Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-03
PARIS HOUSES FALL
Buildings With Weakened
Foundations Collapse.
RELIEVING THE DISTRESSED
French People Touched by Ameri-
can Aid and Sympathy.
MODERN ENGINEERING FAULTS
Writers Compare Stability of the
Ancient Bridges and Sewers With
Weakness of Later Work.
RELIEVING THE DISTRESSED
MODERN ENGINEERING FAULTS

PARIS. February 3.-The river Seine
continues its recession. the gauge today
showing that it has dropped nearly FIVE
feet from its crest.
The fear that the buildings whose
foundations have been weakened would
fall the waters receded has been re-
allied, but not to a great extent, and
this damage thus far has been confined
to old structures in the surrounding
towns. as at Courbevoe, in the region of
Alfortvile. lvry and Vileneuve- Saint
Georges
Several recent subsidences i'm the
streets were reported today, one occurring
i'll front of the ministry of war.
Ii is estimated that food and clothing
is being supplied to a quarter of a mil
lion persons in Paris and its immediate
vicinity.
Grateful to Americans.
The relief contributions from crowned
heads amount now to approximately $55.-
Gst. Other foreign subscriptions exceed
S4tD,O0o. OF the $4,000 already trans
ferred to Foreign Minister Pichon by
American Ambassador Bacon ST., 900 has
been turned over to the French Red Cross
in conformity to the wishes of the do
nCrS.
Rodman Wanamaker, who desires to
pay the bread bills of flood victims for
one month. has forwarded a first install
ment of $4,000.
A high official. speaking today Of the
generosity of the Americans, requested
the Associated Press to express to the
American people the deep impression ere
ated by their sympathy in France. He
said:
The French government and French
In h4A 49,
profound expressions of sympathy and
the liberal contributions pouring in from
abroad but none has aroused quite the
same sense of gratitude as those from
the people of the sister republic across,
the sea. The misery lis still great and
the work of relief must continue for
months. See what wreckage has been
left behind even here" As he spoke the
offi ,ial pointed from window to the
devastation about the foreign Office. the
llish-water mark showing on the buildings
nine feet above the ground and the still
flooded Rue de Constantine
An unfortunate incident has resulted in
the abandonment of one of the Red Cross
posts The building within which it was
esta blished had been placed at the dis
position of the society by the owner, Pla-
cide-Alexandre Astier, the radical-social-
iSt deputy:
Wren the nuns who were acting as
nurses learned that the building belonged
10 Il socialist and Free Mason they de-
cHneu 10 remain, SAYING that they feared
accommodation. Thereupon the Coun-
tess d'Haussonville ordered that the place
be evacuated.
Modern Work Criticised.
Several prominent royalist and Catholic
writer's delivered broadsides in todays
papers against what is termed the bank
ruptcy of the modern science of engineer
ing, contrasting the stability of the
ancient bridges like Pont Royal and Pont
Nsut with the latter-day structures such
as the font ce lAlma and the Pont des
Arts. the safety of which was in doubt
throughout the height Of the flood They
declare that not a single ancient sewer
broke under the pressure of the waters
while the modern labyrinth cracked and
gave way in many places.
Frederic Mason, member of the
French Academy. in bitter article Laws
the blame upon the laicization of France
saying that still in the hour OF calamity
the only consolation OF the country is
found in divine faith and charity He
closes:
In this total bankruNcy of science,
government, police and the others who
should have foreseen and protected us the
cross alone is triumphant.