[Illustration: STRICKEN] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE TRUE STORY OF OUR NATIONAL CALAMITY OF FLOOD, FIRE AND TORNADO The appalling loss of life, the terrible suffering of the homeless, the struggles for safety, and the noble heroism of those who risked life to save loved ones; the unprecedented loss of property, resulting in the laying waste of flourishing cities and towns HOW THE WHOLE NATION JOINED IN THE WORK OF RELIEF By LOGAN MARSHALL Author of "THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC, " "THE UNIVERSAL HANDBOOK, " "LIFE OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT, " "THE STORY OF POLAR CONQUEST, " "MARSHALL'S HANDY MANUAL, " Etc. PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED WITH AUTHENTIC PHOTOGRAPHS ----------------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1913, BY L. T. MYERS The material in this work is fully protected under the copyright laws ofthe United States. All persons are warned against making any use of itwithout permission. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Prayer by Bishop David H. Greer: O Merciful God and Heavenly Father, who hast taught us in Thy holy word that Thou dost not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men, give ear to the prayers which we humbly offer to Thee in behalf of our brethren who are suffering from the great water floods. Cause them in their sorrow to experience the comfort of Thy presence, and in their bewilderment the guidance of Thy wisdom. Stir up, we beseech Thee, the wills of Thy people to minister with generous aid to their present needs, and so overrule in Thy providence this great and sore calamity that we may be brought nearer to Thee and be knit more closely one to another in sympathy and love. All which we humbly ask, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [Illustration: WHERE THE NATION'S SYMPATHIES ARE CENTERED] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTENTS CHAPTER IThe Greatest Cataclysm in American History . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 CHAPTER IIThe Death-Bearing Flood at Dayton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 CHAPTER IIIDayton's Menace of Fire and Famine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 CHAPTER IVDayton in the Throes of Distress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 CHAPTER VThe Recuperation of Dayton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 CHAPTER VIDayton: "The City of a Thousand Factories" . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 CHAPTER VIIThe Devastation of Columbus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 CHAPTER VIIIColumbus: The Beautiful Capital of Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 CHAPTER IXCincinnati: A New Center of Peril . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 CHAPTER XThe Flood in Western Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 CHAPTER XIThe Flood in Northern Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 CHAPTER XIIThe Flood in Eastern Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 CHAPTER XIIIThe Flood in Eastern Indiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 CHAPTER XIVThe Desolation of Indianapolis and the Valley of the White River. . 184 CHAPTER XVThe Roaring Torrent of the Wabash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 CHAPTER XVIThe Plight of Peru: A Stricken City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 CHAPTER XVIIThe Death-Dealing Tornado at Omaha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204 CHAPTER XVIIIStruggles of Stricken Omaha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 CHAPTER XIXOmaha: "The Gate City of the West" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 CHAPTER XXOther Damage from the Nebraska Tornado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 CHAPTER XXIThe Tornado in Iowa and Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225 CHAPTER XXIIThe Tornado in Kansas and Arkansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 CHAPTER XXIIIThe Tornado in Indiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 CHAPTER XXIVThe Tornado in Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 CHAPTER XXVThe Freak Tornado in Alabama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 CHAPTER XXVIThe Flood in New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246 CHAPTER XXVIIThe Flood in Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 CHAPTER XXVIIIThe Flood in the Ohio Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 CHAPTER XXIXThe Flood in the Mississippi Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 CHAPTER XXXDamage to Transportation, Mail and Telegraph Facilities . . . . . . 277 CHAPTER XXXIThe Work of Relief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 CHAPTER XXXIIPrevious Great Floods and Tornadoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294 CHAPTER XXXIIILessons of the Cataclysm and Precautionary Measures . . . . . . . . 308 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The Unleashed Gods By Percy Shaw Iron and rock are our slaves; We are liege to marble and steel; We go our ways through our purse-proud days, Lifting our voices in loud self-praise-- Forgetting the God at the wheel. We build our bulwarks of stone, Skyscraper and culvert and tower, Till the God of Flood, keen-nosed for blood, Drags our monuments into the mud In the space of a red-eyed hour. Kings of the oceans are we, With our liners of rocket speed, Till the God of Ice, in mist-filled trice, Calls to us harshly to pay his price As we sink to the deep-sea weed. Muscle and brain are our slaves; We are liege to iron and steel; But who shall say, tomorrow, today, That we shall not halt on our onward way To bow to the God at the wheel? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [Illustration: HELPING HANDS] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER I THE GREATEST CATACLYSM IN AMERICAN HISTORY THE UNCONTROLLABLE FORCES OF NATURE--THE DEVASTATION OF OMAHA--THE TERROR OF THE FLOOD--A VIVID PICTURE OF THE FLOOD--THE TRAGEDY OF DEATH AND SUFFERING--THE SYMPATHY OF NATIONS--THE COURAGE OF THE STRICKEN--MEN THAT SHOWED THEMSELVES HEROES. Man is still the plaything of Nature. He boasts loudly of conquering it;the earth gives a little shiver and his cities collapse like the houseof cards a child sets up. A French panegyrist said of our own Franklin:"He snatched the scepter from tyrants and the lightning from the skies, "but the lightning strikes man dead and consumes his home. He thinks hehas mastered the ocean, but the records of Lloyds refute him. Hedeclares his independence of the winds upon the ocean, and the windsupon the land touch his proud constructions and they are wrecks. He imprisons the waters behind a dam and fetters the current of therivers with bridges; they bestir themselves and the fetters snap, histowns are washed away and thousands