Norwich bulletin., 1910-01-31
It will Require Two Weeks for the River to
 Reach Its Normal Level
THE MOST IMMINENT PERIL IS OVER
Yet the Situation and Many Other Localities Shows Little Improvement-Whe Martial Law has Not Been Declared Some Districts in Military Hands to Prevent Fillagns.

the part of the government to declare martial law, the completely submerg- ed districts, such as Javel, are in the hands of the military to prevent pill laging. The soldiers have orders to give short shift to criminals caught in the act of footing.
 Thus far there have been no such cases in the city, but the danger is great, as the French usually keep their money and valuables in their homes. Outside of Paris, however, many de- plorable instances of footing have been reported. A regular band of thieves have been at work in the vicinity of Charenton, but the soldiers have been shooting them at sight The Zouaves last night killed two of the piHagers at Ivrv and two at Erie. Tehese robbers have now transferred their operations to the devastated regions below Paris, and many attempts to pillage the de- serted villas and homes are being re- ported. The papers recount many deeds of heroism by priests at Alfort- vile. They continued the work of res cue between midnight and daylight, when the soldiers, bluejackets and fire men, after several days without rest, had become exhausted. Sisters of Charity rowed to houses, giving assist ance in several cases of starvation.
 Relief Fund Grows Rapidly.
 Besides the aid distributed directly by the government and the municipal ity, more than $250,000 from the fund raised by the newspapers has been handed over to thes various relief So- cieties and the local authorities of the various towns and villages near Paris. The press refers gratefully to the spontaneous help coming from abroad, and makes particular melton of the evidences of sympathy in the United States.
 coco Rag Pickers Destitute.
 A pitiable feature of the flood in Gennevillers is the plight of the colony of six thousand rag pickers, fourth of whom are children. They are the poorest of all the Paris poor, and early each morning they cross the Seine to sort the refuse barrels of the great city. Their village was a clus- ter of miserable novels of plaster end rags, iron and odds and ends. On the bursting of the dam the torrents of the Seince swept everything away. Those of the rag pickers who had remained dren and fled for their lives. most of them scanti1y clad. They suffered bit terly from the cold, but after 8 few hours of this, the authorities were able to find shelter for them in the public huildinngs of the surrounding towns. But to. the entire colony the flood means irretrievea ble ruin
 Americans Should Remain in Paris
 Until Conditions Improve.
 Washington, Jan. 30.-That Ameri- CdI1S are SdIoC III FATS IIldn tn0y would be if they attempted to leave the city, is the advice given by Consul General Mason in response to many inquiries received by him through the state department
 In cablegram received by the sec retary of state, MT. Mason suggests that Americans should remain in Paris until conditions become settled. He has found no instance in which any American has suffered seriously from tn effects of the flood.