Newspapers / The Asheville Times (Asheville, … / March 27, 1913, edition 1 / Page 1
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ASHEVILLE, N. 0,. THURSDAY AFTERNOON MARCri 27, 1913 PRICE THREE GENTS IS RE1P IT Wm BITTER TIP CAUSES LIFE LOSS UNKNOWN Search of the Debris For Bodies Reveals Many; 5000 Is Estimate. RAINFALL CEASES; BLIZZARD RAGING C onditions at Z anesville Are Becoming Worse; Relief Measures Being Rushed . T)v Associated Press. Dayton. O., March 37. (Via Miami) Many bodies are be ing removed from the river at Klvcrdulc. Tiiey , . are f being stacked three deep along the "i.J'''f!V.,PPOrlliig to wi Just received at the Western Union Itcadquartcrs, It started snowing again this afternoon. Hie estimated dead, IMHKI, apparently Is nearly cur re. The total number of dead never will be known. iDDLtll FACING fill,: WITHOUT FOOD Ten Thousand of Its 18,000 People Are Homeless and Unsheltered at the Present Time. Predictions Are) That Water ; Stage of C3 to 70 Feet Will . Be Reached at That Point i Soon, - f ', ATCIIIUTI Fl miu'iv MOST SERIOUS TUGKAS1EGEE r mum inniirnT nivtn nwi IN 20 YEAHS FLOOD LOSS IN OHIO AT LEAST 100 MILLION of the humans. The crowded north Ride of the river, where It U feared there may be thou sands of foreigners dead and dying, is still far beyond reach. No one. speaks of It, the Immediate, needs of the known survivors calling for every at' tentlon. If the downtown, section 1 relieved by' rltaft It" tftspw hermH-tti etty authorities to get together with the militia and the relief committees and make some organized attempt to give aid to the north side tomorrow. Except for a solitary branch of the Dayton, Lebanon & Cincinnati, the railroad over which a single train can creep cautiously at a time, railroad communication has not bee restored. An effort also Is being made to urge all who are able and all who can find outside places of refuge to leave the city as fast as the train service will permit. The erroneous announcement today of the breaking of the reservoir caused men to rush through the uptown streets shouting "flee for your lives, the reservoir has broken." Crowds in Panic. : Famllie living outside the danger zone gathered their babies and be longings In their arms and fled for the cash register office, crushing Into that already over-crowded structure. The reservoir contains 17.000 acres of water space and It was pointed out that the flood district Is estimated at several million acres so the worst pos. sible effect of its breaking would be to retard the work of rescue and could not cause a rise of more than one foot. The wnters already are seven feet lower than the high water of Monday. . An effort was made to drive some of the punlc-strlcken back to their homes, but In the main they stood helpless on the streets. The constant rain since Monday turned to snow in the night, but the downfall ceased at daylight. The sun made Its first ap pearance of the week at 11 o'clock today. . First alarms of the breaking of the reservoir today were spread by a policeman who was posted on the edge of the flood district. There were others quick to take up the cry and soon thousands crowded the streets. Not until John H. Patterson had addressed the frightened throng was any semblance of order restored. Mr. Patterson has been appointed military aide In the southeastern district of the city with full control under martial law. He ordered every available mo tor car and truck to scour the farm houses south of the city and confiscate all available food supplies. The farm ers In this vicinity have contributed heavily and their bins are believed to be nearly empty. Columbus, .. March JT. The men are of lire contnlues tills morning In the Hooded district of Ohio. Dayton i -ml hnviilnff nnA innrali have been Without IOOU Or Water Bint e m.n, out for dynamite to blow up Tupsdnv will be released and buildings m the pain of the J liesuay . win -c m , T1 i,,,, reservoir, north of there Will be no provisions for iByton. Is still holding. Men are lie tliem nor places to Care, for 1. rashed In to protect and strength- them ' I A blizzard Is reported from parts ... i -ii. t: : if i lie inundated area. Cold weather "II tiie uenui mt now . ,,,, the work , i firm T xt-ill ronisder it a ninr- .lld h,. .'i A-. .,i; " fplp-' Relief nicsaiirea are belli perfect VelOUB dlKpennatlon, ICIC "..'maiif ,.Men. Carloads of pro- nranhed Mr. Burba to Oover- vlHloim clothing and other supplies '"' I . r, n Ml - . ... iiuuit 1 1. ill fast lln. pft. "If it 1 1U.UUU I Will are nun ,.,r Iior VOX. ii 11, m iim" mn tPBlu, ean be moved, not bo surprised. itttst Kitstitftftit Dayton, O., March 27. Further danger from flood was inssing toaday but the appre hension of great loss of life from famine, exposure and sickness was growing hourly. The flood waters receded three