of dead bodies float down the angrytorrents. He burrows into the skin of the earth for treasure, and athousand men find a living grave. Man has extorted many secrets fromNature; he can make a little use of a few of its forces; but he isimpotent before its power. Thus we pause to reflect upon the most staggering and tragic cataclysmof Nature that has been visited upon our country since first ourforefathers won it from the Indian--the unprecedented succession oftornadoes, floods, storms and blizzards, which in March, 1913, devastated vast areas of territory in Ohio, Indiana, Nebraska and adozen other states, and which were followed fast by the ravages of fire, famine and disease. THE DEVASTATION OF OMAHA The terrible suddenness and irresistible power of such catastrophes makethem an object of overwhelming fear. The evening of Easter Sunday inOmaha was doubtless as placid and uneventful as a thousand predecessors, until an appalling roar and increasing darkness announced to theinitiated the approach of a tornado, and in a few minutes forty-sevencity blocks were leveled to the ground. The fairest and best built partof the city could no more withstand this awful force than the weakesthovels. Twelve hundred buildings were destroyed, most of them homes, butamong them many churches and school houses. The just and the unjustfared alike in this riot of destruction and then the tornado rushed onto find other objects on which to wreck its force in Council Bluffs andelsewhere. It left in its wake many fires, but fortunately also a heavyrain, while later a deep fall of snow covered up the scene of its awfuldestruction. THE TERROR OF THE FLOOD With the rest of the country, fair Dayton sorrowed for Omaha. Two dayslater Omaha, bowed and almost broken by her own misfortune, looked withsympathy across to Dayton, whose woe was even greater. A thousandcommunities in the United States read the story and in their own senseof security sent eager proffers of assistance to the striken districts. And not one of them has assurance that it may not be next. There is nosure definition of the course of the earthquake, the path of the wind, the time and place of the storm-cloud. Science has its limitations. Onlythe Infinite is master of these forces. In the legal parlance of the practice of torts such occurrences as theseare known as "acts of God. " Theologians who attempt to solve themysteries of Providence have found in such occasions the evidence ofDivine wrath and warning to the smitten people. But to seek the reasonand to know the purpose, if there be purpose in it, is not necessary. The fact is enough. It challenges, staggers, calls a halt, compels menand women to think--and even to pray. But the flood did not confine itself to Dayton. It laid its watery handof death and destruction over a whole tier of states from the GreatLakes to New England, and over the vast area to the southward which isveined by the Ohio River and its tributaries, and extending from theMississippi Valley almost to the Atlantic seaboard. And as this awfuldeluge drained from the land into Nature's watercourses the demons ofdeath and devastation danced attendance on its mad rush that laid wastethe borderlands of the Mississippi River from Illinois to the Gulf ofMexico. A VIVID PICTURE OF THE FLOOD Those who have never seen a great flood do not know the meaning of theScriptural phrase, "the abomination of desolation. " An explosion, a railroad wreck, even a fire--these are bad enough intheir pictorial effect of shattered ruins and confusion. But for givingone an oppressive sense of death-like misery, there is nothing equal toa flood. I do not speak now of the loss of life, which is unspeakably dreadful, but of the scenic effect of the disaster. It just grips and benumbs youwith its awfulness. In the flat country of the Middle West there is less likelihood ofswift, complete destruction than in narrow valleys, like those ofJohnstown and Austin in Pennsylvania. But the effect is, if anything, more gruesome. After the crest has passed there are miles and miles of inundated land, with only trees and half-submerged buildings and floating wreckage tobreak the monotony; just a vast lake of yellow, muddy water, swirlingand boiling as it seeks to find its level. [Illustration: THE CITIES AND TOWNS INCLOSED BY THE HEAVY BLACK DOTTEDLINES WERE THE CHIEF SUFFERERS BY THE SWEEP OF WATERS] The scene in a town is particularly ghastly. How ghastly it is, youwould have realized if you could have gone with the writer into theflooded districts of Ohio and Indiana, traveling from point to point inautomobiles and motor boats, penetrating to the heart of the flood inboats even before the waters receded, and afterwards on foot. The upperfloors of houses not torn from their foundations look all right, but itfairly makes you sick to see the waves of turbid water lapping at secondfloor sills, with tangled tree branches and broken furniture floatingabout. It seems horrible--it is horrible--to think of that yellow floodpouring into pleasant rooms where a few hours before the family sat inpeace and fancied security--roaring over the threshold, swirling higherand higher against the walls, setting the cherished household treasuresastray, driving the furniture hither and thither, drowning out cheerfulrooms in darkness and death. If anything can be worse than this, it is the scenes when the watersrecede. The shade trees that stood in the streets so trim and beautifulare all bedraggled and bent, their branches festooned with floatingwreckage and all manner of offensive things, their leaves sodden, theirtrunks caked with mud. The streets are seas of yellow ooze. Gardenfences and hedges are twisted or torn away. Reeking heaps ofindescribable refuse lie moldering where there were smooth lawns andbright flower beds. The houses that stand are all smeared with the dirtthat shows the height of the flood. But inside those houses--that is the dreadful thing. The rooms that thewater filled are like damp caves. Mud lies thick on the floors, thewalls are streaked with slime, and the paper hangs down in dismalfestoons. Some pictures may remain hanging, but they are all twisted andtarnished. The furniture is a tumbled mass of confusion and filth. Butthe worst is the reek of decay and death about the place. THE TRAGEDY OF DEATH AND SUFFERING But there is something greater in its tragedy than all this--somethinggreater than a great region where splendid cities, towns and humblevillages alike are without resource--something greater than a region ofbroken dams and embankments and of placid rivers gone mad in flood, bridgeless, uncontrollable, widened into lakes, into seas. It is thehundreds of dead who died a hideous death, and the hundreds of thousandsof living who are left helpless and homeless, and all but hopeless. Just for one moment think--we in our warm, comfortable houses, comfortably clad, safe, smiling and happy--of the half million of ourfellow