The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1937-01-22

ponce, IRE ana highway Depart
ments have removed $500 families
to higher ground. Police, firemen
volunteers of America, American
Legionnaires, Salvation Army work.
ers and Ped Cross recruits were en-
gagged in rescue work. Evacuation
continued throughout the night as
the river rose four inches an hour
Refugees were sheltered In aban-
doned warehouses, fire department
dormitories, schoolhouses, relief
buildings and private homes.
Nearly Feet Deep
Water flowed 10 inches to two feet
deep at the corner of Shelby and
Broadway, uptown business center.
In the fashionable residential dis
tricts adjoining the Bear Grass
Creek at the east end of the city
water was three to four feet deep.
Water backed up from sewers and
drains into the west end of the
city, forced 200 families from their
homes. The Central Railroad sta
ton at the river front was aban-
doned and its train and telephone
service discontinued. Railroad
trestles along Bear Grass Greek
were threatened. All railroad sched-
ules were abandoned. Only few
highways led out Of the city, but
relief officials said they would be
sufficient to maintain the city's food
supply.
Flows Over Levees
The flood waters flowed over the
top of levees. They rose more rapid
ly than mounds of sandbags at the
eastern end of town. Levee work
there was abandoned.
A profusion of wharfs, docks and
treStles will make it impossible to
sandbag the levees adjoining the
main sections of the city sufficiently
to hold back flood waters at a So
foot level. the mayors Office an
nounced.
Louisville's worst flood occurred in
1884, when the Ohio river passed
46 feet. The river neared A feet
early today. Heavy rains speeded its
rise. Only sudden release of wa
ter into upriver farmlands will stop
the rise short of so feet, it was fear
ed.
Workers Flee For Lives
Memphis, Tenn, Jan. 22-U.P0-
Roaring tributaries of the Mississippi
pi broke through levees and swept
into towns of southeast Missouri
and northeast Arkansas today
while 1000 workers who had fought
the rising waters fed for their lives
-Four towns were isolated. Six thou
sand refugees hurried from their
homes to higher ground. The Mis-
sissippi itself was rising, causing
fear of a major flood disaster In its
valley. At least three deaths had
been attributed to the flood. U. S.
engineers abandoned hope of saving
the st. Francis river levee from
Cardwell to Kennett, Mo. They Or
dered 1000 workers to evacuate. AS
they fled with the few remaining
residents, the st. Francis drove new
clefts into its levees near Senath,
Mo-, pouring muddy, swirling
stream around Cardwell and Arby,
Mo.-isolating those villages COM
pletely.
Village May Be Flooded
City Marshal John Hardy of
Cardwell, town of 300 population,
reported that water was tapping
over the railroad tracks and prob
ably soon would inundate the vii
lage. Hundreds Of head of livestock
have been lost. At least 100000
acres of pasture have been, or will
be, inundated. Governor Carl Bailey
of Arkansas set up relief machinery
under the military department. He
said the 100000 governors emer-
gency fund.- will be used wherever
necessary. Flood conditions through
out the middle Mississippi basin
area were made more acute by a
driving rain tht began two days ago.
More than five inches had fallen.
The east side leyee of Little River
at Big Lake, Ark, was expected to
go out at any moment.