feet during. the night and it was expected that before dark; ness most of those marooned in the downtown district would be liberated. Four mot or boats which arrived from Cincinnati this morning were taken to the water's edge and fin effort made to extend im mediately relief to the most urgent cases found. Although there are constant rumors of great numbers of deaths from fires and floods in far parts of, the city the fact remains that up to the present there can be no actual knowl edge nor intelligent estimate of the extent of mortalities. George. F. Burba, represents ing Governor Cox today tele graphed the governor urging that special emphasis be given the great need of immediate provisions. There is not a lull day's food supply in the city and .before night it is like ly that' 10,000 persons who have been held - downtown By Associated Press. Middletown, ()., March 27. A par alyzed community of 18,000 souls, Middletown awoke this morning to face perils that threaten her very ex istence. Ten thousand persons are homeless and unsheltered. Cooked food is unobtainable but relief may come during the day, a9 trains and automobile trucks are reported to be rushing to this city. After a night of labor under trying conditions, this morning the relief committee reported that 30 known persons are missing. Eeven. more are said to be unaccount ed for. This does not Include the people who may be housed In their own homes, whom the relet commit tee has not yet been able to reach. The reflections of the fires at Frank lin and at Dayton ast night only served to Instil more fear into the hearts of the townspeople. Middle town Is entirely without, flr-?' protection and. while tovtuinite Jaiough. thus far to have escaped a" conflagration, yet thoco who are In charge of the work are in hourly dread lest a fire break out. , The work of rescue and relief was started at daybreak, despite the fact that a thin snow was falling and It had turned bitterly cold during the night It is believed that all those marooned will be reached with food during today, and perhaps rescued from their nearly submerged homes. TO FIJI SEEN E Wat Secretary Will Take Per sonal Charge of Federal Relief Measures. - .... By AssAintcd Press. Cincinnati, Q&March 87. The con tinued rains offtlie past 24 hours com pletely chajuteel the complexion of the river situational this city and todav. according1 to Uf perieneed rivermen. Cincinnati is tln'Oatcned with one of the worst floodsfln her history. With the MusuiKum, Scioto and the two Miamis pouting .their millions of galloiiR of wateo'in the Ohio and the lacking, on the Kentucky side, doing likewise, the river during the night rose to 57.7 feet a$ this point and was in creasing at thejeate of two inches an hour. Radical observers predict a seventy foot stage but f.iore conservative men say that 63 feet would not be improb able, and that Unless the two Miamis run out more gradually than is ex pected, and even greater stage may be recorded. ." The Central ' Union station was abandoned last'night and all trains leaving or entering this city are being detonred. !. . The flood entered several business houses in the lower section of town during the night and early this morn ing found the entire "bottoms" of .the sea of moving nans, working up to their capacity. !,: ,. Kuilroad Track Iynamited. At L&wrenceliurg, 2 5 miles below this city, fearing that the back water from the Great 'llami would flood the town, HarPftiort ,ad Ohia- RaVU rond track, .which runs along the river, was dynamited last night to give water egress to the Ohio river. This has lightened the town's burden for the time being. Unconllrmed reports state that four persons were drowned there last night. Ohio I Using lUi pidl.v. The Ohio river is rising rapidly at Portsmouth, O., Catlettsburg, Ky., and Parkersburg, W. Va. At Huntington W. Va., and Maysville. Ky., the river Is now within a few feet of the flood stage and rising rapidly. The big Sandy river, which enters the Ohio near Catlettsburg, Is on i rampage. HAIX AXD.SNOW. IiOulHVllle, Ky., March 27. (Ilullc tin, 8 a. in.) The stage of the river here at 7 o'clock tills morning was 33.6 feet, a rise of I t feet in 21 hours. The river Is now rising at the rate of about four inches an hour. ICain anil snow fell generally throughout the Ohio valley lust night and early today. Bryson Water Main, Crossing River, Destroyed -Three Feet of Water Run- ning Trough Cut- Damage at Dayton A lone Estimated at Fifty Million Dollars. EFFORT TO RESUME RA IL TRAFF IC MA DE Special to The Gazette-News. liryson City, March 2". The Tuek aselgee river fc at highest flood In 20 years The Citizen s bank ot liryson is in a foot of water. Three feet of water is running through the street near the depot. The city water main, crossing under the river, is gone, leaving the