creatures out yonder shivering and trembling and dying, in thegrasp of the "destruction that wasteth at noonday, " swiftly pursued by"the pestilence which walketh in darkness. " The leaping terror of theflames climaxes the terror of the harrowing day and the helpless, hopeless night of agony and sorrow and despair. Think of the men, women, children and the little babies crushed andmangled amid the wreck of shattered homes--but yesterday as beautifuland bright as ours--the pallid faces of hundreds floating as corpses inthe stately streets turned into rushing rivers by the relentlessfloods--brothers and sisters of ours, freezing and starving in homesturned suddenly into broken rafts and battered houseboats amid the muddydeluge, while the pitying stars look down at night upon thousands, wet, weeping, shivering, hungry, helpless and homeless, with the host oftheir unrecognized and unburied dead, in this frightful holocaust offire and flood and pestilence. Think of the region where people are huddled shivering on hills orhousetops, watching the swelling waters; where practically everyconvenience, means of communication, comfort, appliance of civilizationhas been wiped out or stopped; where there is little to eat and no wayof getting food save from the country beyond the waters; wheremillionaire and pauper, Orville Wright and humble scrub-woman, standshoulder to shoulder in the bread-line that winds towards the reliefstations, all alike dependent for once on charity for the barestsustenance. THE SYMPATHY OF NATIONS These are the tragedies that touch our hearts. These are the tragediesthat have brought messages of condolence from King George of England, from the King of Italy, from the Shah of Persia and from other monarchsof Europe. These are the tragedies that impelled a widow in a small townin Massachusetts, in sending her mite for the relief of the unfortunate, to write: "Just one year ago, when the ill-fated Titanic deprived me ofmy all, the Red Cross Society lost not a moment in coming to my aid. " These are tragedies, too, that have prompted wage-earners all over thecountry to contribute to the relief of the flood sufferers a part oftheir own means of support that could ill be spared--soiled and wornbills and silver pieces laid down with unspoken sympathy by men andwomen and children, too, who wanted nothing said about it and turned andwent out to face the struggle for existence again. These people did notthink twice about whether they should help those in greater necessitythan their own. They had been helping one another all their lives, andit seemed not so much a duty as a natural thing to do to respond to thecall from the West, where people had lost their lives and others werehomeless and suffering. THE COURAGE OF THE STRICKEN This spirit of helpfulness is a fine thing. But even finer was thespirit of self-help. Secretary Garrison's telegram to President Wilsonfrom the flooded districts that the people in the towns and citiesaffected had the situation well in hand and that very little emergencyassistance was needed, was a splendid testimonial to the courage and theresourcefulness of the people of the Middle West and the admirablecheerfulness which they exhibited during the trying days that followedthe beginning of the calamity. There was not a whimper, but on thecontrary there was a spirit of optimism that must prove to be moststimulating to the rest of the country. MEN THAT SHOWED THEMSELVES HEROES But perhaps the finest thing of all is the memory of the heroes thatshowed themselves. When death and disaster, in the form of flood andfire, swept Dayton, John H. Patterson arose with the tide to the levelof events. Patterson is the man, more than any other, who brought cosmosout of chaos. When the flood was rising and nobody knew what the resultwould be, John H. Patterson began to wire for motor boats. He did notask, he demanded. And the motor boats came. Patterson took all of thecarpenters from the National Cash Register--one hundred and fiftyskilled woodworkers--and set them to work making flat boats. The entireforce of the great institution was at the disposal of the people whoneeded help. And not a man or a woman was docked or dropped from thepayroll. Everybody had time and a third. As for John H. Patterson himself, he worked in three shifts of eighthours each; and for forty-eight hours he practically neither slept norate. And then, by way of rest, he took a Turkish bath and a horsebackride, and forty winks, and was again on the job--this man of seventy, who has known how to breathe and how to think and who carries with himthe body of a wrestler and the lavish heart of youth! There were many other heroes--too many to mention here--but we cannotforget John A. Bell, the telephone operator who was driven to the roofof the building, where with emergency instruments he cut in on one ofthe wires, and for two days and nights, in the driving rain, withoutfood or drink or dry clothing, kept the outside world informed as towhat was going on and the needs of the sufferers. What Bell enduredduring those long hours was enough to kill the heart in a very strongman. Yet his greeting to Governor Cox, over the crippled wire Thursdaymorning, was: "Good morning, Governor. The sun is shining in Dayton. " Could anything be finer! Men with such spirit are great men, and thespirit that was in John H. Patterson and John A. Bell is the same spiritthat was in John Jacob Astor, and Archie Butt, and George B. Harris, andCharles M. Hayes, and the band of musicians on the Titanic that playedin water waist deep. As I stood amid the slimy ruins of Dayton the day after the watersreceded, Brigadier-General Wood said to me, "There go Patterson andBell. Would you like to shake hands with them?" And I said, "Just now Iwould rather shake hands with those two men than own the National CashRegister Company. " - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The StormsBy Chester Firkins And you are still the Master. We have reared Cities and citadels of seeming might, But in the passing of a single nightYou rend them unto ruin. We who fearedNor flood nor wind nor wreckage fire-seared, We shudder helpless in the thunder-light;The garners cherished and the souls endeared Emptied and sudden-slaughtered in our sight. You, whom the Cave Man battled, whom we call Nature, because we know no better name, Goddess of gentleness and torture-flame, Still are you despot; still are we the thrall;Still we can only wait what Fate may fall From your wild pinions that no man can tame. Nor gold or gain, nor battlement or wall Shall guard us from the primal flood and flame. Our castled cities tower to your skies. 