Show i TOWN WASHED AWAY Oyer Two Hundred d People Drowned 1 hs Illinois Evansville Ill III April 3 At At fl 8 this afternoon the levee Inee a a. Mile above abon Shawnee town broke and from all aU information in i formation that can be gained here it itis itis is I. learned that a great gnat part par of the tho I place has hal been destroyed and perhaps I a large number of citizens have hYe been drowned Shawneetown Is 25 miles mile I above aboTe Evansville on the Ohio river It is fa situated situated situated sit sit- in a valley of extremely lowland lowland low lowland land with hills skirting it in tho the rear and with a a. foot 25 levee run running nine nine- from hill hm to bill hill The town is very Tery much In the position position tion of a fortified city and when the levee gave rave way a a. mile above the city und under r the pressure of a very Tery high river the water shot through a foot 20 opening and struck the place like i hurricane sweeping every thing before it Houses were turned and tossed about like boxes Tho The people were not warned and for that reason many were caught Those at home sou sought ht refuge in second stories and on house house- tops Those in the streets were carried carried carried car car- ried before the avalanche of water and probably a majority of them were drowned Citizens came from the place by skiffs to telephone several miles away and asked for aid from Evansville They said that more than people were drowned and they had reason to believe that it would reach oje ox even enn 1000 The water stands from 20 to 30 feet all aU over the town There are of course no fires tires or lights in the place and total darkness envelopes the desolate city Consequently Conse Conse- Consequently it was vas impossible for them to have anything like definite tion The men immediately left the telephone and no further communication tion has been had No tele telegraph raph or telephone wires are working and outside outside outside out out- side communication appears ble At 10 o'clock two steamboats and anda a couple of tugs started for Shawneetown Shawneetown Shawneetown Shawnee Shawnee- town under a full head of steam and It is expected ted some of them will arrive arrhe there by 2 a. a m. m They carry large supplies of food and blankets quickly collected by the city officials |