The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-27
HIGH WATER MENACE
TO BIG AREA OF CITY
AND LOSS IS LARGE
NAne Rfzer Almost Reaches High Wafer Marx,
and Fall Greeks OUeyt7o0O Carries Run
TO Hundreds of City Homes
ONE LIFE LOST IN THE FLOOD
Water Works Plan Crippled Win Wafer Eqe,y-
qcheye, Water Famine Was IHreafened--
Agneauo Fails 7Oifh a Crash

The sources of danger and peril changed
from Pogue's run and Pleasant run to Fall
creek and White river; Fall creek widened
into turbulent torrent of muddy water
from one-fourth of a mile to mile in
width; White river rising to within fifteen
inches of high water mark and overfiowing
its banks and levees; hundreds of people
homeless and hundreds Of thousands Of
dollars worth of property destroyed and
damaged; the city shut OF from half of its
normal water supply and in imminent dan
ger of being completely deprived of water.
fire; large sections of the city deprived of
all street car service; the section of the city
north of Fall creek in danger of being de-
prived of Illuminating gas. and the Indi-
annapolis Water Company's aqueduct over
Fall creek in North Indianapolis completely
destroyed, with several Of the bridges over
Fall creek and the river either partially
destroyed or in imminent danger of total
destruction-this was the serious situation
that confronted Indianapolis yesterday and
up to late hour last night
WORST EVER KNOWN
1t is probable that the food which Wis
tied this city yesterday the elimination of
a season of like catastrophe was in some
hot
locality. Old residents profess to believe
that Fall creek never before rose to such a
height as it did yesterday, while the river
was a raging torrent that threatened to
break all records for depth and disastrous
work. The cause was not far to seek in
a rainfall that was the heaviest but one
that has visited Indianapolis in more than
thirty years, and which swelled to many
times their normal volume every stream
that empties into the two larger ones
One life was lost In the flood. Goldy
Brennaman. a young girl, was drowned in
Fall creek near the Indiana-avenue bridge
last night after she, with her sister. had
been rescued from their home which was
surrounded by water. Several narrow es-
capes were reported during the day. Mem
bers of the police and fire departments
worked increasingly to rescue people from
flooded homes, and were aided in this task
by volunteers that were called for by the
police department at noon.
1t is difficult for a person who did not
visit the flooded district to realize the
proportions which the usually quiet and
peaceful Fall creek assumed. Standing on
the levee at the south bank of the stream.
at the point where Delaware street meets
it, a waste of waters stretched to the
but few inches from the feet of the spec
tator. Directly across the normal course
of the creek in Haywood Park, houses
were flooded above the window sils of
the first floors, while away to the north
for half a mile and as far to the northeast
as the eye could see, beyond the point
where the College-avenue bridge is build
ing and into the woods to the east of the
Central-avenue street car line, a full mile
it seemed, was the same flood of rushing.
muddy water, bearing on it all manner of
drift and carrying the threat of infinitely
more destruction to come.
HOUSES FLOODED.
Houses were flooded, outbuildings over
turned, street-car lines under water for
squares and residents were transporting
themselves from place to place. If neces-
sity demanded it, in boats. Directly to the
east of the point where Delaware street
meets the creek the water was within six
inches of the top of the levee and threaten
ing to break through it. while gang of
men was making feverish haste TO protect
the weak spot. Fortunately the levee held
or q vast area of the finest residence por-
would have been flooded as was the part
of the city lying north Of it.
To the west of Delaware street, to the
very point where the stream joins White
river the same picture confronted the eye.
At times the swollen current extended over
a section but three or four squares wide
at other places il stretched over the low
lands to the width of fully a mile. Talbot
avenue, Pennsylvania street, Meridian
street, Illinois street and Capitol avenue
were all flooded. north of the stream, from
a point a short distance from the high
ground at the bridges TO the higher land
lying north at Twenty-eighth and Thirtieth
streets The low part of Fairbank was
swept by a rush of water that poured
down from Illinois street over demolished
billboard. Occupants of houses along all
of these streets had to vacate their prem
ises with the aid of wagons and boats.
LEvEE BREAKS
Just to the southwest of the Capitol-ave-
nue. bridge over Fall creek, where the
stream turns to the south. the levee on the
west bank broke at about noon. flooding
a vast area of lowlands. partially va
cant ground and partially built up with
small cottages, stretching away to the
north and west as far as a person stand