'Gainst wind and wave we pile our stone and mold. Powered of genius, panoplied of gold, We build the bastions of our high emprise. But yet, but let the plunging torrent rise, The winds awake on glutted rivers rolled--We die as the reft robin fledgeling dies-- We perish as the beast in jungles old. We dream that we are conquerors of Earth; We think that we are mighty, that we dare Scorn your grim power--till we glimpse the flareOf burning Death 'mid holiness of Birth. What is our godliness and wisdom worth Against your strength embattled unaware?You are the Master, ever, everywhere, Deadly and gentle o'er the wide World's girth. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CHAPTER II THE DEATH-BEARING FLOOD AT DAYTON EXTENT OF THE FLOOD--THE RESERVOIR BREAKS--BUSINESS SECTION FLOODED--THOUSANDS MAROONED--MANY CREEP TO SAFETY BY CABLE--JOHN H. PATTERSON, CASH REGISTER HEAD, LEADS RELIEF--EMPLOYEES ASSIST IN RELIEF--SCENES OF HORROR--APPEALS FOR AID. It remained for two telephone operators to be the real factors in givingto the world the news of the first day of the flood which inundatedDayton, Ohio, and the whole of the Miami Valley on Tuesday, March 25th. One, in the main exchange at Dayton, flashed the last tidings that cameout of the stricken city by telephone, and delivered to Governor Coxnews which enabled him to grasp the situation and start the rescue work. The other was the operator at Phoneton, who served as a relay operatorfor the man in Dayton. They stood to their posts as long as the wiresheld, and worked all day and night. EXTENT OF THE FLOOD A seething flood of water from eight to twenty feet deep covered all butthe outlying sections of the city by the evening of the 25th. Beneath the waters and within the ruined buildings lay the unnumbereddead. The flooded districts comprised practically a circle with a radiusof a mile and a half, and in no place was the water less than six feetdeep. In Main Street, in the downtown section, the water was twenty feetdeep. The horror of the flooded district was heightened by more than a dozenfires which could be seen in the flooded district, but out of reach offire fighters. Most of the business houses and nearly all residences had occupants. Downtown the offices were filled with men, fathers unable to get home, and the upper floors and on some of the roofs of the residences werehelpless women and children. Hundreds of houses, substantial buildingsin the residence districts, many of them with helpless occupants, werewashed away. The water in the Miami River began rising Monday afternoon at the rateof six inches an hour and continued to rise throughout the night. Thefirst break in the levee at Dayton came at four o'clock Tuesday morningat Stratford Avenue. This was followed by other breaks at East SecondStreet and Fifth. THE RESERVOIR BREAKS But the severity of the flood that hit Dayton was due to the collapse ofthe Loramie reservoir in Shelby County about seven o'clock on Tuesdaymorning, hurling millions of gallons of water into the swollen Miami. Rushing down the Miami Valley, the water carried everything before itat Piqua, Troy, Sidney, Dayton, Carrollton, Miamisburg and Hamilton. Three rivers, the Miami, Stillwater and Mad, and Wolf Creek conjoin inthe heart of Dayton. As the city, particularly North Dayton, and a northsection called Riverside, lies almost on a level with the four streams, it is protected from high water by levees twenty-five feet high, whichguide the streams through the city from its northern to its southernend. [Illustration: NORTHERN PART OF DAYTON, AND WATER COURSES WHICHOVERWHELMED THE CITY] North Dayton is a manufacturing and residence district. Riverdale is aresidence district. In the southern part of the city, on fairly highground, is the great plant of the National Cash Register Company Wolf Creek, flowing into the Miami from the northwest, early got out ofits banks and added to the flood flowing over the floors of the WilliamsStreet and Edgewater Avenue bridges. Mad River, in the northern section, also got over its banks early. Allof North Dayton, save the extreme uplands, was inundated. The Miami wasmore than a mile wide below the city, and thousands of acres wereinundated. BUSINESS SECTION FLOODED At Third and Ludlow Streets, where were located the great AlgonquinHotel, a magnificent church, the great Y. M. C. A. Building and theHotel Atlas, were many feet of water. The central portion of the citywas flooded, and the beautiful residence district, lying east of theexclusive boulevard district, was a Venice. Hundreds of homes were filled with floating furniture. The citizens, used to the slow-creeping floods of other years, were entirely mystifiedand distracted by this sudden, hurtling, seething flood that seemed tospring by night from the clouds that hovered low over the city andplunged their seas of water into the rivers that converge in the veryheart of Dayton. Railroad and wagon bridges over the Miami River were swept away. Thetelephone operator at Phoneton said that from his window in the stationhe had seen a bridge one mile north of Dayton collapse and anotherbridge crossing the river at Tadmor, eleven miles north of Dayton, wasexpected to give way at any moment. Communication between Phoneton and Dayton, the operator said, was onlyintermittent, as the only available wire was being used by the linemenin their efforts to restore service. Troy and Tippecanoe City, north of Dayton, were both flooded and manypeople took refuge on the roofs of their homes. Below Dayton vast acreages were seas of yellow. Farms were lakes, roadswere raceways through which raced the swollen streams. Telegraph servicewas maimed, and all sorts of communication was well-nigh impossible. THOUSANDS MAROONED Crowded in the upper stories of tall office buildings and residences, two miles each way from the center of the town, were thousands ofpersons whom it was impossible to approach. At Wyoming Street, threemiles beyond what has heretofore been considered the danger line, waterwas running eight feet deep. The Western Union operator at Dodson, Ohio, said the office was filledwith foreigners who had fled from Dayton. Looters were shooting peopledown in the streets, according to these refugees. They also reportedthat the Fifth Street bridge at Dayton had washed down against therailroad bridge and arrangements were being made to dynamite bothstructures. This bridge was dynamited in the afternoon, but the effectwas not felt to any marked degree. The foreigners who sought refuge in the Dodson telegraph office werepanic-stricken and told wild stories of the flood, saying nearly everypart of the town was under water and the conditions becoming moreserious. The breaking of the Tarleton reservoir, which supplies the drinkingwater, left the city without water and added great danger of typhoid inthe use of flood water. Frank Purviance, an employee of the Terre Haute, Indianapolis andEastern Traction Company, at Dayton, over the long-distance telephonesaid scores had been drowned there. "They're dying like rats in their homes; bodies are washing around thestreets and there's no relief in sight, " Purviance said. MANY CREEP TO SAFETY BY CABLE At Wyoming Station, on the South Side, where