Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1898-04-09
SWEPT BY A MIGHTY FLOOD
ILLINOIS, VILLAGE WIPED OUT
=. broke and Many OF In
BIZ ts Are Reported Drowned
-Backed-Up Flood in .ne V S
Found an openins-'ief'"" mao
xo warning.

N0" Journal from Evansville, Ind,
says; s.oon tho layee at
nootown. H., broke mile above
.nn and from all information obtalnaole
Wv. = is learned that large part OF the
va has been destroyed and perhaps
P'> r,ber of citizens have been
di Uranneptown is % miles above Evans
~ an the Ohio river. 1t is situated III
WIN, o,lav Of extremely low land with hills
,.:'4;ng # in the rear and with 25-toot
, sA inning from hill to hill The town
''. r,rcb the same position as a forti-
4od c;tv and when the levee gave away
H. above town and under the pres
Of the high water, the river shot
.hronoh a 2Ofoot opening and struck the
nloce like hurricane. Houses were
ft,rnnd and tossed about like boxes. The
noonle were not warned and for that rea-
son MANY were caught. Those at home
songbt refuge in second stores ana
bouSotops Those in the streets were car
r;od before the avalanche of water and
,,robabIv a majority were drowned.
citizens came from the place by skitis
, 70 A telephone several miles away ana
.skod for aid from Evansville. They SAID
that more than 200 people were drowned.
They had reason to believe the number
would reach 500 to 1000 The water stands
from 20 to 80 feet deep all over the town.
There are, of course, no fires or IghtS
in the place and total darkness envelopes
the desolate city. Consequently 1t was
impossibe for them to have anything like
definite information. The men immedl-
atelv left the telephone and no further
communication has been had. No tele-
Graph nor telephone wires are working
and outside communication appears I'M
possible
About y o'clock two steamboats, and 4
couple of tugs started for ShaWneetoWn
under full head of steam and it Is eX-
pected some of them will arrive there
by a. IN. They carry large supplies OF
food and blankets, quickly collected by
the city officials.
List of victims Is Growing.
Chicago, April 4.At l2:40 this morning
fine operator at the long-distance tele-
pbcne colnpanY's office at Mount Vernon,
= Ind. informed the Associated Press that
the etimate on the loss of life at Shaw
y neetOwn was at that hour 200. Mount
Vernon is but 30 miles from Shawnee
town, and the information on which the
estimate is based is believed to be relia-
bic. The operator stated that the com
pany's wires to the stricken city failed
,oon after o'clock yesterday. At that
hour it was known the dam was giving
way, but it was not thought that 1t would
20 to pieces quickly enough to cause loss
Of life
BY s o'clock it was known in Mount
drowned, the estimate then being 100. \
relief boat bearing food, blankets and sur
geOns was started down the river and was
expected to reach Shawneetown before
morning. Gradually the reports of loss OF
life increased, the estimates of stories
coming from various points near the scene
Of the oAod showing clearly that the dis
aster was far more disastrous than was
at first believed. People at Mount Vernon
and surrounding towns beseiged the tele-
graph offices, frantically asking for It'd
lngs from friends and relatives in the
hooded town. No attempt at an accurate
il't OF the lost was possible, however, and
Inc crowds stood all night before the bull
"A ,t-hi al, cd "a
meagre reports being received.
Water Is Ten Miles Inland.
Chicago, April "A special to the Rec
efd from Cypress Junction, H., says
Two hundred and fifty persons were
drowned today by the inundation OF
enawneetown six miles from this place.
Inc levee broke at o'clock this after
noon and the Ohio river flowed over the
own many feet deep. Scores of houses
are 1oating about tonight and many per-
"As are clinging to the wreckage in the
IOpe that rescuers will soon appear with
''"'s 10 take them to places of safety. All
,Vnlnuncation with the town is cut off
rams can not reach there and telegraph
es are down. The first report that
."'Hea here was that the entire popula-
nOl mad been drowned, but this is not
sounfhed The levee was built by the
eminent na" and was regarded as impreg
oe' hence, the pople had taken no
t"atiohs against possible flood.
II Co., reported that the water extends
MO ~ miles inland and people are flee
'or Their lives in all the lowland ham
Three Thousand People.
no.", LOUIS April 3.-Shawneetown has a
+ p s;. OF about 5000 inhabitants and
= aluated ON tho ,..o-4 I'LL e A. NL;o