Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1910-01-28
FLOOD
LOSSES REACH
S2O0,00O,O
SEINE CONTINUES TO RISE AND
MAY REACH HEIGHT GREAT
Err THAN IN 1902.
MUCH SUFFERING AMONG POOR
Snow Storm, Bitter Cold and Hunger
Causing Great Distress in I'm
fortunate Quarters.
SUBTERRANEAN STREAMS ALARM

PARIS, Jan. 26.-The floods here and
throughout France have reached the di-
mension of Il great national calamity.
An official estimate of the losses up to
today is S2OO,0OO,OOO, or one-ffth the
war indemnity paid by France to Ger
many.
Great sections of the French capital
are under water, six square miles of the
historic Bots de Boulogne being sub
merged, while the River Seine sweeping
over its banks has filled the subways,
inundating the Palais Bourbon, the for
eign office and scores of the historic mon
uments which lie along each side of the
river. The many bridges which span the
river are threatened with destruction as
vast accommodations are banked against
them by the terrific course of the on
rushing food.
Special meetings Of the Cabinet were
held to consider means for coping with
the havoc already wrought and the great
er danger still impending. Military
forces have been summoned from all
parts of the country and the city has
been divided into five military divisions
for the purpose of administering the
work Of rescue and relief.
The Madeleine Sinks
In Paris the situation became more
desperate momentarily ,as the day pro-
crossed. At 4 p. IN. the Rue Royale be-
tween the Place de la Concorde and the
Madeleine, the famous church edifice,
began to sink, and was hurriedly roped
off. Several big assures have occurred
i'll the Javel region. The boulevard aid
joining the Pont de Bercy and the street
in front of the Louvre museum also be-
gan to cave in.
West street, at the west of the for
elgn office, is in imminent danger of col
lnr 10
pressed air forced from the flooded sub
way, which runs underneath. Should
this fall the entire street must cave III.
The archives of the foreign office i'll adj
joining building appear safe.
Although the river Marine was re-
ported stationary at FretesOus to the
east of Paris, the fuviaI navigation de-
partment declares that the volume Of
water rushing down from the Yonne and
other afffuentS of the Seine above leaves
no hope that the high water mark will
be reached before tomorrow morning,
when the food is expected to reach a
maximum of 81 feet. or a height greater
than was reported by the disastrous flood
of 1902.
At the same time the department ad-
mits conhdentially that it is impossible
to predict anything with accuracy, as
the whole of France is still in the grip
of an unprecedented storm. Rain, snow
and hail are falling everywhere, the
coasts are StOrmbOund and ships are flee
ing to the harbors for refuge.
Snow Storm Raging
binding snow storm ragged in Paris
today, and. coupled with the bitter cold
added to the general CONSERVATION, Suf
fering and misery of the poor and home
less. In the face of national disaster.
France is giving a fine exhibition of
pluck and solidarity. Political divisions
have been buried and the government
and people united to solve the problem of
relief Powerless to do anything to con-
jure the rage of the elements. those in
authority have devoted themselves sole
ly to the work of rescue and of providing
shelter and food for the homeless.
Every resource of the government, in
Guiding the army, was employed Boats
were requisitioned at all parts, and sol
diers and firemen worked tirelessly. New
ertheleSS. Premier BRAND and the other
ministers, who had not left their posts
for forty eight hours, We're unable to re-
spond to the appeals for help coming in
from every direction. Provincial author
tiles have been instructed to act on their
own initiative without awaiting orders
from the central government.
Subterranean Streams Rise.
The situation in Paris was not changed
appreciably from Tuesday, except that
more SlEeelS udu .Deeu cOuf I'M vel
low canals, more districts evacuated a
few more pavements had caved in. and
traffic communication was completely
paralyzed. One of the greatet causes of
alarm continued to be the constant rise
Dt the Subterranean streams under the
center of Paris, which flooded cellars and
undermined the foundations of buildings
Whole streets have been roped off as I'M
safe. All of the bridges over the Seine
are still standing, but traffic over more
than half of them has been closed.
Another serious phase of the situation
is that Paris is becoming rapidly isolated.
telegraph and telephone wires being
drowned or grounded" Wire commu-
nication is failing in all directions 1t is
impossible TO communicate by telephone
between the two banks of the Seine
This greatly crippled the work of relief
and the dispatch of prompt succor Only
two railways to the north and west We're
operating directly into Paris
Half of the ACCOMPLISHMENTS of Paris
,are affected directly and the rich as well
jas the poor are beginning to suffer The
wealthy Champs Elysees district is with
,out gas or electricity and some of the
homes have no heat. Many of the resi-
idents are leaving their homes for the
hotels which are crowded.
| Paris Is beginning to feel the pinch of
hunger The supply of fresh meat and
Vegetables is failing, and prices are soar
tng to famine figures. Some various
bakers who attempted to double the
price of bread were roughly handled.
land two of them were thrown into the
Seine at Clarendon.
Details from the flooded regions of the
provinces tell in narrowing monOtony of
broken dykes in the canals and of the
inundation of villages. The immense
losses in every branch of industry were
reflected. on the Bourse. where a bad
slump in industrials and railroad stocks
occurred.
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SURVIVE WRECK ONLY