The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-31
Seine Subsidies Slowly and Water Is Higher In
 Some Streets
MANY DEEDS OF HEROISM BY PRIESTS AND SISTERS
Spontaneous Help Comes From the United States, and s25oooo Is Dis tributed by Newspapers-WhoIe
 City in Darkness.

Paris, January so.-The fall of the river Seine since yesterday morning has meas ured only 15lz inches and at this rate 1t would require fortnight for the river to reach its normal level. Fortunately tidings from the flooded sections above Paris give hope of more rapid sub- sidence after tomorrow
 In the meantime the situation in Paris and in many places throughout the coun- try shows little improvement. Indeed. the ravages of the flood within the city seemed actually to increase today. The water was higher in some of the streets. while the situation at the inundated towns between Paris and St. German was distinctly graver.
 A stream of water 12 feet deep was rushing through Gennevilliers and Co., lombes, making the work of rescue more difficult than ever before
 Several of the houses collapsed and many persons were taken off the roofs of their homes. where they had been cling ing for days.
 Hundreds are reported without food or shelter and all day an army of troops and civilians worked unceasingly in the flooded territory bringing succor to the distressed and distributing provisions by boats to the thousands of victims sur rounded by water who refused to quit their homes 6-e
 Within the city itseir great .thrones of sightseers, in the bright sunshine. be- sieged the cordons of troops which fringed the flooded districts or climbed ta points of vantage from which they could survey the wide vistas of water stretch- ing off in every direction.
 On account of the danger of the caves in from the pressure of the boiling wa ters beneath, hundreds of points were vigorously guarded.
 Pumping engines. belching forth smoke and sparks, added to the thrill, and gave an impression that universal confIaRra- tion was raging
 Only Camp Fires.
 Tonight the city was plunged in dark ness, relieved only by the camp fires of the soldiers at the waters edge or the nickering torch of some floating senti- nel, reflected wierdly in the water coy- cred areas that once were streets or avenues.
 The Champs Elysees, ordinarily a path way of brilliance, tonight has lanterns
 
 boulevards were wrapped in silence and darkness. The restaurants and cafes were reduced to dim candle lights and Venetian lamp light. Most of the thea tres were closed, but the Comedie Fran caise, with both its electricity and heat gone, was open, Jules Claretie, the mana ger, explaining to the meagre audience before the curtain rose that he considered that the national theatre of France should not close Its doors.
 We will give performance said he, with candles, as in the days of Mo Her. and show the world that Paris can be as heroic as in the times of the revo- lution."
 Although there is no intention on tho part of the government to declare mar tial 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 shift to criminals caught footing Thus far there have been no such cases re- ported in the city. but the danger is great, as the French usually keep their money and valuables in their homes.
 Thieves Are Lootine.
 Outside of Paris. however, many de- plorable instances of footing have been reported. band of thieves have been at work in the vicinity of Charenton. but the soldiers have been shooting them at sight
 lagers at Ivey and two at Erie. These ghous have now transferred their oper- atons to the devastated region below Paris, many attempts to pillage the de- serted villas and homes being reported
 The papers recount many deeds of he- roism of priests at Alfortville. who con- tinued the work of rescue between mid nj fcb 1ioh xrh ba tackles and firemen after several days without rest had become exhausted. Sis- ters of Charity rowed to houses and gave assistance in several cases Of starvation. Besides the aid distributed by the gov ernment and the municipality more than s250,000 from the fund raised by the news papers has been handed over to the va rious relief societies and the local au- thorities of the various towns and vile lages near Paris.
 The press refers gratefully to the spon- taneous help coming from abroad, and makes particular mention of the evil dences of sympathy fin the United States.
 Plight of Ragpckers.
 pitiable condition of the flood fu Gennevlliers is the plight of the colony of 60o0 ragpickers. fourth of whom arc children. They are the poorest of all the Paris poor. and early each morning they cross the Seine to assort the refuse found in barrels of the city. Their village was q cluster of miserable novels of plaster and earth, fianked with heaps of bones, rags. iron and odds and ends.
 On the bursting of the Seine the tor- rents of the river swept away every thing. Those of the ragpickers who had remained i'll the village snatched up their children and fled for their lives. many of them scantily clad. They suffered bit- terly from the cold but after few hours of this suffering the authorities were able to find shelter for them in the public buildings of the surrounding towns. But to the entire colony the flood means ---I
 sCONTiNURD ON FACE s.l