Louisville, Kentucky, USA
1907 - WATER REACHES CHIMNEYS

LOUISVILLE, KY., SWEPT BY RAGING WATER OF THE RIVER
Louisville, Ky., Jan. 20. - With the Ohio relentlessly pouring its flood southward and maintaining a steady rise of an inch an hour. Kentucky streams contributing their volumes from the mountain regions, a high wind blowing up stream all day damaging shipping and preventing the rapid passing of the current. Louisville tonight faces a flood situation which promises to equal before the crest is passed the stage of 1894, the greatest flood ever known to this city. Thousands of people are homeless and are housed in school buildings, warehouses and other structures. Factories in this city, Jeffersonville and New Albany are closed, throwing hundreds of people out of work; stocks of merchandise in the business houses along the river front are ruined, much lumber has been washed away and many small houses with their contents toppled over into the water. A conservative estimate of the damage done, with the crest of the flood yet two days away, is $250,000. Street car service in several parts of the city is seriously interfered with, while trains on nearly all the railroads are arriving anywhere from three to ten hours late.

Late this afternoon the backwater from Bear Grass creek forced its way out of its banks at Broadway and was soon spreading over the Louisville & Nashville's Cincinnati tracks. This district is within a five blocks of a fashionable residence section and it is many years since that part of the city was overflowed.

The water is within two feet of the Seventh street station, which is the terminal of the Illinois Central, Southern, Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern, Big Four and Chesapeake & Ohio railroads.

The tracks of the Illinois Central, the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern and Southern railway are still two feet underwater.

All night at the 'cut-off' where the greatest danger was supposed to center, men were on duty to watch for a break. The levee withstood the pressure, but about daylight the rapidly encroaching flood drove the watchers from their position and the water began to pour over the embankment into the valley of homes known as "The Point." Between 1,300 and 1,400 houses occupy that portion of Louisville. For the most part they are the abodes of river men inured to all sorts of hardships.

All day long the water poured over the embankment a foot deep and quickly seeking its level, transformed a large territory of the poorer residence section into a vast inland sea. Melwood avenue, from Sixteenth street to the Country club is under water, which is in some places entering into second stories.

During the afternoon a force of policemen was sent to a point within three blocks of the flood area, where they stopped all sightseers, fearing a loss of life should the embankment at the cut-off give way.
The scene in the Shippingport, in the western end of the city, is one of desolation. Here the water covers the houses, not only to the first and second floors, but in some instances the chimneys are the sole visible evidence of a house. Thousands of people abandoned their homes in this section two days ago and the majority were unable to take any of their effects with them, as it was impossible to secure enough boats and men to effect the removal. Last night's wind toppled over several houses and the waters today, carried them with their contents down stream.

This cold weather is causing much suffering among the people. The city officials have the situation well in hand and are feeding all the sufferers who are unable to provide for themselves.

Last night's storm did much damage to telegraph and telephone wires, and gangs of men were busy today repairing the damage in all sections of the city. Wires are down in many directions and little or no news of conditions above and below the city was received.

Morning World-Herald
Omaha, Nebraska
January 21, 1907

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