The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-05

tuesday morning for Evansville. taking
asith them 900 people.
Mayor Carney. OF shawneetown, tele-
graphed to Governor Tanner tonight for
loo tents end 100 collins. The tents arrived
this evening. but could not be got across
the back waters of the Wabash from Cy-
press Junction. The relief train sent out of
Springfield this afternoon by Governor Tan
ner has gone by way of Evansville and
from there the supplies will be taken to
Shawneetown by boat, reaching the destina-
ton tomorrow morning. At midnight
another box car loaded with supplies from
the towns along the Baltimore & Ohio
Southwestern arrived here, but win lay un-
I'll morning.
Marsh Callicott. the son Of Wash CALI
colt and wife, who persisted, made a heroic
effort TO save his parents. He secured a
rowboat and got within forty feet of the
home where his mother and father were
imprisoned. The swift current prevented
him from coming nearer The parents
stood in water to their armpits awaiting
the arrival CT the boat. Suddenly wave
swept them into tho current and they were
drowned before their sons eyes. George
Harralson, a merchant. seized his little
granddaughter when the water struck his
eA'ANs anu AD4untS dDONt HIS uSdu
waded. armpit deep, toward higher ground.
a boat picked them both out of the water
David Rookendorffer and wife were in their
heme directly in the path Of the huge wave
that swept through the broken dixie. Their
little son in the yard saw the wave coming
and hurriedly climbed a tree. The father
and mother had time to rush upstairs when
the house was swept from it's foundations.
They climbed on the roof as the house
hoated off and heard their little son in the
tree crying: Goodbye, papa and mamma"
The agonized parents were powerless to go
to his assistance, and in few moments
the house had been carried beyond the
reach Of the boys voice. They floated from
the north levee to the south levee, dis
lance OF a mile, and were taken off in
safety The little son was subsequently
rescued in the treetop by boat and the
family reunited. Mr. Rookendorffer said
that as he floated down the current on the
house top he saw people drowning on all
sides
The colored quarter of the city known
NEGRO flats" was completely inundated by
the rush of water 1t is believed that
large number of colored people persisted, as
the ground was flooded in twinkllng, and
tonight the water stands twenty-five feet
deep in that locality. No effort has been
made to recover the bodies. Every means
OF assistance is used to provide food and
shelter to the hundreds of homeless refu-
gees Last night the Catholic Academy,
the schoolhouse the City Hall and the Riv-
erside Hotel, all situated high ground
above the water were crowded with home
less people. Hundreds are tonight sleeping
on the river banks, under such rude shelter
as they can construct from the floating de-
bfis
Absolutely nothing has been saved in the
city. The stores and other business houses
are flooded to the second floors, all the
streets are under water from ten to thirty
feet. Provisions constantly arriving from
all the neighboring towns. A relief train
arrived here tonight. but owing to the
high winds and roughness of the water at
the ferry crossing ali attempts to transfer
the provisions across have been abandoned.
They have been taken to the waters edge.
and at the break Of day will be ferried
across
The inhabitants of Ridgeway have organ
lied into a relief committee. with Dent
Reid. j. o. Brooks and G. NJ. Kimbo at it's
head. Houses have been thrown open and
as soon as a refugee reaches here he is
promptly taken care of and everything pos
eihlU - uOlic LUZ luCAI CoIHlOIl by OIuGT VI
Governor Tanner, 6. State relief committee
has been formed of the following citizens:
G. F. Baxter George Laud, J. o. Brooks,
Dent Reid and Edward Rice The heavy
rain still continues, and at o'clock a high,
cold wind sprung up, adding to the misery
of the sufferers in the stricken town. At II
o'clock tonight a telephone message was
received from Shawneetown, saying that
the south levee was cracking and threaten
ing to go at any minute 1t is about sure
that it will break before morning. This viii
not add to the depth of the water in the
town, but will create current through the
streets that will prove dangerous to rescuers
in skiffs.
Governor Tanner this afternoon started
from Springfield one hundred tents, blank
cts enough for five hundred people and a
sufficient amount Of prepared food for the
immediate relief of loo people He also
wired Attorney w. S. Phillips, president OF
the Gallatin County Bank here to draw
upon him for $1,000 as an immediate relief
fund, Governor Tanner has issued a procla-
nation to the public to send in relief in
care Of Mr.. w. S. Phillips, at this place.
The order of Odd Fellows and the Masonic
lodge are supervising the distribution of
supplies A. r. Crawford, of this city, has
spent the day IN distributing supplies. AS
fast as they are received they are taken by
special train TO the waters edge ferried
across in skiffs to Cypress Junction, and
from there taken by wagon to within two
miles of Shawneetown. All the carpenters
in Ridgeway went to work making datboats
this morning for transportation of supplies
across the inundated territory and an i'm
promptu ferry has been established. The
water is mile wide at the crossing point
and is back water, the river being seven
miles. The Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern
tracks are under FIVE feet of water for five
miles north of Cypress Junction.
-H-
NO WARNING OF THE BREAK
Wall OF Water Fifteen Feet High
SMent ThrnuCh the City