet deep through the pave ment and foundations of dwellings into the cellars, finding an outlet by some door or window. The board of guardians have all they can attend to sup plying food, fuel and other necessaries to the distressed, but they consider themselves equal to the task and have declined assist ance from the associated charities. There was food enough at the headquarters to-day to feed two thousand people. By system established by the overseers of the poor all the families eeding assistance were promptly supplied with whatever they re- quire, food, fuel, clothing, etc. This was done by means of some twenty boats manned by the police and longshoremen. There were thousands confined to their houses and they appeared very grateful for the assist ance rendered. Dr. Dixwell has offered his piloted around in one of the relief boats at tending to the sick. The effect of the universal dampness is beginning to tell upon the health of the people and where there one order for medicine Saturday there were twenty to-day. Rheumatism is showing itself among the older occupants of the houses very rapidly.
 In many cases the rush of water came so suddenly upon the occupants of the houses that they had to flee to the upper stories with no clothing but their night garments upon them. Since Friday night they have been huddling in the upper stories with no fire and no clothing save rugs or blankets the other occupants could furnish them. In one house was found a family by the name of McGrath, consisting of woman and three children, the latter all very young. Their mother had no clothing on save a chemise. The little ones had garments which be- long to some older person. In the same building the Glennan family were found in a similar condition. They had done their wash ing Friday and the water invaded their prem ises Friday night and carried their wardrobe off Scores of similar cases were found. In helf submerged house a family by the
 ,{ of fuel All the children were i'll from the dampness of the house, one, baby, having diphtheria. At 8 Simmons street family named Cochrane were made sick by the wa ter and one child was dangerously i'll with erysipelas At No. 62 Hampshire street the Prior family were given blankets and food, also medicines for their two children ill with pneumonia contracted by the damp ness. On Downing street three families all i'll with pneumonia. Several families liv ing in the lower stories, who were driven by the water up stairs, had their stoves sub merged. They were given small iron stoves and coal No little difficulty was experi- eneed in getting the stoves to the sufferers and a number of Darrow escapes were the boat lost it's cargo of wood by shipping such volumes of water that the lighter DOT tion of the load foated away. Many families were found to-day who had been without food two three days. A great portion of the distress was found in the rear of Ruggles street where the water is still eight to ten feet deep. There are two cases of fatal consumption there. They might have recovered but the shock of the flood brought on in each case 8 relapse. A large number of cases of sickness among women are reported. All were made sick by venturing into the water trying to rescue their property. One poor woman was out of her head by the shock an unexpected plunge into the water gave her. On Belmont street two boys named O'Flue, aged ten and twelve years, who had been sick with pneumonia several days, were removed in boats to-day to the house of friends
 In the middle of the storm Friday night Mrs. Mary Leahey, an old widow who has years, died of chronic disase. Her friends camel in, and though the water WAS four feet deep in front of her door, prepared her body for burial Undertaken Cheney furnished 8 modest casket and all was ready for the flu neral yesterday. Owing to the large crowds that filled the streets the interment was post poned until to-day. Early this morning two hundred went down the street until stopped by the ropes, while few men took rudely constructed raft and padded away to the crape marked door. Trestles were brought out and placed on the blanks and then four stalwart men carried the coffin carefully through the narrow doorway, walked min cingly along the blanks and placed their bur den on the black trestles, causing it to settle until the water came up over the boards and reached nearly to the coffin. The raftsman took up his pole from the soft mud, the raft shot ahead leaving little nipples in it's wake, and the four bearers kLelt in the water hold ing on to the casket so it would not drag off. All along the street on both sides the will dows were alive with faces of the water bound prisoners, while black lines filled the sidewalk from the waters edge clear up to Vernon street AS the raft cortege hoated awsy shoreward the big bell in St. Francis de Sales church began to toll slowly and sol emnly for the memory of her who needed not the manner of her burial. To specta- tor the scene was an impressive one. On either hand four hundred or five hundred people stood with bowed uncovered heads: in front was the watery waste and back on the hill the bell in the great brick church tolling and telling all within its hearing that it had no regard for earthly disturbances. And
 The dead went upward with the flood,
 And she did not seem as dead buS lay .
 As though she slept and sweetly smiled.'
 There was the flood and the draped casket and there, too, WAS the raftsman, still and solemn
 s.The dumb old servter-"
 Landing at last the casket was carried to the hearse in waiting and thence to the church where services were held.
 Prominent gentlemen met at the Mayors office to-day, discussed the situation and de- cided to organize relief committee, estsb- fish headquarters in the flooded district and call for popular subscription. They think $25, ,O0O will be necessary to replace house. hold effects destroyed. When the subscrip- tions were opened $2, 500 was raised in an hour. The leading contributors were Kid der, Peabody & Co.,, $500; Robert Treat Paine, $a5o; A. sh1msn & Co.,, $25O; Reuter- & Ce., s250; All derman Curtis, $25O. A large tenement house in the rear of Vernon street caved in to-day. It was four stories high and was occupied by twelve families. A panic ensued. The police got the people out safely, several of the older inmates being unable to walk from fright. They were hospitably received by the neighbors. Five other houses in the rear of Vernon street have been condemned and the families ordered out. The health au thorities found in the rear of Vernon street where the current had been strongest n number of cesspools open and the poison ons matter floating through number of occupied houses The families were re moyed The actino superintendent of streets