north side of town without water. All residences on the north side of the river are water-bonnd. Several bridges have washed away. The river runs through the center of the town and many of the houses on the North side, are on low ground, and these will be in danger if the water rises much higher. Some of the houses are now on small is lands. Appeal of Governor Cox for Outside Help Meets with Quick Response Efforts Making to Prevent ' Typhoid Epidenmic in Flooded Cities. u,......i..m Number 10.000. ' "Horrible as this Is." he said, the real sulTerln will grow worse for 1uys. There are 70.000 homeless, n v.. .r..nu. .r hoinr fed from hand to mouth with less than a day's food supply ahead of them. There la no water snd there Is no light. Probably wlihln a day there will be bodies of thousand r,f horns decomposing In the muddy streets and It will be lm i.ns ,1,1,. even to .nr. for the bodies iportallon as fsst The Ohio National UiiarflHtncn awo are reany to move to layton as soon as Miey ran enter the rlty. The Ohio river U rising, and tlie danger stage at Cincinnati has been IMMtMWts Train Service Practically Kopicd. Pittsburgh. Pa.. March 17. Wire communication with Ohio rrver points south of Wheeling ws lost this morn ing. Train schedule! west of Pitts burgh were annulled, 'fliers Is ho fl t'untlntied on page four. (By Associated Press) Washington. March 27. Secretary Garrison of the war department will leave Washington late today for the flood district to take personal charge of the relief measures being conducted by the urmy and personally represent President Wilson. President Wilson has determined to go to the Ohio flood district If his presence there can do any good. It wafl announced at the White House to day that the president would await word from Secretary Garrison after he arrives In the flood district and decide then If he will Join the aid party. Meanwhile, the Red Cross Is urging cities near the submerged area to sup ply food and clothing and bedding, the first necessities of the suffering thou sands. The organization is holding the majority of Its workers throughout Ohio and Indiana under marching or ders, hut fears to assemble them all at Columbus; their efforts might be paralysed through congestion there. The Hed Cross forces are co-operating with Colonel Hall, surgeon general of th rto state militia, directing opera t t Columbia. Aas soon as It Is possible to reach Dsyton the Ked Cross workers will be sent in almost unlimited numbers. The war depart ment has authorized the officer at Hamilton to call troops from adjoin ing posts,. In his discretion, and will be supplied with pontoons and other equipment for the rescue of the ma rooned Inhabitants. lion IT COLUMBUS SAY REPORTS Draws YET iin Waters Subsiding, but At tempts at Rescue or Re lief Are Very Difficult. DITfQrJSWORS AT IESVILl E E Pittsburgh, Pa., March 27. Tele phone communication with stricken nnesvllle. O., was severed this morn Ing after the following messagu came through the local office from the Zanrsvllle chief operator! "We are leaving the exchange In boats, wafer up to the second story. Conditions here getting worse every minute" , Investigation in West Side of City Reveals Appalling Con ditions Many Narrow Escapes. (By Associated Press) Columbus, O., March 27. Between 600 and 1000 persons lost their lives In the flooded west side of Colum bus, according to reporters of the Columbus Dispatch, who have Just gotten Into communication with the newspaper office from previously isolated sections of the city. This same estimate Is given by persons in charo ot the relief sta tions on the hllV top west of the flooded soctlon. Discoveries made this morning among the stricken populnce, they say. are appalling. According to those who Invaded the stricken districts, the big state In stitution and. store rooms in the hill top lection are crowded with refugei, many of whom were rescued, from the murky waters and who tell stories of Indescribable horrors. Former Mayor George S. Marshall, who was In telephone communication with Attorney Cecil Randnll, his law partner, said today, that Mr. Randall, said the death toll would reach at least a thousnd. . Wife Slayer Is Cajitnred. By Associated Press. . Danville. Va., March 27.