River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1910-02-03
BIG FLOOD BROKEN.
SEINE CEASES TO RISE AND
PARIS is PROBABLY
SAVED.
NEWS BRINGS GREAT RELIEF
Thousands Pour Out Prayers Of
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Not All Past
Food Fight on-Quarter of Paris
Is Under Water.

Paris.-Paris Is saved. The Seine
ceased to rise at 2:30 Saturday morn
Ing. Its tributaries are slowly falling.
This bulletin, issued officially,
spreading over the darkened city by
word of mouth faster than ever went
message by the click of telegraph key,
brought relief at the end of day OF
greater suffering, more desperate
fighting than any since the memorable
river began to send it's waters through
the streets of the city.
Thousands have already gathered
to pour forth thanksgiving for the
word of hope The danger is far from
over, but the cry of will the end
never Gomez" has been answered.
Practically all hope had gone when
the Seine gained its last inch and then
stood still. Rain began in driving
downpour and great cakes Of ice, lib
Grated from above, swept down and
choked the river at the city's bridges,
spreading the food over quarter OF
the city.
Hourly danger still threatens the
city. The water has begun to fall In
all of the afauents Of the Seine above
Paris, but the passage through the
city is cfogged by bridges and an i'm
mense accumulation of drift, and the
seething waters have spread over new
areas. Choked underground rivers and
sewers are bursting their confines and
playing havoc with the street, swamp
ing more cellars and threatening
more foundations of buildings.
President Fallieres and Premier Bri-
and drove in automobiles to the flood
ed suburbs where distress is greatest,
speaking words of comfort to the
homeless and encouraging the soldiers
and others engaged in salvage and res
cue work.
Nevertheless numerous pitiful in
stances are cited of women and chill
dren who had refused to leave their
homes in the submerged districts,
shrieking from their windows for
bread
1t is difficult to present a mental
picture of the geographical limits of
the submerged area of Paris, but,
roughly speaking, it is estimated that
the surface inundated from the Seine,
which must not be COMPOUNDED with
the overflow in the back streets from
burst sewers and subterranean rivers,
covers about nine square miles, or one
quarter of the city.
A commission of doctors was sum
moned Thursday to perfect plans to
avert what they fear will be an cpl
demic of plague when the waters sub
side. The turbid streams in the tor
rental course have washed out grave
yards.
The loss is estimated at $200,000,-
900. Hundreds of lives have been lost
homeless in Paris alone and already
an epidemic of scarlet fever has ap-
peared among the refugees at Ivry.
Countless dead cattle have been
swept along in the current and the
great sewerage systems are damned
This dreadful burden has been borne
into the great underground passages
which underlie Paris, and with this
situation the city will have dread &C
counting to make.
All the military barracks and pub
lie school buildings have been thrown
open to the refugees. There are now
100000 homeless people withiv the
city limits and the problem of shelter
ing and feeding them during the un-
usual conditions is one which has
taxed the government to it's limit The
public subscription has reached $780,
600, $1,400 of which was contributed
by the American chamber of com
merce.