the National Cash RegisterCompany centered its efforts at rescue, many saved their lives bycreeping on a telephone cable, a hundred feet above the flood. At first linemen crept along the cables, carrying tow ropes to whichflat-bottomed boats were attached. When the flood became so fierce thatthe boats no longer were able to make way against it, men and womencrept along the cables to safety. Others, less daring, saw darkness falland gave up hope of rescue. Those willing to risk their lives in the attempt to rescue foundthemselves helpless in the face of the water. The first to seek safety by sliding along the telegraph conduits was aman. Then came four women. The first of the women was Mrs. Luella Meyer. She was a widow with one son, a boy in knee-breeches. He got out on the wire and with the agility of a cat was soon across. But Mrs. Meyers, when over the boiling torrent, swayed as though faint, slipped and the crowd stood with bated breath. By a lucky chance her senses came back to her so that she could graspone of the wires. Hand over hand she was able to pull herself slowly tothe nearest pole, where she rested before again making the trial. Thistime she did not falter, but when she was picked up by the rescuers atthe farthest pole toward safety she was limp from nervous and physicalexhaustion. Four companies of the Third Regiment, Ohio National Guard, spent thenight aiding the city officials in rescuing families in theflood-stricken districts. Telephone and railroad service was interruptedin every direction. John Hadkins and James Hosay, privates of the Ohio National Guard, weredrowned while in acts of rescue. The body of an elderly woman floateddown near Wyoming Street in the afternoon, but the current was so swiftthat it could not be recovered. The National Cash Register Company's plant, on a high hill, offered theonly haven in the South End. Three women became mothers in the halls ofits office buildings during the night. In the woodworking department of the National Cash Register Companyboats were being turned out at the rate of ten an hour, and these wererushed to where the waters had crossed Main Street in a sort of gully. But the waters crept up and the strength of the current was far toostrong for the crude punts, though they were the best that could be madein a hurry. Trip after trip was made and hundreds of the refugees were taken fromthis stretch of houses. JOHN H. PATTERSON, CASH REGISTER HEAD, LEADS RELIEF Although John H. Patterson, president of the National Cash RegisterCompany of Dayton, which employs more than 7, 100 persons, is nearlysixty-nine years old, and has led a life of unusual activity, he was outin a rowboat tugging at the oars and personally helping in the work ofrescue. His two children, Frederick and Miss Dorothy, both in theirearly twenties, likewise were so engaged. When despatches came from Dayton late at night saying "the onlyorganized relief movement is that which is being conducted by theNational Cash Register Company, " those who knew the fightingcharacteristics of the head of the big corporation were not surprised toreceive the additional information that Mr. Patterson as usual wasconducting the business of rescue and relief in person. The Dayton despatches in relating that young Frederick Patterson "isleading rescue parties" and that Miss Dorothy, "dressed in old clothesand her hair streaming with water, stood in the rain for hours receivingrefugees, " gave a notion that the children are one with the sire. EMPLOYEES ASSIST IN RELIEF The Cash Register plant is outside the flood zone. As soon as the watersrushed upon the city John Henry Patterson turned his entire force into arelief organization. Every wheel was stopped in the Cash Register plantearly on Tuesday morning and the employees were set to work by Mr. Patterson to help the sufferers. Mr. Patterson bought up all the available food and had it carted to hisplant to feed the homeless. Straw was quickly strewn on the factoryfloors, thus affording dry sleeping places for more than one thousand atnight. Every employee of the corporation capable of working on boats wasput to work at boat building. Mr. Patterson is said to have made a promise long ago to his wife, whowas Katherine Beck, a school teacher of Brookline, Mass. , when she wasdying, that he would give special care to the comfort and welfare of hiswomen and girl employees. The dining rooms in the big plant, the restand recreation rooms and other architectural comforts provided for thewomen employees as a result of this promise came in very well in therescue work. The dining rooms and the rest and recreation rooms all wereused as eating halls in helping the sufferers. While Mr. Patterson was out pulling at the oars of one of his boatsthirty-one of his company's automobiles were meeting the craft to hurrythe refugees to the Cash Register plant and to dry clothing, food andbeds. Mr. Patterson sent out an appeal for immediate food supplies and fordoctors and medicine. By night three thousand homeless were housed inimprovised quarters in the Cash Register offices. GIRL IN MAN'S CLOTHING "What is your name?" asked the registrars who received the refugees atthe National Cash Register plant of a slender young person in men'sclothes. "Nora Thuma, " was the reply. "Nora?" they asked. "Yes, I'm a girl, " was the answer. She had put on a man's suit in order to cross the perilous span of wiresunhampered by skirts. She came in with Ralph Myers, his wife and their little baby. Myers hadclimbed a telephone wire pole first. He let down a rope to his wife, whotied to it a meal sack which contained their baby, three months old. Myers pulled the rope with its precious burden up and then let it downagain to aid his wife to ascend from her perilous position. With the meal sack over his shoulder and his wife holding on to the twowires he walked along the cable a full block before he reached safety. [Illustration: Copyright by Underwood & Underwood. A typical scene on the outskirts of Dayton. Here scores of houses werecompletely washed from their foundations and many of the inhabitantswere drowned] [Illustration: Copyright by the International News Service. A view taken at Ludlow and Second Streets, Dayton, after the water hadreceded, showing one phase of the devastation resulting from the flood] SCENES OF HORROR Scenes of indescribable horror were reported by the rescuers underBrigadier-General George H. Wood. Among those who perished were said tohave been ten members of the Ohio National Guard who were guarding abridge. One man marooned with his family on the roof of his home shot and killedhis wife and three children and then himself rather than suffer death inthe flames, according to a report received by J. J. Munsell, employmentsuperintendent of the National Cash Register Company, from a man whoactually saw the occurrence. The bodies floated away on the flood. Rescuers tried to get to a raft that bore a man and four