The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-27
Seine Is Still Rising and Peo- pie of Cib Are Driven to
 Utter Desperation
NEW AREAS ARE BEING
 INUNDATED EVERY HOUR
Nawning Chasms Appear In the Streets And Many Splendid Buildings Are Almost Ruined By the
 Flood.

Paris, January 26.-The snow storm has ceased and the weather is moderating, but the Seine is still rising and Paris, like 9 doomed city, is holding it's breath in terror. Half the city is in darkness. In the gloom galloping orderlies are bear ing instructions which cannot longer be sent by telephone. The army of police, firemen and soldiers give the appearance of a city fighting for it's life.
 Every minute brings graver dangers. New areas are being inundated, quays are collapsing, yawning chasms appear in the streets. The water of the Seine has invaded the entire labyrinth of un- derground Paris. It threatens ruin and destruction everywhere.
 What new disaster will come to the waterlogged city before the Seine be- gins to fall, no one can predict Alv ready the damage is officially estimated at $200, ,O00, 600 and every hour adds mill lions more. The catastrophe promises to exceed the limits of national disaster and become international. The death roll is also growing at frightful rate, and when the epidemic which now appears inevitable breaks out it will run into thousands
 Already scarlet fever has appeared among the refugees at Ivry.
 Among the superstitions there is talk of the destruction of Paris as a result of the appearance of Halleys comet, but it is not unusual the world over so as- sociate visitation of this kind with the movements of heavenly bodies. The authorities are facing the situation with brave hearts and are bending their en- ergies to the rescue of the imprisoned and the succor of the homeless. The pub lie subscriptions opened by the newspa- pers have reached nearly $100,000 while the Red Cross and other relief societies have gone nobly to work
 The extent of the floods in Paris may be judged by the fact that about half the length of the quays within the city are under water, which Is pouring into the streets and thousands of laborers and soldiers are working like mad to build brick cement walls to hold back the current.
 The foreign office and the Hotel Palais d'Orsay have been abandoned as the eel lars are full of water. The Continental hotel and many residences in the aris- tocratic quarter are rapidly being evac- uated. There is 10 feet of water in the subway station in front of the Care St.
 
 threatens to carry down the adjacent buildings.
 At conference between the officials of the chamber of commerce and Mon sieurs Cachery and Dupuy, ministers of finance and commerce, respectively, it , was decided to ask parliament to author tize an extension of time for commercial paper, because of the general disorganiza- tion of business.
 Besides the failure of the gas and cleo tric lighting plants, Paris is confronted with an oil famine. Scores of oil barges from Rouen are tied up Tn the Seine and the great depots of distribution in the outskirts of Paris are flooded The oil refineries at Rouen are endangered. The situation in the provinces is no bet ter than in the city, as they are supplied with oil from Paris.
 An official bulletin tonight stated that the water at Pont Royal will reach the sO-foot mark tomorrow morning. The prospect for the immediate future is grave, as it is estimated that the Seine tonight and tomorrow will rise from two to three feet. Moreover, 1t is feared that the high tide which is setting in be- ginning tonight, will ageravate the situa- ton, pouring in an additional volume of water and adding strong pressure to thar which is already invading the city un- dersround.
 Reports received here from Rouen say that the quays and fields for many miles are under water. Half or the town of Plaisance, in the department of Gers, is submerged and hundreds of refugees are making their way to Paris. Extensive floods have occurred in Gironde. where the rivers continue to rise at an alarming rate.
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