Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 75, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 March 1913 — LAFAYETTE PAPERS TELL OF THE FLOOD [ARTICLE]

LAFAYETTE PAPERS TELL OF THE FLOOD

While Overdrawn Accounts Have Reached Here the Situation Was Very Grave for Some Time. —— % f ‘fy *'■ V ' . The Republican was fortunate to day to receive Issues of the Lafayette Courier of Wednesday and Thursday evenings. The Wednesday evening paper was supplied by “Cy” Jenners, the well known traVr eling man, who passed through on the milk train. He was able to get copies of Mie paper at Battle Ground, but refused to part with the Thursday paper. Art Cole, the mail clerk, however, realized that the paper would be much in demand here and sent one of Thnrs day’s issue to The Republican. The papers are devoted largely to the flood horrors. The Courier reported great difficulty in getting out the paper Thursday, owing to the fact that the city gas supply had been shut off and the linotype metal pots could not be heated and had to be abandoned. Thus, after part of the paper was set up, It was necessary to get out the old dusty cases and use all available hands at the “ease.” The paper contained only 6 pages instead of 12 as it usually does. The Wednesday paper contained the following headlines: “Waters covering the Wabash river at highest stage in history and rising— Gas and electricity soon to fail--West Lafayette hungry—Main street bridge is now being rapidly swept away by the rush.of hungry water— Nothing can save immense structure which is badlywrecked—Scores of buildjn'gs are carried away—Many thrilling sights.” Hundreds of people in the lower parts of Lafayette were forced to move from their homes and in-West Lafayette, where Purdue is located, the situation was critical owing to the shortage of water, food and fuel. All factories were badly flooded and had closed down. The city schools were elosed on order of the superintendent, who stated that'the situation was desperate, especially in regard to the supply of water for drinking and cooking purposes. In West Lafayette the few provision stores were raided for things to eat. Boarding and fraternity houses were soon out of supplies and many students went hungry. Scores of large buildings floated down the river and were demolished when they struck the bridges in Lafayette. The Battle Ground traction line was out of business, the track at the Wabash Valley sanitarium being swept away. The Brown street bridge damage is estimated at, $30,000, while the Main street bridge proved after the waters had somewhat receded to have suffered from being twisted and would require some time to mend it. The Big Four bridge did not go out, as was stated in telephone dispatches. The fine Main street levee was practically ruined, the earthwork that supported the asphalt being washed away. The Big Four railroad station was not under water but was closed as no efforts was made to run trains. Part of the stock was removed from the Jamison Bros. Main street store owing to the water having reached to the very doors. ' Men are always proving themselves heroes when occasion arises. One, at least, developed at Lafayette. Jack Abbott is the superintendent of the street railway company He was reviewed by a Courier reporter at 10 o’clock Thursday morning. He was at the power house yflth overalls on and had been right there on the job for 18 hours working with his men to keep the plant in operation. The

station supplied power for street ears and for lights and to have given up would have meant untold disadvantages. The water had reached the of the engine room and sacks of sand were used to keep it out. Water in the engine room would have forced the plant to close down. The veterinary Infirmary at the ? Main street levee was carried away and demolished when it struck the Big Four bridge. Several house boats and other river craft were lost. The water began to recede atmut 1 o’clock Thursday morning and fell at the rate of about 2 inches an hour. The papers reported no deaths at Lafayette. The county commissioners of Tippecanoe county' estimated that the damage to the county will reach $300,000. It was thought probable that the Brown street bridge would, never be rebuilt.