women thatwhirled like a spool in the rapid waters. Then suddenly the raft wassucked down in the water and another chapter was added to the tragedy. WOMAN LEAPS WITH BABY George H. Schaefer, a rescuer who went out into the flood with a skiffand saved a woman and baby, told of his perilous trip. "A house that had been torn from its foundation came floating up behindus, " said Schaefer. "The woman was frightened. I told her there was nodanger. "Suddenly she stood up and jumped over with her baby in her arms. Shewent straight down and never came up again. " Then there was the horror that William Riley, a salesman for theNational Cash Register Company, saw. "We saw a very old woman standing at the window of a house waiting forrescue, " said Riley. "We rowed up to her. Suddenly the house parted andthe woman was engulfed. It was the last we saw of her. " There was the man who was nearly rescued. He had stepped into the skiffand then walked back into his home, which a short time later floatedaway with him. Incidents of this sort were multiplied. John Scott ascended a telegraph pole and guided across the cable toplaces of safety men, women and children rescued from flooded houses. Scott had guided a dozen persons across the swaying bridges of wire whenan explosion that started a fire occurred. The shock knocked Scott fromthe pole and he fell into a tree. "The last I saw of him he was trying to get into the window of anabandoned house by way of one of the branches of the tree, " said FrankStevens, a fellow employee of Scott. "The house was in the path of thefire. " APPEALS FOR AID Thousands of those who were fortunate enough to escape the first rush ofthe waters were fed on short rations, and appeals for help were sent outby many of the leading men of the city. Three carloads of foodstuffs arrived from Xenia, but there was no chanceto deliver them to the victims of the flood until the following day. CRUEL NEED FOR AN ARK Frank Brandon, vice-president of the Dayton, Lebanon and CincinnatiRailroad, succeeded during the night in getting communication for ashort time from Dayton to Lebanon. He said that the situation wasappalling and beyond all control. "According to my advices, the situation beggars description, " said Mr. Brandon. "What the people need most of all is boats. The water is highin every street and assistance late this afternoon was simply out of thequestion. My superintendent at Dayton told me that at least sixty hadperished and probably a great many more, at the same time assuring methat unless something that closely approached a miracle happened thedeath list would run considerably higher. We are now rigging up severalspecial trains and will make every effort possible to get into Daytontonight. " It was on these scenes of indescribable horror that the shades of nightclosed down. CHAPTER III DAYTON'S MENACE OF FIRE AND FAMINE FIRE BREAKS OUT--HUNDREDS IMPERILED BY FLAMES--THE CITY THREATENED--70, 000 IMPRISONED BY THE WATER--"SEND US FOOD!"--PATTERSON CONTINUES RESCUE WORK--PHONE OPERATOR BELL A HERO--EXPERIENCES OF THE SUFFERERS--INSTANCES OF SELF-SACRIFICE--LOOTERS AT WORK. Scarcely had the appalling horror of the flood impressed itself on thestricken people of Dayton before a new danger arose to strike terror totheir hearts--fire that could not be fought because there was no way toreach it and because the usual means for fire-fighting were paralyzed. FIRE BREAKS OUT One fire started from the explosion of an oil tank containing hundredsof gallons which bumped into a submerged building. The fire started in a row of buildings on Third Street near Jefferson, right in the heart of the business section, and not far from theAlgonquin Hotel, the Y. M. C. A. , and other large buildings. The report of the fire was sent out by Wire Chief Green, of the BellTelephone Company, who said the fire was then within a block of thetelephone exchange in which was located John A. Bell, who for more thantwenty-four hours had kept the outside world informed as best he couldof the catastrophe in Dayton. A. J. Seattle, owner of the house in which the fire started after a gasexplosion, was blown into the air and killed instantly. Mrs. Shunk, a neighbor, was blown out of her home into the flood. Afterclinging to a telegraph pole for half an hour, she finally succumbed andwas sucked under the waters. The explosion blew a stable filled with hay into the middle of theflooded street and this carried the flames to the opposite side. The next house to burn was Harry Lindsay's. Then Mary Kreidler's andthen the home of Theodore C. Lindsay and other houses that had beencarried away from their foundations floated into the flames and soonwere on fire. The floating fires burned without restraint and communicated flames tomany other buildings where families awaited help. The Beckel House was threatened and Jefferson Street was on fire on itseast side from Third Street as far down as the Western Union office. Refugees driven from their places where they had sought safety from thefloods were leaping from roof to roof to escape the new terror. The firewas rapidly approaching the Home Telephone plant. HUNDREDS IMPERILED BY FLAMES Another fire which started from an explosion in the Meyers Ice CreamCompany place, near Wyoming Street, spread and burned the block on SouthPark, a block from Wyoming. Flames, starting at Vine and Main Streets, jumped Main Street and thehouses on the other side were soon aflame. In the middle of the streetwere a few frame houses that had been washed from their foundations. These were swirled about for a time, and, as though to aid in thepassing of the section by fire, they were cast into the path of theflames. Persons hurried from their roof tops, where they had been drivenby the flood, to the roof tops of adjoining houses. A fire that appeared to threaten the entire business section wasconfined to the block bounded by Second and Third Streets and Jeffersonand St. Clair Streets. In the block were the Fourth National Bank, Lattiman Drug Company, Evans' Wholesale Drug Company and severalcommission houses. This fire subsided somewhat by evening. Fire broke out in the buildings on Broad Street and many who had takenrefuge in the upper floors were threatened with death in the smoke andflames. Sixteen persons were housed in the Home Telephone Building with a blockand tackle rigged as a means of egress if the fire pressed them. GOVERNOR COX AIDS It was reported to Governor Cox that some had leaped from the buildingsinto the flood. The Governor received word via Springfield that 10, 000to 12, 000 persons were in the burning buildings, fighting the fire bywater lifted in buckets from the flood. Governor Cox asked the Associated Press to notify its West Virginiacorrespondents to get in touch with natural gas companies supplyingDayton with gas and ask them to shut off the supply of gas in Dayton, asthe gas was feeding the conflagration there. Pleading that troops be sent