Milford chronicle., 1910-01-28
FLOOD
SPREADS RUIN
$4,000 Soldiers Are Fighting
Rising Waters.
STREETS ARE CAVING IN

] INDUSTRIAL lie OF TFenGn Oapltai u
Rapidly Becoming Paralyzed-strest
Cars Tied Up and Factories Shutting
Down.
Paris. Jan. 26.-Fifty thousand sol
diers. comprising the garrison OF Paris.
we're placed at the disposal of the
municipal authorities to help fight the
food. which is spreading ruin and con-
sternation throughout the city.
The water at the Pont Royal has
touched twenty-six feet above low tide
and is still rising at the rate Of al
most half an inch an hour.
The damage already done is meal
culable The industrial life Of the city
is rapidly becoming paralyzed Only
two sections Of the subway are in op-
Grafton. while threefourths of the sur
face lines are tied up Factories are
shutting down because of lack of pow
er due to the electric plants having
been flooded Half of the telephones
in the city are out Of commission, and
telegraph and railroad communication
Is almost shut down
The disaster locally is due chiefly
to the fact that the whole marvellous
underground architecture of the city.
which Is honeycombed with labyrinths.
is filling up with water causing the
sewers to burst and the streets to cave
in and threatening the foundations Of
buildings
The scene on the river front is ma
jestic but appalling The Seine has
broken its barriers at several points
and is pouring its yellow torrents into
the surrounding streets. converting
them into vertable lakes. At any mo-
ment it may be necessary to blow up
the Alma bridge. where the water is
but a few inches from the keystone Of
the arch. as a dam there might turn
the course of the Seine in such a way
as to food several Of the most fash
ionable partions of the city.
During the night the subway sta
tions at the Orleans terminus and at
Quai d'Orsay were flooded and closed. /
and the sinking of the Rue de Poitiers
let the water through a foot and
half deep into the Rue de Lille and the
Rue de lTIniversite streets in which 4
live many of the old aristocracy. The I
Vaugirard district near the Boucicault /
hospital also is inundated.
The weather grows worse rather .
than better, and at noon Paris was .
the center of an era of low pressure /
and bitter cold Rain and sleet were (
falling throughout the flooded regions, (
adding to the suffering of the poor
and homeless. The price of bread and
other foods increases owing to the fact
that communication with the provinces
is crippled
The depleted supply of drinking wa
ter has caused the greatest alarm.
with the rise of the flood but a few
inches higher the pumping stations
still in operation must stop. and Paris.
in the midst Of a miniature ocean. will
be without water At to drink
The situation at between twenty and
thirty suburban towns above this city
Is worse than in the capital itself At
where the swollen river
Marne enters the Seine, an area OF
200 square miles has been flooded.
The submerged district includes AL
and Ivry-Sur-Seine. with a to-
al population OF 10000 At this point
he soldiers are firemen are doing he
'oic work in rescuing families in boats
Ind pOntoons. At Alfortville the ceme-
cry has been washed out and caskets
fitted from their resting places are
ioating down stream
The animals of the Geological Gar
len. which we're in danger of drown
ng have been removed to higher
,round.
Physicians fear an epidemic when
he floods subside. as the overlooking
ewers are likely to contaminate the
supply of water, and the rats
riven ont of their underground homes
re invading residences.