-r-Gcorge Pheltnn, of Reldsvllle, N. C, who on Monday evening last shot and killed his wife while she was visiting a rela tive snd who Immediately afterward made good his escape " was captured last night In the woods not far from that place. By Associated Press. Dayton, o., March 27. Unlike other cities heretofore overwhelmed by fire or flood, Dayton has no representative citizens committee to relieve victims of the flood and lire that has swept this city. It is impossible to commu nicate with the mayor or other city officials as they, with more than hall of the population of 150,000, are hemmed in by the water. The relief work is being well dune bv a small coterie of citizens In th southeastern portion of the city who happened not to be caught in the Imsl ness section when the flood suddenly made egress from buildings impos sible. The relief work is In charge of J, H. Patterson, president of the Nation al Cash Register company. The cash register pl.int was the only structure of Importance not seriously affected by the flood or the lire which followed and today more than 1000 refugees are receiving medical atten tion and food at the plant which has been turned Into a huge hospital and lodging house. Until today relief measures exceed el reuiilrenients but only because It was Impossible to rescue the thou rands of marooned inhabitants. With the waters receding and the rapidity of the torrents through the business sections lessened, people were brought out by hundreds today and the relief staff was kept busy. Many doctors and nurses have come here from near by town and -medical supplies have preceded flood on relief trains. , Scarcity of Power Craft. Absence of power boats has been the cause of great suffering. Hand propelled boats could not navigate the water. With appeals for motor boats also went requests for men to run them. Cleveland responded with sev eral boats and men who arrived this morning. Cincinnati alio sent some. Upon the arrival of these craft rescue work went on rapidly. Harrowing Talcs, . Harrowing tales have been told In connection with the rescue work al ready done. A boy pitched by his mother from a roof to a boatman who was having difficulty keeping his craft steady, was missed by the rescuers and drowned. The mother was saved. A young husband had to restrain his wife from throwing herself Into the Hood water! as they sat upon the roof of their ruined home. She was hold ing two small children. All were saved. (By Associated Press) Columbus, )., March 27. With I Ohio anil streams subsiding today, the state is emerging from the greatest flood it has ever known. . The loss of life has been heavy; so heavy that the full extent will not lie revealed until the wuters huve receded. When the full account is made, It is lxilev ed that the total death list for the stute will run well over 2000 and that the proierty damage will amount to $100.1)00.0011. ( Dayton is the 'worst afflicted o the many cities swept by the floods. Not only lias the death loss from drown- ng there been extremely heavy, but fire which raged unchecked early this morning threaten to destroy the business section. Geo. V. Burba, private secretary to Governor Cox, made a hazardous trip to Dayton and last night report ed that the property loss would R,rouiSM to f bQ,Q(U4000, . and Ahsl.lie deaths would approximate iuu. From all sections of the state mill tia equipped with food and blankets are hastening to the relief of the Davton sufferers and it was reported last night that the advance guard was natrnllinir the principal streets in boats and checking incipient ruffian Ism. The notoeai of Governor Cox for outside help has received quick re sponse anci today provisions, cots and supplies or all kinds, were being hur ried from neighboring states. The list of known dead in this city has been increased to twelve, with a missing list of fifty. At Delaware the known dead number 33. Sidney re ports 100 dead and Tiffin 50. H was believed this morning that the I.ewistown reservoir near Day ton, which had threatened to break ilniing the night, had been so strengthened that no further danger need be feared. Ilesumntion of rail traffic will made todav if possible. Not only i.H.lm.s washed out everywher the tracks of many of the principal railroads still are flooded and wash outs are numerous. Fearing a ty phoid epidemic, the state health de partment is making arrangements to clean up the larger cities visited by the floods. Davton, ).. March 27. A small portion or Dayton's citizens from their refuge tnduy on the highest iMilnt in (lie ehy awiiiled anxiously l Icimi of the fine or at least 5,IMM of the city's Inhabitants lieniimil In by raging flood water und menaced by lire. Although only a little more than a mile from the section where It is feared there has been great loss of life, hundreds of men and women looked on helplessly. Even during the early hours of the third day of flood any estimate of the number who have perished would be mere guesswork. Thousands have been marooned. How many have survived no one knows. Numerous fires have sprung up since the water from a bursted reservoir penned In tens of thousands but the worst blaze started yesterday after noon about 4:30 o'clock and this morning still was claiming Its toll of property nnd doubtless many Uvea. Breaking of Tarlton Reservoir. Although water from swollen streams slowly had been creeping up on the outlying sections for hours, the catastrophe which resulted so seriously ceme within 30 minutes after the Tarltnn reservoir broke. The streets soon liecame basins for swirl ing torrents of water In which boats could not live. . Those safe from the flood have had to wait until the water subsides. The water went down per- be are but niSB AT MEMPHIS. By Associated Press. Memphis, Marc h !7.