to Dayton to relieve the flood sufferers, saying that their need was imperative, and that the town was at themercy of looters and fires, George B. Smith, president of the chamber ofcommerce of Dayton, who escaped from the flooded city, wired GovernorCox from Arcanum. Governor Cox, following the information that Dayton was on fire and thatthose who had sought refuge in the upper stories of buildings were indanger, determined at six o'clock to reach Dayton with troops andassistance. THE CITY THREATENED It was impossible to get within two miles of the fire, and from thatdistance it appeared that explosions, probably of drugs, made the fireseem of larger proportions than it was. It appeared to have about burneditself out, and it was not believed it would spread to other blocks. It was impossible to ascertain, even approximately, the number ofpersons who might have been marooned in this section and who died afterbeing trapped by flood and fire. The flames at night cast a red weird glow over the flood-stricken citythat added to the fears of thousands of refugees and marooned persons, and led to apprehension that there might have been many of the water'sprisoners in the burned buildings. Fire started anew at nine o'clock at night and burned fiercely. The men, women and children marooned in the Beckel Hotel were terrorstricken when fire threatened the building for the second time at night. Since Tuesday morning two hundred and fifty persons had been in theplace. Crowded in the upper stories of tall office buildings and residences inDayton, two miles each way from the center of the town, were hundreds ofpersons whom it was impossible to approach. Hundreds of fires which itwas impossible to fight were burning. The rescue boats were unable toget farther from the shore than the throw line would permit. They couldnot live in the current. At midnight residents of Dayton watching the course of the flames fromacross the wide stretch of flood waters believed the fire got its newstart in the afternoon in the store of the Patterson Tool and SupplyCompany, on Third Street, just east of Jefferson, whence it ate its waywest, apparently aided by escaping gas and exploding chemicals in twowholesale drug establishments. Throughout the night fires lighted the sky and illuminated the rushingwaters. Fifty thousand people were jammed in the upper floors of theirhomes, with no gas, no drinking water, no light, no heat, no food. [Illustration: Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y. The flood at Watervliet, New York, showing buildings torn from theirfoundations and floating down the stream. Great damage and untoldsuffering resulted] [Illustration: Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y. Rescuer leaving one of the houses in the flooded district and removing afamily to safety] THE CREST OF THE FLOOD The crest of the Dayton flood passed about midnight, but the next fewhours allowed no appreciable lowering in the water. Wednesday morningbrought little hope of immediate relief to those who spent the night inhorror, however, and it was feared that the number of drowned had beengreatly increased during the twelve hours of darkness. Cloudy skies and a cold drizzling rain added to the dismal aspect of thecity in the morning. The temperature fell steadily all night, and whendaylight came the thermometers showed that it was only three degreesabove freezing. The condition was welcomed, because it was expected thata hard freeze would aid materially in holding back the innumerabletributaries of the flooded streams and assist the earth in retaining themoisture that had been soaked into it steadily for the last five days. By ten-thirty the water depth had lessened about two feet. All storesand factories in the main part of the town were flooded to a depth offrom eight to ten feet. Numerous residences and smaller buildingscollapsed, but any estimate of the property loss was impossible. A morgue was established on the west side of the city, and efforts torecover the bodies and aid the suffering were pushed as rapidly asconditions permitted. Relief trains began to arrive in the strickentowns. Adjutant-General Speaks, with a small detachment of troops and a squadof linemen and operators, left Columbus early Wednesday in an effort toreach Dayton. The attempt was made by means of motor boats andautomobiles in the hope to establish adequate telegraph or telephonecommunication with Dayton. MARTIAL LAW ESTABLISHED A message from Governor Cox ordered the entire Ohio National Guard tohold itself in readiness to proceed to Dayton as soon as it was possibleto enter the city. "I understand the importance of having the militia there, " hetelegraphed. Soon afterward notice was posted in headquarters of the emergencycommittee announcing that the city was under martial law, and severalcompanies of soldiers arrived from neighboring Ohio cities. The soldiers were employed to patrol edges of the burned district, andprevent looting of homes freed from the floods. The hundreds of refugees in the Y. M. C. A. Building and in theAlgonquin Hotel were facing possible short rations. Their food supplieswere becoming limited and drinking water was at a premium. Forty boats were requisitioned by the city authorities and werepatroling the city in an effort to save life and property. These craftwere manned by volunteers. In front of the Central Union Telegraph office the water was stillrunning so swiftly that horses could not go through it without swimming. One boat went by with two men in it, rowing desperately, trying to keepthe bow to the waves. The boat overturned, but both men escaped drowningby swimming to a lamp post. They clung to the post for half an hourbefore a rope could be thrown to them. After repeated casts the linefell near enough to them to be caught, and the men were drawn into thesecond story window of the building. The telephone employees in the building fished chairs, dry goods boxesand a quantity of other floating property from the flood. The debrisswept down the main business street with such force that every plateglass window was smashed. Only one sizable building had collapsed up to noon so far as thewatchers in the telephone office could learn. This structure, an oldone, was a three-story affair, near Ludlow Street, occupied by a harnessmanufacturing concern. 