The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-01-27
RIVER co NTINUES
TO RISE; PARIS
IS IN PANIC
Miles of Boulevards in French Cap.
ital Are Ruined and Many Notable
Structures in City Are
Near Collapse.
Every Subway Is Submerged and
Earth Is Crumbling-Loss Al
ready Is $1O0,OO0,000.

PARIS, Jan. 27.--With the Their
mometer below the freezing point and
the relentless River Seine continuing
It's devastating progress toward the
top OF the retaining walls, Paris awoke
today To what may prove the most ter
Iible day in her history.
Miles of her boulcvards, one OF the
city's chief points OF pride, have been
washed away; many OF the most nota.
bic structures in the city, to see which
1 travellers have Deen wont to come
from the corners Of the earth, have
already suffered heavy loss and are in
danger of collapse; $4,000 are homeless
and subsisting on scant provisions
furnished by the city, the Industrial
life OF the city is completely suspend
ed, and the one thought in the minds
OF the people is the imminence OF a
staggering calamity that may yet come
! IL the Seine continues its rise
The gay mood that permitted the
! people To look upon the food In it's
early stages as a spectacle for their
entertainment has departed and grim
! fear is now in the hearts OF everyone
and is plainly written In the faces OF
all.
Every subway in Paris-and Paris
has more underground tunnels OF one
sort and another than any other city
in the worlds now flooded This IL
the cause OF the enormous damage, a
damage that In Paris alone is likely
to run over $100,000,000. These sub
terranean rivers have caused the col
lapse OF scores of streets and are re-
responsible for the water that now
stands In varying depths over nearly
half OF the city.
Had IL not been for the filling OF
these subways, the loss would have
been comparatively slight, confined
mostly to the property along the river
frcnt. AS 1t is. every part OF the city
has been affected.
Looks Upon Ruin and Kills Self.
Engineers declared today that IL
waters Immediately subside, it will
e take two years to repair the damage
e done in Paris underground world.
; The United Press correspondent wit
messed the novel sight today OF flock
OF wild ducks swimming in the water
that has now reached the branches OF
y the trees in the Henry Nv. park on the
{ Isle De Cite, in the river Seine.
The aged keeper OF this park COM
=, mitted suicide today which he looked
|, upon the ruin that had been wrought
|, He had been seriously iii for several
days. but left his bed today to see
whether the terrible stories that had
been told him were true. When he saw
that the ravage OF the park was COM
plete he killed himself
Police and soldiers are literally
driving hundreds OF the poor from their
homes In the inundated sections To
prevent them from being crushed to
death in the collapse of their houses.
Scores OF their houses have already
tumbled In.
Public halls, churches, school build
Jugs and even such magnificent struc-
lures as the Pantheon are being con-
verted into refugees for the poor
Through the cooperation of the police,
soldiers and Red, Cross societies, tho
thousands of destitute are being fairly
well fed. Owing to the scarcity OF
food, however coffee and rolls are the
principal items in the rations. Huge
coffee boilers are steaming on many of
the street corners.
Never before has such depressing
spectacle been witnessed as the almost
constant procession to Paris OF the I'M
fortunates from the flooded environs.
city In the hope OF finding food, shell
ter and medical attention.
The Sad Procession.
Scantily clad women. with babies in
their arms, aged men pulling rickety
carts. containing their household
effects, cripples carried on litters or
riding in improvised carts, drawn in
some cases by women and dogs, cry
ing children and half-crazed men make
W the sad procession.
Early today the police found a wo-
man, driven insane by the food, and
her FIVE small children almost frozen
on the top Of the Butte Chaumont In
Park Hill. Her case is but typical OF
hundreds OF others.
Future provision for the thousands
who have been rendered absolutely
destitute by the food presents a seri-
Gus economic problem, though just
row the authorities are concerned
wholly with the present. II Is ques-
ton OF saving life now.
The suspension Of practically all
railway transportation is a fortunate
thing for Paris In one respect. for Z
, has prevented the influx OF thousands
OF destitute from other stricken cities.