The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-03-04
More People Rendered Homeless and
There Is Much Suffering Among All
Classes of Working People.
DOZENS OF MILLS ARE IDLE
MACHINERY RUINED AND FOUNDA-
TIONS UNDERMINED BY WATER.
Cold Weather-Western Mails
BeIated at New York.

PATERSON, n. j., March 3.-The great
flood that has inundated a large part of
the mill section of this city subsided some
what during the night, and ii is believed
the worst is over. The damage was very
great Ii is estimated that the loss wrought
by the flood is as large that by the
fire, while it is said there is little no
insurance to cover IT, Many more families
have been rendered homeless by the flood
than were made so by the fire, and the
coming lighter daily, is now hard at work
seeking to assist those who have lost
everything by the high water.
Between IL o'clock last night and o'clock
this morning the water in the streets of
Paterson fell 5l4 inches. and there has been
a still further decline since that hour Un-
less there should be another heavy down
pour of rain it is thought that no further
damage will be done. Along the water
front on both sides of the river almost
everything is wrecked, foundations and
roadbeds having been eaten away, and
about everything in sight more or less dam
aged. In the flooded district are dozens
of silk mills that must remain idle
for the present and some of them
for a considerable time to come. The suffer-
ing must necessarily be great among the
hundreds of persons employed in these
establishments, many of whom have large
families depending upon them for support
There is no doubt that every effort will be
made to start the mills as soon as it is pos
sble to do so, but if buildings are found TO
be undermined, and the plants Badly dam
aged, much time must elapse before work
can be resumed.
The East Jersey Water Company is by
far the worst sufferer from the flood. The
entire filtration plant of the company, the
construction of which was almost COM
plete, is wiped out. The contract price for
the work was sSOO,OOO all of which is lost to
the company In addition to this. much OF
the intake of the company is destroyed,
and the probabilities that in all the
loss TO the company will amount TO ST.,
$4,000.
a bridge at Dundee island. near Passaic
n. j.. washed away last night. 1t was
reported that six persons who were on the
bridge were drowned, but their names
could not be learned: Efforts to-day to
identify the persons in this accident are
without result.
The work of getting those imprisoned in
the upper stories of houses in the flooded
districts went on to-day Those who re-
fused TO be taken out in boats were sup
piled with food and other needfuI articles.
Those who were taken out of the flooded
sections were cared for by friends or Joined
the refugees at the armory. At the armory
the scene resembles that on the day after
the fire. The relief work, under Mrs. Gar
ret A. Hobart's direction, is in full swing
and everything possible is being done for
the homeless. The aldermen met to-day
and considered the situation II was de-
termined 10 leave the distress to the relief
committee, which, through the Rev. DR..
Stuart Hamilton and Father Gillen. report
ed il had ample funds 10 look out for all.
the money being left over from the fire
relief funds.
All the cemeteries were flooded. and all
burials have had TO be postponed Ar
rangements are being made to use the old
vaults in the abandoned Sandy Hill Gene
tery for the storage of bodies.
The water tonight is falling at the rate
of three quarters of an inch an hour