The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1910-01-31
RIVER SEINE is
NOW RECED|NC.
Crest Of Flood at Paris Has
Been Passed. !.
SITUATION STILL CRITICAL

Water Continues to Flow Through the
Streets and Bursting Sewers Add to
the Already Desperate State Of At.
s fairs-Fears Expressed That Falling
Waters May Cause the Collapse OF
Many Buildings.
Paris, Jan. 31-The river Seine is
falling at the rate of three-quarters OF
an inch an hour. The river Marine has,
dropped eight inches and the river
Yonne eighteen inches from the maxi
mum of the food. Hope is strong that
the subsistence of all the vagrant
streams will be rapid.
The high mark reached by the river
Seine at Point Royal was 81. feet
inch. This is the highest known rec
ord. The flood of 1915 is said by some
to have attained it's crest at 80 feet
inches. The situation throughout
the city continues grave and there is
fear that the receding of the waters
may cause the collapse of many build
ings, the foundations of which have
been greatly weakened by the inun
dation. -.-;.4s
The crest of the food was reached
at midnight. The waters remained
stationary for two hours, after which
they fell slowly. During the night the
storm clouds disappeared and the
weather cleared In the morning the
sun shone brightly. 5 .-..
, Situation Little Improved.
The delay in telegraphic commune
cation throughout France and to Italy
and Switzerland continues Despite
the fact that the waters subsidized the
situation within the city was not i'm.
proved. On the contrary the surface
water further invaded the streets
while the pressure from the choking
torrents underground opened new
crevices in some places and at other
points forced up the pavements into
great obstructing hummocks, fitting
and sometimes tearing up trees and
lamp posts. - :-
This was especially noticeable in
the Place de la Concorde, the Rue
Royale and the Place de L'Opera The
greatest damage has been done at the
Place de L'Opera and at the St. La
zare station. At the former four bad
caveins have occurred. one in front of
the new building of the Equitable Life
Assurance society, where the water
has poured into the basement. The
situation, however, is not so critical in
the Place de L'Opera as in the region
in front of the St. Lazare, where the
waters. racing through the Rue de la
Grange-Bateliere subway, joining the
food of overlooked sewers, has turned
the Place du Havre into a lake and
some sections of the Rue de L'Arcade
the Rue de L'Isyl and the Boulevard
Haussmann into veritable rivers.
Crevices Swallow Pedestrians.
There have been a dozen instances
where persons have disappeared in
crevices suddenly opened, or been
swept away in the sewer floods. Many
pitiful, stories are told of the rescue
of half starved persons whom the food
had imprisoned in houses. Two fami
lies with nine children who had been
drifting about on raft all night were
discovered in the Javel district at day
light and rescued. A number of per
sons have become insane through fear
and suffering.
Two hundred additional canvas
boats with crews arrived at points on
the Water front above and below the
city. They will aid the residents OF
the suburbs. The government has
requisitioned every boat obtainable
and posted notices everywhere warn
ing flood sufferers not to pay the boat
men anything for their services. Many
private individuals, including the
Rothschilds, have placed their automo-
biles and carriages at the disposal of
the authorities
Extensive preparations are being
made for the thorough cleansing and
disinfection of the city as soon as the
water has subsidized Much apprehen-
sion is felt regarding the effect upon
the weakened foundations of streets
and houses when the water pressure is