Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-31
Soldiers Given Orders to
Shoot Down LooterS
at Sight
SEINE DROPS SLOWLY
Ravages of Water in Paris
Seem to IncreaSe-Pit-
liable Sights Seen
ASSOCIATED Pressl

minent peril is past the Sein'
n river since yesterday has meas
ured only 515 inches in decline.
AT this rate it would require a fort
night for the river to reach its norma
level.
Fortunately tidings from flooded sec
tions above Paris give hope of more
of a subsistence by tomorrow.
In the meantime the situation il
Paris and in many places Throughout
the country shows little Improvement
Indeed, the rayages of the flood in thu
city seemed to increase. The wate
was higher in some streets, while tn,
situation in the towns between Paris
and ST. German was distinctly more
serious. A stream of water twelve
feet deep was rushing through Genne
Villeres and Colombes, making the
work of rescue and Succor more diff
ficult even than yesterday.
Several houses collapsed and many
persons were taken off the roofs O
their homes, where they had beer
clinging for days.
Hundreds are reported without fooC
or shelter, and all day an army o.
troops and civilians worked relentless
~ III lue IlOOueu teIIllOISb DIlHSlIlS dit
to the distressed and distributing pro
visions from boats to the maroonet
victims who refused to quit theil
homes.
Lanterns Replace Electrics
Within the city itself are great
throngs of sightseers. The Champs
Elysees, ordinarily a pathway OF
thrilling scenes and light, tonight had
StrI1Dcr 1lOOor tbn purbS-@ The
usually gay boulevards We're wrapped
in silence and darkness. Restaurants
and cafes were reduced to Venetian
lamps.
Most of the theaters were closed, but
the Comedie Franchise, with it's cleo
tricity and its heat gone was open
Jules Claretie, the manager, explaining
to the meager audience before the cur
tain rose that he considered the ma
tional theater of France should MOI
close its doors.
I'VE will give a performance" he
said, with candles, as in the days o.
Moiere, and show the world thai
Paris can be as heroic as in the timt
of the revolution"
Although there is no intention on the
part of the government to declare mar.
Iial law, the completely submerged dis
tricts, such as Javel, are in the hands
of the military to prevent pillaging
The soldiers have orders to give short
shrift to criminals caught in the act OF
looting. Thus far there have been nc
such cases in the city, but the danger
is great, as the French keep theil
money and valuables in their homes
Thieves Shot at Sight
Outside of Paris, however, many de-
plorable instances of looting have beer
reported. A band of thieves has beer
at work near Charenton, but soldiers
have been shooting them at sight. The
Zouaves last night killed two pillagers
at Ivry, and two at Brie. These ghoul,
have transferred their operations to tht
devastated region below Paris, many
attempts to pillage the deserted villas
and homes being reported.
Papers recount many deeds of hero
ism on the part of priests at Abort
vile, who continued the work of res
cue between midnight and daylight
when the soldiers, jackies and firemen
after several days without rest, had be-
come exhausted. Sisters of Charity
We're roWed to houses, giving assist.
ance in several cases of starvation.
Besides the aid distributed directly
by the government and the municipali
ty more than $250,000 from the funC
raised by the newspapers has beer
handed over to the various relief so
cieties and to the local authorities O
towns and villages near Paris.
The press refers to the Spontaneou!
help coming from abroad most CRATE
fully and recognizes the illustrations o
the sympathy of the United States.
Rag Pickers' Colony Loses All
A pitfable feature of the flood on tn,
GenneVillieres is the plight of the col
ony of 5000 rag pickers, a fourth o
whom are children They are the poor
est of all the Paris poor, and earl!
each morning they cross the Seine tt
sort the refuse barrels of the grea
city.
Their village was a center of miSer
al'e novels of plaster and earth, fianket
with heaps of bones, rags, iron anC
odds and ends
on the bursting of the dam. the tor
rents of the Seine swept away every
thing Those rag pickers who had re
mained in the village snatched up thei
children and Fed, most of them scant
ily clad They suffered bitterly from
the cold, but after a few hours th'
authorities were able to find shelte
for them in public buildings of sur
rounding towns. But, to the entire col
ony the flood means irretrievable ruin
At a meeting of the municipal couu
ell today one of the members protest
ed against exaggerations being spreaC
Paris would become vast metropolis
after the water subsidized because of tn,
communicated houses. 1t is pointed
out. however that the government hai
taken the most elaborate precautions
and that there is absolutely nothing tt
fear if the public will follow instruc
tions issued by the health board.
Late tonight the fall of the Sein'
had a noticeable effect in severa
traote which are no longer naVigable
The rising of the water on the othe
hand, continued.
There is large quantity of wate
now in the molding chamber of thu
Louvre museum.
In Their ninth reimbursement a serie
of powerful pumps was installed to re
move water from several banks, bu
residents who feared that this would
make conditions in their own cellars
snoatinnnd on Page TwoI