New-York tribune., 1910-01-28


All omnlbuses, streetcars and other
heavy traffic on the bridges were stopped
tonight In many places a coating of
ice has formed on the flood water in the
streets. The Chamber of Deputies has
voted thanks for the splendid services of
police, soldiers and officials in the work
of rescue.
M. BRAND, the Premier. declared that
persons who boarded up provisions in
the affected places, with the intention of
reselling them at big profit, would be
drastically- dealt with.
RECORDS BROKEN.
The stage OF the waters this morning
exceeded all records back to 1915, and up
TO II o'clock the river continued to rise
at the rate Of three-quarters of an inch
an hour.
Hope was given to the local author
tiles by an early report that the Seine
was stationary at its upper reaches. At
Melun, Nogent and Bray the maximum
flood was reached during the night. On
the other hand. the River Marine was re-
ported as still rising, and a new and
higher food was racing down the Yonne
and the Grand NORM.
The valley of the Seine now presents
a terrifying spectacle. The flood is miles
wide for twenty-five miles above, and
the raging torrent runs through the mar
row gut of the city at the rate of
twenty-five miles an hour 1t is flush
+ with the parapets of the bridges where
it is not actually overfowing them, turn
ing the streets into muddy lagoons and
choking the underground workings of
the city to the bursting point.
There are seven hundred miles of sew
ers and two rivers, the Bievre and the
Grange Bateliere, under Paris The
latter is running under the Opera House,
whose confning walls are subjected to
the pressure of thousands of cubic yards
of water. Wherever break in masonry
occurs the street caves in and the water
and refuse emerge. Thus dozens of
palaces a mile back from the river
streets are flooded and the walls Of ad-
joining buildings have been rendered un-
safe. In many instances the police have
ordered the tenants to abandon their
threatened homes.
The military commander in each of
the five sections into which the metrop-
oils has been divided holds his soldiers
in constant readiness for dispatch to
points of danger. The government of
the municipality has placed the military
barracks and public school buildings at
the disposition Of the refugees, who al
ready number, it is estimated, more than
one hundred thousand
Every minute to-day brought a new
tale Of disaster. At 8 o'clock the vault
of the Orleans Railway tunnel gave way
at the Rue Git-le-Coeur Another bad
cavern occurred in the Cue Lille, food
ing the quarters Of the German EN-
Dassy. The main drain under the
Champs de-Mars broke during the fore
noon. and the blanket of water extended
back to the Invalides, where repose the
bones of Napoleon.
Several subsidences have occurred in
the Place de la Concorde, the Rue St.
Honore and the Rue de Rappe The
Easements of the Grand Palais and the
home of President Fallieres are filed
with water. Whole sections of the city,
including the st. Lazare subway station.
| have been roped off
The boiling waters between the Pont
au Change and Pont Notre Dame indi-
| meath has collapsed.
LOUVRE TREASURES SAFE.
| The curator of the Louvre Museum
said to-day that, although the basement
Of the building had been inundated. the
| Statuary Hall was still six feet above
| Ia Of he
and engravings on the first floor in M
danger at present.
Immediately opposite, however, there
was great danger to the Institute de
| France, the home OF the Academic
Francaise, which was surrounded by the
waters. as was the Mazarin Palace.
whose valuable art collections were hur-
riedly removed to the second story
| The region in the neighborhood of the
| law courts and the Prefecture OF Police
was flooded, and chairs and tables were
| drifting about. The waters invaded the
Court of St Chapella. the finest example
of Gothic architecture in France, and
the lower floor OF the historic Concier-
gerie was flooded
The work of building temporary dikes
back OF the parapets began at daylight
and did not cease for a moment. In
| many places the soldiers labored in three
| feet of water, damming the openincs in
: the parapets and CONSTRUCTING great
| holding dikes Of stone and cement. Be-
tween the Place de Ia Concorde and the
Avenue dAlexandre, where the water
had begun to flow over the parapet. one
Thousand rnen We're busy erecting a wall
! in the middle Of the road to keep the