The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-04-06
DEATH RODE THE WAVE.
Later Details of the Disaster at
Shawneetown, Ill
Scores of People Drowned by the Bursting
of Levee and Hundreds of Families
Rendered HOmeless-Gov. Tanner
Asks the People of Illinois
to Contribute and Re-
Meve the Destitute.

Ridgway, ILL.,, April 5.-Almost two
score bodies of victims of the Shawnee
town food have been recovered and
hundreds of homeless people are de-
pendent upon charity for food and
shelter. The death list is likely to be
largely increased when definite infor-
nation from the negro quarter, which
suffered most, is secured. The food
burst upon these people without warn
ing and their shanties toppled over in
the rush of water, leaving their in
mates no means of getting out of dan
ger. Hundreds of people who lived
farther from the river front sought
safety on roofs and in upper stories, or
made a retreat to the hills at the west.
| No effort has yet been made to search
for bodies.
Mount Vernon, Ind, April 5.-The
tug Isabella, which went to the relief
of the Shawneetown sufferers Sunday
night, returned here Monday for pro-
visions. City Marshal L. B. Holleman
returned on her and reports the situa-
tion there as appalling. He said: "Peo-
pie who have not visited the scene can
not picture in imagination the awful
suffering and destitution that exists.
In the Riverside hotel Sunday night
there were at least 500 men, wo-
men and children huddled together,
their clothing wet and nothing with
which to build fires. Women were
wringing their hands and crying,
searching for members of their family
who were missing, and many men even
were weeping. 1t is impossible at the
present time to give correct estimate
of the loss of life, but it will probably
exceed 100.
Sheriff Galloway lost his entire
family, consisting of wife and four
children. Two ladies who were visit
ing his family were also drowned Mr..
Galloway saved himself by climbing a
tree and was subsequently rescued. He
is Frustrated and fears are expressed
that he may lose his mind. The levee
broke above the city and the water
came with such rush as to sweep all
the oDe-story buildings and many
houses before it. The area covered by
the water is one mile square and in
less than an hour the water was Is to
90 feet deep. The people who are
Gagged up in the third stories of what
houses remain standing need food and
fuel"
1.-THE work of rescuing victims from
trees and housetops was carried on all
night and yesterday. But few bodies
had been recovered when we left there
at a. IN. The loss to property will
run into the hundreds of thousands.
Live stock suffered greatly. Horses
and cattle in many instances were
pulled out of the water into the upper
stories and quartered with the people,
Equality, ILL.,, April 5.-Five minutes
after the levee broke at Shawneetown
the crevasse was 200 feet wide. All
frame buildings in the north of the
town were broken to pieces. There is
destitution and want on all sides. The
people are still in the trees and tops OF
buildings.
Springfield, ILL.,, April 5.-Gov. Tan.
ner has issued proclamation calling
upon citizens of the state to contribute
to the relief of the Shawneetown flood
sufferers.
Evansville, Ind, April 5.-Mayol
Carney, of Shawneetown, has appealed
to congress for aid for the destitute
people of his city, He says the towr
is absolutely destroyed, and that there
is not enough food in town for one
/