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Show Dawn Brings Hope to Sufferers After Night of Terror New Orleans, May 11. Now Orleans Or-leans awoke this morniug with the sun beaming down upon last night's scono of confusion when the city experienced ex-perienced a storm that because of the flood In the river, was the most threatening threat-ening ever known. No rain fell the latter part of the night, and tho clouds hnd vanished this morning with prospects of a fair warm day. The river fell gradually from 2 o'clock this morning, after having exceeded ex-ceeded all flood records here by a foot and a half. Relief Follows Storms. Dawn today brought relief and hope to thousands of people, and ended a night of excitement and terror for those living In upstate towns and villages vil-lages behind levees considered none too safe becauco of the terrific rainstorm rain-storm that swept down the Mississippi Mississip-pi river from the northern portion of accompanied by hail and lightning, and a near hurricane that dashed river riv-er wator over levees in cascades from Baton Rouge south, tearing away temporary earthworks recently constructed. con-structed. From scores of towns belated telegrams tele-grams tell of conditions almost bordering bor-dering on panic where hundreds of frightonod people loft fram dwellings and sought safety in brick and stone buildings. Work All Night. Many places reported as much as six Inches of rain within about four hours ending at 10 o'clock last night, flooding towns and villages. At dozens doz-ens of points up and down the river where levees wero thought weakening, weaken-ing, hundreds of citizens worked beside be-side gangs of convicts all night long In the driving rain, digging mud and pilings and bags on levee tops to keep the torrential watoia from the north. At New Orleans the wind backed up-the up-the wator until tho gauge at 10 o'clock registered 21 9 feet. Water was blown over the loveea hero In many places. At tho Southern Pacific transfer ferry, the water literally poured over the lines of saudbags placed about the ferry house by the railroad puoplc. Emergency gangs stopped the overflow over-flow after half an hour's work. The city streets wero turned into torrents, the water in several instances flooding business houses to the depth of four Inches, filling basements and manholes. man-holes. City In Dar.knesc. In addition to tho uneasiness, tho city lighting plant was out of commission com-mission and most of tho city was In darkness for nearly an hour. In the 25 minutes ondlng at 9 o'clock last night 1.7 inches of rain fell. In tho residence district the wator was over the sidewalks by several inches. Hundreds were caught in the downpour, down-pour, unable to got to their homes bo-cause bo-cause of the crippled car service Scores of well dressed men took off their water-logged shoes, slung them over their shoulders, rolled up their trousers to tbelf knees and walked and waded to their homos. , oo |
