The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-04-29
THE FLOOD IN EPINAL.
One Hundred and Seventeen
Lives known 10 Be Lost.


Erinzi France. Aprsf ex.--Ths list Of the
fatalities BY the breaking yesterday OF
che great Bouzeek dyke tn the Er9* as-
tTict Of the NoSges Increases every hoaF'
one hundred and seventeen deaths have
already besn reported. bot only fifty
bodies have been recovered IL ~ De-
fsevsf that the death LIST will BE greatly
81 excess % the figures above given wnen
all the districts are heard from IL Is
supposed That many OF the dad were
SWEEP into Isolated places. where u viii
BE- a hong time before she bodies are found.
The whole region over which tnousands
Of tons of water swept In q res1sfAess nood
81 str.wn with every sort of 1reckage-
and the whole country presents most
dssolate appearance. In many places tne
early crops were swept away, ana the
losses thus incurred will be very heavy
Six brtgaaeS OF geudarmes have arrived
and they have been detailed 10 act as
guards. Every attempt is being niane
10 reoreanize the district. but TINS Is
rendered difficult by the waters The
AvEerre. a small stream. Is now IN some
raiares a mile and half wide Ihe rail-
vav in the vicinity OF the Darniulles sta
ton was torn UP, railroad ties swept away
and the entertainments destroyed NeaFH
every bridge on the line OF the nood was
either swept away or 50 oodIS oaHhase-
as 20 require 70 be rebuilt
The construction Of the dixie was COM
rnenced In 1878 and finished in lsSi- In
Isss II was greatly strengthened. IL was
OF heavy masonry. $50 yards long, % Ieet
high and s. feet thick at thS Ease. Inc
masonry was carried into the ground 10
a deFsth Of % feet below the level OF the
valley into which the reservoir discnarEed
It's water Il was built against vertical
face OF solid rock having a maxim um
height OF Il feet. The base rested in a
sandstone bottom of natural forfnSttioh'
The massive construction OF the dam was
considered 10 be guarantee tnat IL would
hold back any weight Of water thaF eoald
be brought against n. Until the strength
ening OF the work in 1859 X was NOT SUB
tected TO a full pressure OF the water
which IL was built 10 hold.
The distress among the jewellers OF the
valley Is very greag. and in many cases
they appear 10 be TnSntally benumbed by
the Gala uity that has fallen upon them.
The government Is fully awake TO the dis
aster. and is doing everything possible TO
relieve their sufferings. The ministers or
public works aud the interior are now on
their gay here. TO assume charge OF the
relief work. Three thousand francs have
already been received for relief purposes,
and the ministers Will bring $1,000 more
fr0n the funds OF their departments and
i.eo0 contributed by President Faure.
Mime. Heine has sent COO francs. which
-
The prefect OF the department has Wis
tied all the districts affected by the dis
aster. He has organized the employees on
the public roads. and aided by the mill
tary viii, as soon as possible. restore com
municaiion. These employees and the sol
diers viii also search for the dead. and
Immediately bury all the dead animals
they may find. All the municipal author
tiles are working ceaseleSsly in dtstrtb-
uung relief and seeking to bring order out
OF the chaos prevailing. over 5000 per-
sons from the nearby towns and the sur
rounding country visited the scene OF the
disaster today.
A. p. m. the burial OF fifteen of the
victims took place at Domevere, one Of
the villages that suffered worst from the
InGndation. Two thousand persons at
tended the funeral services. which were
held while the graves were being dug.
There were many heartrending scenes
while the bodies were consigned 10 the
earth.
London. Ap.n ga dispatch to the
Daily News from Paris says: The eatas-
trophe occurred a few minutes before 5 30
In the morning. A stone cutter who had
just commenced work short distance
from the reservoir, saw the front OF the
wall. sixty feet high and from 100 10 $50
yards loEg. come down almost instantly.
The water poured down the valley. form
lsE a NNue ABOUT sixteen iSeI aiAns he
food reached Momesey at 7.0o, having
Travelled eighteen miles IN less than an
hour and three-quarters. The protect OF
Nosges estimates the number OF victims
a III The loss OF life Is probably under
estimated. as no news has yet been re-
celved from the parish OF Frixen. through
which the torrent passed.
The sound Of the bursting dam was
heard several miles away. The great rush
OF water lasted about fifteen minutes.
when 6e0coo cubic meters of water had
passed through the break. At Bouzey It.
self hut one house remains standing on
the Hill about the reservoir. which IS now
quite empty and looks like an immense
black hole in the landscape. The remains
% the broken wall are lying about FOR a
distance OF so yards below the opening.
A small pine wood which stood beneath
the reservoir has completely disappeared,
with the exception 81 two trees, between
the branches Of which a quantity Of
wreckage remains The great reservoir
was an exceedingly curious structure II
was composed OF three arms. which
I stretched out like a fan between wocded