( Bulletin, a. ni.) Thirty-two feet and flvo-tentht. was registered on the local Mississippi river gauge today. This Is rise of i l-bt-tciitlm In the past 24 bonrs. ceptihly each hour after noon yester day and during last night and unless other reservoirs break, which is fear ed, the well organized force' of relief workers should have a large section of the city explored before night fall. Kxtent of Flames Unknown. Fire, the extent of which Is un- . known, added a grim menace last night and today. From what could be seen through a Held glass from the top of a tall building nearly a mile away, it seemed as if the fire started In the Patterson Supply company's plant. Karly today it had consumed at least parts of three blocks. The Patterson plant Is on Third street, near Jefferson. The fire burned northwest for a time and then shifted to directly west It has been conserv atively estimated that 250 persons were marooned in the Beckel' hotel, which was believed t have gone up Jlanjes., .This fact, however, could not be definitely' settled.'''' Whether ," many persons were in other buildings In the vicinity is not known. Two ex pert oarsmen took a boat Into part of the Third and Jefferson streets district yesterday and saw persons in every building who pleaded with them to save them. They did not traverse that portion believed to have been burned. ' ' ; Word was received early today that 60 motor boats with men to operate them were coming from Cleveland and a few from Cincinnati. Unless condi tions become worse it is believed prac tically all of the submerged section can be explored today. That conditions will improve is not assured, however. Exiectcd to Break Any Minute. Reports today from the vicinity of l.ewiston were that the huge reservoir there was expected to break any min ute. A high wind was blowing water over the reservoir banks, the dams were weakening rapidly and Lewiston . people were fleeing from their homes for high ground. Lewl-Uon is 70 miles from Dayton hut it is predicted here that If the reservoir there gives way a worse Hood than has overwhelmed the city will sweep down upon the Inhabitants now lighting for life. Should this ca tastrophe come before the water now hemming In thousands subsides enough to allow boats to get to the people, It is predicted that it will be Impossible to reach them for days. Cold. Bain und Snow. Most of them have been submitted to a cold, penetrating wind driving rain before it since Tuesday noon. Karly today there was snow and a de cided drop In the temperature. Martini Ijiw ; Thief shot to Death. The city was proclaimed under mar tlal law yesterday afternoon and late last night. A thief was caught rob bing homes of flood victims who had been taken to refuge stations. He was shot to death by tnte guardsmen do ing police duty. Persons taken from flooded homes have been well cared for. Although all grocery stores outside the flooded area sold out their stocks yesterday afternoon, food soon was supplied by other cities. Doctors and nurses have been rushed from nearby towns and today Dayton waits to suc cor Its unfortunate snd to care for lis dead. Fearing that even should the flood subside enough to allow men and teams to make their way to the lire they would prove Ineffectual to com bat such a conflagration as seems to be raging. Vice Mayor Huber early this morning called upon nearby towns for fire fighting apparatus and dyna mite with which to blow tip the build ings surrounding the Are. Winston Salem Fire Loss Subject of State Probe Special to The Gazette-News, Raleigh, March J7. Unable to pre vent the frequent occurrence of serious fires In Winston-Salem, Insurance Commissioner Young announced today that he had requested ISO Insurance companies do send representatives there April 2 for the piiriosc of checking up Insurance td de.ermlnc the amount of nver-iimuranei , The . - - ' -"w- town furlnshed a large proportion of tire losses last year and In the ma jority of esses th property was over insured. Special department men snd detectives have been unable to stop the fires. The commissioner si.ys that uiib-s H remedy Is fot..:rt people there i : n not Ret Insiirnnce except nt i ' ' , f rates. Off Ida Is "ml M . I 11 operate with the lii-ii'!iM( ".I J
The Asheville Times (Asheville, N.C.)
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March 27, 1913, edition 1
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