St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-26
Several Buildings Collapse at
LimouX, France, and 20
People Killed.
Great Floods Wash Away
Crops and Buildings Along
the PyreneeS.
Gales Force a Large Number
Of Vessels to Take Refuge
at Marseilles.

PARIS, Oct. 25.-Adyices just received
here from Mereingen, in the canton of
Berne, Switzerland, ARE to the effect that
the town has been almost entirely
wiped out by fire. The conflagration
was famed by a high wind, and the
flames swept away street after
street with frghtful rapidity. The
appliances of the corporation for
eXtInguishing fire proved to be of
no use whatever. The railway station,
the postoffice, the telegraph Office and
nearly all the business places and resi-
dences were destroyed. The Victoria
hotel and Wildermann's hotel are the
only two structures to mark the situation
of this once prosperous country
resort of 5000 people, and they
were only saved owing to their isola :
ton. The town was reduced to ashes
in three hours after the outbreak of the
fire. 1t was impossible to save any
thing. The wind was so strong that
burning brands were carried to Inter
laken, thirteen miles distant. The
inhabitants of the burned town are
in pitiful condition, and par
ties for their relief have started from In
terlaken. The town suffered from a
similar calamity in 1879, when the
wooden buildings, of which it was
chiefly composed, were largely replaced
by stone structures.
PARIS, Oct. 25.-Gr eat floods have oc-
Cured in the streams fed by the noun
tain torrents Of the eastern Pyrenees.
Many peaceful valleys have been inun-
dated and crops and buildings washed
away. There has been no loss of
life. At Limoux the floods I'M
dermined several buildings. which
subsequently collapsed. Twenty
inmates of these buildings were
killed, and nine other persons are
still buried in the debris. A fire bridge
was also destroyed. The railway be-
tween Cette and Porthom was badly
washed out in several places. Many
houses on the banks of the Aglay were
swept away. A dam burst at Salanque,
in the heart of the Pyrenees, flooding
the eutire district whereabouts.
MADRID, Oct. 25.-RepOrtS from all
parts of the country bring details of the
havoc caused by the recent storms.
Telegraphic communication with Paris
has been interrupted. A railroad tun-
mel between Witches and Santa Gina
was undermined and collapsed, stop
ping all traffic between Madrid and Sc
vile.
rPARIs, Oct 25.-The gale ragged with
great fury for three days and nights
throughout the northern shores of the
Mediterranean. Its height was reached
yesterday. when the wind blew with
terrible violence over the Gulf of Lyons
and the island of Corsica. An I'M
mense number of vessels have
taken refuge at Marseilles, many of
them in damaged condition
There are grave fears of disaster along
the river valleys of France, Spain and
Italy, which are flooded. The towns of
CarcassOnne, LimouX, Coursan and
Narbonne, all in the valley of the Aude,
have been greatly damaged by the
floods in that stream. The troops were
called out to assist in saving property,
and two of them were drowned while at
this work. At Carcassonne the Canal du
Midi overlooked its banks for the first
time since it was cut.