The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-03

At midnight last night the govern
ment gauge registered just seventeen
feet, a rise in the preceding six hours
of only 2 Of fot The otal rise
during the day was g Of foot, trif1e
less than the day before There was a
decided decrease in the rate at which
the water was rising during the night,
and it is probable that it will not
reach a much higher point unless the
warm weather sets in at once and
brings down the snow from the North
before the present high water has a
chance to recede.
The local rain, coupled with the re-
ports of a heavy fall of water along
the upper Mississippi and It's tributar-
les, was about all that was needed to
complete the distress of the flood vic
tins in this city yesterday. The effect
was very much like the proverbial last
straw. The people have been hoping
against hope each day that the next
would see the beginning of the end, at
least, but they gave up the struggle
yesterday. The condition of many of
the people is pitiable in the extreme.
Suffering must surely follow in the
wake Of the flood. An attempt has
been made to house some of the more
unfortunate families in the old Hum
boldt school building, but SO far it has
proven little more than a dismal fall
ure. These people are among those
who are absolutely destitute All that
they ever owned in the world was a few
articles of household furniture. and IN
many cases these have been swept
away by the flood. Only in one or two
cases have the people been able to get
| their stoves to the schoolhouse, and
even after they got them there they
were of little or no use, for the build
ing is like a tunbledown barn. There
Is not a whole pane of glass in the
whole building, and doors are a rarity
The majority of the people who We're
in the building last night were there
without thing in the world, some Of
them without sufficient clothing to pro-
tect them from the chilling winds. 1t
will be miracle if some of these peo-
PIC w IlOl OlG lIOIIl 6ApOSuIS.
Capt. Getchell, of the Ducas street
police station made an effort to get
two large stoves yesterday one for
cooking and one for heating purposes,
but he was informed by the board Of
control that there was no money in
sight to devote to such a purpose A
direct appeal was finally made to some
| OF the people having vacant houses OF
vacant rooms. with the result that
about a dozen families found quarters
where they will, at least, be sheltered
from the damp and cold winds.
The scenes on the West side flats
! yesterday beggared description. The
! water has soaked the ground over the
whole area south of Eva street, and
| the back water has been forced up un-
til many of the people living along
| State and Fillmore streets have been
! compelled to vacate their homes and
leave them to the mercies of the water
Thousands of sight-seers thronged the
higher streets all day viewing the de-
struction that has been caused by the
| high water.
The police resumed their work of res
cue early in the morning, and at 4
| o'clock yesterday afternoon the last
family living on Water street had been
| conveyed to a place of safety. During
the day some forty families were as
sisted by the officers. All the stock
that remained on the high points was
taken off and staked out on the high
ground. Three houses went down the
river about noon. They had been bat
| tered by the floating logs until they
| became loosened from their fOunda-
tions and were carried away by the
swift current Should the flow of logs
continue great damage is likely to re-
suit, for jam has begun to form in
| l,n hoY, Of f11n Tix- t.
cleus with a few logs that became
| Wedged in the trees on the turn of the
river, and at 6 o'clock last night thou
sands of logs had been caught and
held on the projecting ends. Should
the trees which hold the jam give way
the current will carry the logs directly
over the lower end Of the flats, and
twenty-five or thirty houses will surely
be swept away. Several jams Of small
dimensions also started to form on the
piers of the Wabasha and Robert
street bridges, but force of men were
put at work on them, and they were
lOOSened before any damage resulted.
The warehouses along the river front
began to feel the effects of the flood
yesterday. Many Easements were filled
with water, and several fire engines
were employed during the day pump
ing them out, but with little success,
for the water came in as fast as II
could be taken out.
The last bit of Raspberry island gave
up the ghost during the afternoon and
disappeared from view under the
water. The river has not as yet
reached the level of the floors of the
club house on the island, but fears are
entertained that the logs will break
the piling under the houses and let
them down into the water
About the only place on the upper
flats that remains high and dry is the
roadway along the top Of the levee, and
this bids fair to become a part of the
river bed, for the water has reached
the top of the Ievee in many places
In some places the water is crumbling
the edges Of the banks, but 1t Is not
thought that 1t will succeed in wear
ing it away, for the travel of years has
packed it down until 1t is almost like
rock.
The break that occurred Thursday al
the foot of James street has been re-
paired. The creVasse was filled with
rocks and willows and packed down, sc
fbaf If now q q ctTSarey as 6nv NORTON