The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1910-02-03
PARIS FRANCE
IS INUNDATED
SlO,O0O,000 Damage Already Done
IN French Capital and Daily
Toll Is Half Million-Notwith-
standing Conditiou-Joyous
Parisians Have Frolics.

!
PARIS.-SpeciaI.-A water famine
ana peril OF a great epidemic of dis
! ease. caused by the greatest flood re
corded in the citys history has
adoed to the seriousness OF the situa-
ton of Paris.
Many portions Of the city are under
water. Traffic is at a standstiI. and
sappers and engineers are struggling
TO preserve the few remaining lines
Ihat the new Ligne Ietropolitaine
the finest OF the Paris subwavs is
probably permanently injured was the
statement of experts.
ruiz $4,000 persons are Idle today
as the result OF factories being closed
ana the lowest estimate of the loss In
the environments OF Paris alone is
S1O,OOO,OOO. 1t Is increasing $500 900
daily. The loss In the provinces and
suburbs is incalculable.
The day opened warm. with CON
tlnued rains. and the river was above
ali previous records for height, wash
Ing along almost level with the tons
OF the arches OF the most modem
bridges. The rains raise the river
hourly. In several sections fiIterine
machinery was flooded, and, with the
lnunoaticn OF the city threatened
there was no water to be had. This
situation threatened to become gen
eral over all Paris At other places
the water mains broke under the ter
rife pressure.
Typhoid fever made it's appearance
and an epidemic is feared. The Gov
eminent took prompt measures. but
the conoitlons are such that success IS
not anticipated in these efforts
For three days traffic has been AL
most at a standstin at the Austerlitz
station. The Seine is filled with debris
borne from wharves and warehouses
and, In some cases, this caught under
the arches Of bridges, threatening to
form dams
Even in the food of 1876. the situa-
ton was not as bad as it is today.
Suburbs Under Water.
Many OF the suburbs are under wa
s Ter, 1hhapltants OF Ivry were ma
rooned and could leave their homes
only by boat on the Isle De La Cite,
one OF the oldest quarters. many
houses threatened to collapse and were
abandoned. Auteun was among the
hrst districts to be Inundated.
Not only has traffic over many streets
peen abandoned, but the famous Point
De L'Alma was today closed, and SINH
thorttiss at other points.
Police guarded miles Of road, Civ
ing " staiing OF danger. and engineers
Following the situation as the water
slowly rose The destruction OF two
the size Of some of the newspapers to-
day The eurtailment OF the water sup
ply was followed in several quarters
And yet with all the hardship and
me absence OF prospects OF relief. Paris,
and Eayety. made a holiday OF the food
Even where the suffering and men
ace Was greatest the iDundation was
turned Into q water carnival
Hind Fun Plenty
Here and there impromptu parades
were helo py youths and girls, and
IN the Latin quarter-home of the stu
dents-and the regions where the Girls
cites S live. there was fund plenty.
me great sewer system OF Paris,
some OF whose branches date back
hundreds OF years. was taxed TO the
utmost In some OF the older portions
there was danger that the rush OF wa
ters would wear away the masonry and
walls, but no attempt could be made to
could not be forced into any OF the
most endangered spots. The cry for
speedy relief measures was raised to-
uay, In which physicians who said
that the present situation is a menace
TO the city, took a leading part Here
and there great lakes have been form
ed In the streets by the overflow from
me sewers. Reports received today
from the provinces show little abate-
ment in the conditions OF the suffer-
ing, though the weather is warmer.
Telephoning communication with Or
leans was cut on today, and the Or
leans Railway station was flooded
The Orleans Railroad tunnel threat
ened to collapse, and the streets above
il were closed from Austerlitz TO or
say.
The Place Michel, in which the Or
leans depot stands, was turned into a
Some OF the city's most notable build
ings We're put in grave danger. Under
mined, the morgue was threatened with
Chamber OF Deputies became a tank
The street In front OF the chamber
csAVed IN, and the foundations OF every
structure In that vicinity was eaten
into.