Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-01-28
PARIS IN A PANIC.
Capital of France Threatened With
Destruction.

Dispatches of the past few days
from Paris indicate that that city Is In
the throes of one Of the most Distress
ing calamities Of the century. The
flooding Of the Seine Is an event Of rare
occurrance, having happened to dan
gerous extent only twice in the past
hundred years; but the present flood
has broken all records. The great city
Is underdrained by the most extensive
sewerage in tine world, and the whole
system is now flooded with water,
ing undermined and sidewalks are cav
ing in to such an extent that whole
streets are roped off by way of precau-
ton. On Wednesday, the property loss
was estimated as having run over
5000, 100000, and it was increasing al
the rate of millions every hour.
Thousands of lives are reported to
have been lost, and because such a
large proportion Of the city Is under
water, there Is little reason to hope
that the flood will not be followed by
pestilence that will be terrible beyond
conception. The floods seem to be
general throughout the greater part OF
France, and the whole country Is in
volved in the common danger.
Paris, Jan. 26.-The snow has ceas-
the Seine is still rising, and Paris,
like a doomed city, is holding its
breath in terror. Half the city is in
darkness. In the gloom galloping or
derlies are bearing instructions which
can no longer be sent by telephone.
The army of police, firemen and SOL
diers give the appearance Of a city
fighting for its life.
Every minute brings graver dangers.
New areas are being inundated, quays
are collapsing, yawning chasms appear
in the streets. The water Of the Seine
has invaded the entire labyrinth Of un-
derground Paris. 1t threatens ruin and
destruction everywhere.
What new disaster will come to the
water-logged city before the Seine be-
gins to fall no one can predict. Al
ready the damage is officially estimat-
ed at $200,000,000, and every hour
adds millions more. The catastrophe
promises to exceed the limits Of a ma
tional disaster and become information
al. The death roll also is growing at a
frightful rate, and when the epidemic,
which now appears inevitable, breaks
out, 1t will run into thousands. Already
scarlet fever has appeared among the
refugees at Ivy.
Among the superstitious there Is talk
of the destruction Of Paris as result
Of tine appearance Of Halley's comet.
The authorities are bending their en-
ergies to the rescue Of the imprisoned
and the succor Of the homeless. The
public subscriptions opened by the
newspapers have reached nearly $780,
900. while the Red Cross and other re-
lief societies have gone nobly to work.
The extent Of tine floods in Paris may
be Judged by the fact that about half
the length of the quays within the city
are under water which Is pouring into
the streets, and thousands of laborers
and soldiers are working like madmen
to build cement walls to hold back the
current. The foreign office and the
Hotel Palais D'Orsay have been aban-
doned as the cellars are full of water.
The Continental hotel and many resi-
dences in the aristocratic quarter are
rapidly being evacuated. There Is ten
feet of water in the subway station IN
front of the Care st. Lazare, and the
sinking of the square threatens to car
nv down the adjacent buildings.
AS the result of conference parlia-
ment will be asked to authorize an ex-
tension of time for commercial paper
because of the general disorganization
Of business.
Besides the failure of the gas and
electric lighting plants, Paris Is con-
fronted with an oil famine. Scores or
oil barges from Rouen are tied up In
the Seine and the great depots of dis
tribution in the outskirts Of Paris are
flooded. The oil refineries at Rouen
are endangered. the situation in the
provinces is no better than In the city,
as they are supplied with oil from
Paris.
An official bulletin tonight stated
that the water at POnt Royal will reach
the 30-foot mark tomorrow morning,
The prospect for the immediate future
is grave as it is estimated that the
Seine tonight and tomorrow will rise
from two to three feet. Moreover 1t Is
feared that the high tide which Is set
ting in, beginning tonight, will aggra-
vate the situation, pouring in an addi-
tional volume of water and adding
strong pressure to that which Is al
ready invading the city underground.
Reports received here from Rouen
saw that the quays and fields for many
miles are under water Half the town
of Plaisance in the department OF Gers
is submerged and hundreds Of refugees
are making their way to Paris. Ex-
tensive floods have occurred in Gironde,
where the rivers continue to rise at an
alarming rate.