The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1910-02-04
Water Begins to Recede and
the Weather Clears.
CITY PRESENTS WEIRD SCENE
Charitable Organizations Cooperate
with the Authorities in Giving
Aid to Sufferers by Flood
Area Submerged.

Paris, after having reached an
unprecedented height and caused
great destruction, began to recede.
The loss will run into the hundreds
of millions of dollars.
During the night the storm clouds
disappeared and the weather cleared.
AS the flood begins to recede the
city presents a wierd spectacle, the
soldiers, sailors, firemen and police
hastily constructing temporary walls
by the light of camp fires and torches
in an endeavor to keep out the in,
vading floods, while pickets patrol
those sections which are plunged N
darkness by the bursting of the gas
mains and the stoppage of the electric
lighting plants
In the Place de POpera the sidewalk
has collapsed. The gas lamp posts are
inclined at all sorts OF angles. The
architect of the Metropolitan subways
considers the situation alarming.
The entire territory has been roped
off as being unsafe. 1t is stated that
the new Equitable Life Assurance so
ciety building is in danger of collapse
FaIIieres Comforts the Homeless.
President Fallieres and Premier
BRAND drove in automobiles to the
flooded suburbs where distress is
greatest, speaking words of comfort to
the homeless and encouraging the sol
diers and others engaged in salvage
and rescue work. On their return
they said everything possible was be-
ing done to aid the stricken.
Charitable organization are cooper
ating with the authorities in throwing
open their buildings and succoring
refugees. Several converts and a
number of public buildings have been
equipped with military cots and
bedding and transformed into hospi-
tails. The Red Cross is performing
splendid service in distributing food
and clothing.
Nevertheless numerous pitiful in
stances are cited of women and chill
dren who had refused to leave their
homes in the submerged districts,
shrieking from their windows for
bread.
Wagons as Improvised Markets.
In inundated sections planks have
been installed on wooden horses, from
which bakers dole out bread Market
gardeners of such suburbs as are not
submerged have started improvised
markets in their farm wagons, taking
the places of shopkeepers whose shops
are under water.
M. Bathou, minister of Justice, and
his family have been driven from their
home in Avenue Dantin. They left
their residence in boats and now are
'refuging" in the courts of justice
Candles and oil lamps are taking
the place of electricity in many cafes.
1t is estimated that the surface inun
dated from the Seine, which must not
be COMPOUNDED with the overflow in
the back streets from burst sewers and
subterranean rivers, covers about nine
square miles, or one-quaTter of the
city.
Beginning above where the Seine
enters the fortificaticn, every quay is
under water, and practically the en-
tive Eleventh reimbursement, the
largest in the city, is submerged, the
flood extending back from the Quai
de Bercy and the Quai de la Rapec to
the Place de la Nation and the Place
de la Bastille.
Dozens of Persons Swept Away.
There have been a dozen instances
where persons have disappeared in
crevices suddenly opened under their
feet or been swept away in the sewer
food.
Two families with nine children
who had been drifting about on a raft
all night were discovered in the Javel
district at daylight and rescued.
A number of persons have become
insane through fear and suffering.
President l1lieres visited the 2f-
fected sections, making use of all sorts
of means of transportation. His au-
touobile took him to the Hotel In
Valides through vast shallow lake
near the Pont Alexandra. There he
embarked in a motor boat. The pres
ident lost his balance and fell into the
water, from which he was rescued. He
returned to the palace, changed his
clothing and then resumed his tour OF
inspection.
To counterfeit the exaggerated re-
ports spread aboard Premier Brand
has addressed an official communica-
ton to all projects saying:
1.-The rise in the Seine and its tribu-
taries seems to have reached its max
imum height and there is now slight
decrease. Many quarters of Paris
have been inundated. The suburbs
are particularly affected, especially Al.
louisville, livery, Gennevilliers, Join,
vile, Clarendon and Chichy. Thanks
to the heroic services Of the civil
service employees, of the army and of
citizens generally the victims have
been assisted or housed everywhere.
The population of Paris and the de-
partment of the Seine have kept a
marvellous calm among such difficult
circumstances. There is every reason
to believe that the situation IS grow
3no hoffar h0urlvn