The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-04-05
TERRIBLE CATACLYSM
Shawneet etown, Ills, Under Many
Feet of Water.
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE DROWNED.

municates the Flames 10 Other uo"soS
Upon Which People Had Taken Refuge =
Appeal to Congress and state for Help.
Ridgeway, Ills, April 5.-The Shaw
neetown horror grows hourly. 1t Is es-
timated by the mayor that 500 lives
have been lost Shawneetown was pc
culiarly situated and the entire ar
of the town contributed TO
make the loss of life heavy. 1t stood on
a low-lying shore of the Ohio in sort
of pocket between the hills and gi-
gantic levee. The hills form a semi-cir-
Gle about it, closing in space not more
than two miles in length along the wa
ter front and less than half mile wide.
In this space stood Shawneetown'
fianked on one side by levee twenty
FIVE feet high and 100 feet broad. The
surface of the Ohio has for weeks been
near the top of this levee and the
streets of the town we're twenty feet OF
more below the water. About 4:SO In
the afternoon the levee above the town
broke and a solid wall Of water raced
like a cyclone through the center OF tne
town, whose main streets run parallel
to the river.
Water Twenty Feet Deep.
The disaster came when the great
matority of the people were In their
homes eating supper. The break in the
Ievea occurred a mile above the town
and was within ten minutes more than
half a mile wide. A stream OF water
twelve to twenty feet deep, carrying
half of the current of the flood-raised
Ohio. descended on the unsuspectihs
people. 1t came down in great rush.
like a tidal wave. There was no $40"
rising Of the waters to give warning,
The houses on the outskirts were hiteu
I'D and rolled over and over.
Most of them were torn into sphnters
Their inhabitants were drowned III
them. Nearer the center OF the Town
] some brick structures stopped the on
! rush of the water for a few minutes
hut about two-thirds of the dwellings,
were lifted from their foundations aho
foated careening out into the plack cur
rent of the river. Lights were Instantly
| extinguished and the townspeopi'
| climbed on the slippery roofs or sough
TO keep alive on floating objects. AI'e'
a few minutes the horror OF the si'ua
| tion was added to by the catching NJ
of a large house that had started down
stream with the others.
Other Houses Catch Fire.
Tho neonle on the roofs were alread.
in danger of being thrown of by col
lisions with other floating houses ou
the anpearance of this floating nre
brand added horror. AS II STRUCK On
house after another in its zig-za
L N
fortunate people were compelled to In
trust themselves to the mercy oi III
.1yirl,ne water on tiny floats OF WOO
to avoid a more terrible death ny ~
The break in the levee flooded fou
miles of the valley land ana cu' -
communication on two railroads, TN
Baltimore and Ohio Southwestern al
1 the Louisville and Nashville.
The first rush of the current ala III
: do all the damage. When the piao
| water had slackened somewhat man
houses were still standing, out IL VIC
quickly seen that the frame ones wou'
| not last in the steady crush VI u
flood. BY means of plank ralts al
swimming in cold water seventy
eighty people were transferred ITO
their garret windows and roofs 10 u
| flat tops or the GdHdlii SouHs'
a brick and stone building, ana u
court house, which is of brick.
Only Two Above Water.
TT was hoped that these would WIZ
stand the pressure and the undermil
ing. and when the single courier WI
rode for help to Cypress Junction ie
/ Shawneetown only those two puiidin
showed above the broad sheet Oh u
flood in the lower part or the town, a.
FL ira full sullen force was being throw
against them. 1t was doubtfui III III
would not collapse and throw the rel
gees into the river
Beside the hundred or more VINO we
+ on the roofs of the two souno pun
u ,nes. II is known that nearly l,ooo OF
inhabitants managed in one way OF
other to make their way to the III
hills back OF the town, or to houses
the higher section of the village Use
few of these survived the suoo
hurst of the waters, but their hrst
sometimes their second floors were U
= der water. Those who made their
to them went only in the clothes In
were wearing when the water car
None had time to secure either treas'
or clothing.