Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-21
WIPED OUT BY FLOOD
Augusta, KY, Overwhelmed by
Raging River Waters,
MAYOR ASKS ASSISTANCE
Many City Blocks in Louisville Are
Submerged by Tide.
THE COLD CAUSES SUFFERING
Buildings Collapse in Cincinnati
Streets-Great Damage reported
From Points in Ohio Valley.
THE COLD CAUSES SUFFERING

CINCINNATI, Ohio, January 2f.-Au-
gusta, KY, small town on the Chesapeake
and Ohio railroad, has been practically
wiped out by floods. The Ohio river rose
far above previous danger points and over
flowed the town. The mayor has sent APP
peals to other cities for aid
Commissioner Macfarland received the
following telegram from T. 8. Bradford,
mayor of Augusta, KY:
Our flood suffering is beyond our finan-
cial ability. Will you help us?"
Commissioner mcfarland will be glad to
receive and transmit any contributions that
may be made.
Augusta is In Bracken county, KY, on the
Ohio river, forty-five miles from Cincinnati.
Raging at Louisville.
LOUISVILLE, KY, January 21.-The
river continued to rise last night, and this
morning the gage registered 4O.1, twelve
feet above the danger line Weather OFF,
Gals today predicted further rise of
something over foot. Cold weather has
added to the misery of the homeless. who
are being sheltered in warehouses, school
houses and other buildings.
Many city blocks are submerged in Louis
Vile. In the territory running from the
Country Club at the extreme eastern end
of the city to Falkland in the west end.
Sixty-f1ve thousand bushels of coal in
barges sank near the foot of 4th street
during the night. Water today entered
the basement Of the Gait House; at the
corner Of LIST and Main streets.
The Henderson route, which runs be-
tween Louisville and ST Louis. today an
nounced the suspension of all traffic, as the
river Is sweeping over it's tracks at West
Point, twenty miles below Louisville. The
Illinois Central railroad is running it's trains
through water, operating with difficulty
on "a
the Baltimore and Ohio Southwestern is
combating practically the same condition
The Louisville and Nashville has suffered
a considerable loss in the vicinity Of East
Louisville. The track is under water in
many places and trains are handled with
difficulty.
peake and Ohio are managing to run their
trains within few hours of schedule time.
Levees Break; Town Flooded.
PORTSMOUTH Ohio. January 21.-While
the people of this town were asleep in their
beds the swollen flood of the Scioto river
with mad rush broke the levees and
swept into the streets. The break occurred
between midnight and daybreaA yesterday
morning, and tnc water rose SO rapidly that
the people had no time to save anything
Few could render assistance to the helpless.
1t was necessary to chop in the roof to
rescue some imprisoned families. Many
found refuge in box cars and on housetops.
Much live stock was lost. The men in
charge of the flood pumping stations were
forced to desert their posts and flee for
their lives, leaving the structure in l. ines.
Hundreds of people had narrow escapes
from drowning. Many fled from sick beds,
struggled through the streets, clad only
in night dresses.
Cincinnati Buildings Down.
CTNCJNN -ColHor
weather and gale of wind increased the
suffering of those thousands who had been
made homeless by the flooded Ohio, and
number of buildings that had been weak
ened by the water are down.
The first and probably most serious loss
by collapsing of walls was when several
floors in the buildings on Walnut street
occupied by A Jansen, wholesale grocery
company. and the Ohio Butterine Company
went down with a crash that could be heard
for several blocks. Both buildings were
heavily loaded with merchandise In the up
per stories, goods having been moved from
the cellars, and the collapse occurred just
began to shake the tall buildings. The loss
cannot yet be estimated, but will probably
be heavy.
The area of flooded section has increased
considerably, each inch of rise spreading
over wide territory. For several hours yes
terday the river was stationary, at 64.S feet,
but the weather bureau officials could find
only temporary consolation In this fact an
nouncing during the afternoon that the
news from up the river indicated that We
river here would go up to at least sixty
six and perhaps sfxty,seven feet within the
next thirty-six hours.
The rise cut on approach to the foot
bridges across the Ohio, isolating most of
the people on the Kentucky side of the
river. Some of those In Covington were
still able to cross over the railroad bridges,
but Newport was almost wholly cut of,
and sections of Covington, Bellevue Lud-
low and Bromley were suffering from the
back waters.
LAwRENCEBURG, Ind, January 21.-
The situation here Is most alarming, the
conditions almost approximating those of
the flood of 1884.
City Cut Of.
With the waves of the Ohio splashing
over the levee which protects the town, and
the certain knowledge that rains already
fallen will bring the torrent over the bar
riers within a few hours, the people left in
this city passed sleepless hours last night.
The town is ten feet below the top of
the levee, and the whole city may be SUBJ
merged from three to nine feet. The money
loss in that event will be close to 81 600 600.
One hundred and fifty picked men pa
trolled the levee all night, while gangs of
men with thousands of bags Of sand and
many carloads of stone and other ballast
were ready to stop any crevasse that might
be discovered. Business is at standstill.
1 The cftv ia cut off from railroad cornraun3