Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1910-01-25
FLOODS DEUCE
MANY VILLAGES
SCORES PERISH IN WORST OF
RECENT DISASTERS
EIGHTEEN TOWNS ARE INUNDAT-
ED BY TORRENTS
pownpour of Rain Terrific-Thou-
sands Home less-Fourth of coun-
try submerged-AII Traffic
Suspended-Great Havoc


stone parapets and quays watching
the yellow tide, which is crowded with
driftwood and other wreckage, rushing
seward. The water is now almost
flush with the arches of the bridges.
Firemen, police and troops are work.
ing like mad at all the bridges, olsen
tangling blockades resulting from the
floating debris and it is hoped that all
the bridges will be saved. Traffic on
several Trailer ones, however, has been
stopped.
All of the cellars along the quays are
filled with water. One of the cher
dangers is in the weakening of founda-
lions of the buildings along the water
front by the seeping waters.
The retaining walls of the foreign
office are surrounded by water and the
beautiful garden in the rear of the
building is a Veritable lake.
The streets around the chamber OF
deputies are considered unsafe and all
traffic in these thoroughfares has been
forbidden.
The tunnel between the Quai dOrsai
and the Quai d Austerlitz stations is
a rushing stream. The basement of the
Palais de Justice is full of water and
the first floor of the central police sta
ton is untenable.
The partial Gripping of the water
supply threatens the capital with
water famine. The police are making
a house to house canvass notifying
the inhabitants to boil all water used
for drinking purposes and thereby
avoid the danger of a typhoid cpl
demic.
Railways Crippled
The surface and underground rail-
WAYS, barely sufficient under normal
conditions to cope with the traffic, re-
main partially suspended, although no
worse today than yesterday. Railway
traffic is utterly demoralized and COM
pletely suspended to the southwark OF
Paris.
The situation of several places up
and down the river is deDlor9 BILE. The
lower quarters of all the towns on the
river below Paris are under water,
the streets of Auteutl resembling those
of Venice. A dyke near st. German
broke today, flooding the valley as
far as Malmaison.
The lower portion of Bots du Bou-
logne is "a blanket Of waite" reaching
to Bagatelle. Judging from reports re-
ceived today from the provinces, a
quarter of France is under water.
The eastern central and southeast
ern districts of France are terribly al
ficted. The valleys and plains are in
undated and the cities and towns are
in darkness. Troops everywhere have
been ordered to the work OF rescue, but
often they encounter the greatest diff
flculty in driving the peasants to places
of safety. The cities of Montargis,
Macon, Chalons-sur-S aone and Eper-
nay and the entire champagne country
is experiencing the most disastrous
floods since 1856,
The water in many of the villages
along the Saone and Marine reaches
to the roofs of the dwellings, AT YER
-le-Doubs, a small town eleven
miles from Chalons- -Saone, the
protecting dyke is breaking and the
town is threatened with destruction.
Factories Suspend Work
The factories and mills have stopped
work at Mezierres, Sedan and other
places in the Moure valley. Great
damage has been done to the beautiful
French automobile roads, which have
been washed out in many places. The
Garonne and Dorogne rivers are rising
rapidly. The village Of Carnac is sur
rounded by a lake.
The rivers Rhone and Loire are fall
ing in the lower reaches. The situa-
ton is greatly improved at Lyf rs,
Limoges, Troyes, Annecy and Aux9.re.
It is impossible to estimate the prop
erty loss, but it will run into millions
of francs. The loss of life has been
small. The government authorities
have ordered the projects and military
everywhere to aid in the
rescue work and to provide food and
shelter for the suffering.
Fine Homes Flooded
At Q o'clock this morning the water,
which was rushing through the tunnel
under the Quai du Arsay station, burst
through the roadway and flooded the
streets, including the Rue de Lille,
the Rue de Poitiers and the Rue de
Bellechasse, on which there are many
aristocratic residences.
The sidewalks are likely to cave in
at any time. Those who occupied the
houses were awakened and hurried to
places of safety.
The situation is fast becoming des-
perate.
All conditions indicated a further
rise of several inches of the river
Seine, and the cold rain, which still
continues, is causing intense suffering
among those who have been made
homeless.
There is little prospect of relief
NJ. Millerand, minister of public
works, after tour of inspection, said
that if the rise continued nothing
could prevent deplorable disaster and
the flooding of the most populous
quarters in Paris
Measures that had been taken, he
said, appeared to him to be adequate
"for the present, but only for the
present"
Paris is threatened with an imme-
date and complete tieup. The stop
page of transports has raised prices
of food which is becoming scarce, and
the supply of water is seven arron-
easements has been crippled.
subways Suspended
Authorities assert that drinking
water is assured, but there is no water
for industrial service, which is prac-
tically suspended The question of
transportation is becoming more and
saaa-