70, 000 IMPRISONED BY THE WATER More than 70, 000 persons either were unable to reach their homes or, held in their waterlocked houses, were unable to reach land. While those marooned in the offices and hotels were in no immediatedanger of drowning there was no way food or drinking water could reachthem until the flood receded. Those in the residences, however, were inconstant danger both by flood and fire. First the frailer buildings wereswept into the stream, many showing the faces of women and childrenpeering from the windows. These were followed by more substantial brickbuildings, until it became evident that no house in the flood zone wassafe. The houses as a rule lasted but a few blocks before disintegrating. Incidents without number were narrated of persons in the floodeddistricts waving handkerchiefs and otherwise signaling for aid, beingswept away before the eyes of the watchers on the margin of the waters. Many of the rescue boats were swept by the current against what had beenfire plugs, trees and houses. They were crushed. Canoes and rowboatsshared the same fate. What life existed in the district which the watercovered was in constant danger and helpless until the flood subsided. Bodies were found as far out as Wayne Avenue, which is more than a milefrom the river. At Fifth and Brown Streets the water reached a height often feet. At least one of those drowned met death in the AlgonquinHotel. The rumor that the St. Elizabeth Hospital with 600 patients had beenswept away, which gained circulation Tuesday night, proved to have beenfalse. Although it was impossible to reach the hospital, field glasses showedthat the building was still standing. The water was not thought to bemuch above the first floor of the building, and it was hoped that thepatients had not suffered. Dayton was practically cut off from wire communication until late in theafternoon. Then two wires into Cincinnati were obtained and operatorsplunged into great piles of telegrams from Dayton citizens, almostfrantic in their desire to assure friends outside of their safety. Operators at opposite ends of the wires reported that thousands oftelegrams were piled up at relay offices. These were from people anxiousover the fate of Dayton kinsmen. Two oarsmen who braved the current that swirled through the businesssection of the city reported that the water at the Algonquin Hotel, atthe southwest corner of Third and Ludlow Streets, was fifteen feet deep. From windows in the hotels and business buildings hundreds of themarooned begged piteously for rescue and food. The oarsmen said they sawno bodies floating on the flood tide, but declared that many personsmust have perished in the waters' sudden rush through the streets. Oarsmen who worked into the outskirts of the business section at nightreported that two hundred and fifty persons marooned in the Arcadebuilding and two hundred imprisoned in the Y. M. C. A. Building werebegging for water. "SEND US FOOD!" Before the terror of fire had dwindled, gaunt hunger thrust its wolfishhead on the scene. Famine became an immediate possibility. All of thesupply and grocery houses were in the submerged district and there wasnot enough bread to last the survivors another day. Every grocer in thecity was "sold out" before noon. The flood came with such suddenness that food supplies in homes werewhisked away by the torrent that reached to second floors in almost theflash of an eye. Skiffs skirted the edge of the flooded districtsattempting to take food to those whom it was impossible to carry off, but the fierce current discouragingly retarded this work. "Food, food, food, " was the appeal that reached the outside world fromthe portions of Dayton north of the rivers. The plea came from a reliefcommittee which started out in boats and met an employee of the AmericanTelegraph and Telephone Company, who attempted to drive to Dayton. Thetelephone man immediately "cut in" on a line and transmitted the appeal. The relief committee had progressed less than two miles from Dayton whenthey met the telephone employee. They told him that any and all kinds ofprovisions were needed and could be distributed, but the relief mustcome soon if indescribable suffering was to be avoided. Police officers of Dayton who were able to get about at all wereswearing in all available men as deputies, commandeering provisions andcharging the expense to the State of Ohio. The available supplies wereso slender, however, that thousands of persons on the north side of theriver were already destitute. Efforts to learn the condition of the2, 500 inmates of the old soldiers' home on the west side brought areport that the institution was in no danger because of its location ona high hill. Leon A. Smith, one of the relief committee in North Dayton, was sworn inas a deputy justice of the peace with power to enlist other deputies topreserve order, guard against crimes and relieve distress. "What we need most, " said Mr. Smith over the telephone, "is food for theliving and assistance in recovering and burying the dead before anepidemic sets in. " Farmers in the vicinity offered their teams to haul towards Dayton anysupplies that could be gotten together, and the housewives of thecountryside denuded their pantries. Relief committees issued the following statement: "An awful catastrophe has overtaken Dayton. The centers of Dayton andthe residence district from the fair grounds hill to the high groundnorth of the city are under water. "Bring potatoes, rice, beans, vegetables, meat and bread and any otheredibles that will sustain life. "We have cooking arrangements for several thousand. We are sendingtrucks to nearby towns, but ask that you haul to us, as far aspossible. " The first trainload of provisions from Cincinnati, with a detail ofpolicemen to help in the rescue work, reached Dayton after being twelvehours on the road. This, with two cars from Springfield, relieved theimmediate suffering. Word also was received that a carload of supplieswas on the way from Detroit. Encouragement was received in a message from the Mayor of Springfield, who said he was sending six big trucks loaded with provisions thatshould reach Dayton early Thursday. With the arrival of motor boatsWednesday night it was hoped to begin to distribute provisions among themarooned early next morning. Messages from the flood's prisoners in the business section saidchildren were crying for milk, while their elders suffered from thirstthat grew hourly. Volunteers were called for to man boats and brave thedangerous currents in an attempt to get food to the suffering. PATTERSON CONTINUES RESCUE WORK Rescue work efficiently managed, in which John H. Patterson was aleading spirit, proceeded smoothly throughout the day. A boat, which wasengaged in rescue work, capsized, and all of the crew but FrederickPatterson, son of John H. Patterson, were drowned. Young Patterson actedas captain of the crew. Missing members of families were restored to their loved ones throughhuman clearing houses established at several points in the fringe of theflood district. Great ledgers filled with names presided over byvolunteer bank clerks were at the disposal of persons seeking missingkinsmen. If these had registered in the clearing house their addresseswere quickly given to the inquirer. Up to seven o'clock in the evening three thousand of the homeless werehoused in different places of refuge, most of them being cared for atthe plant of the National Cash Register Company. Scores of the waters'victims were being carried from their places of imprisonment late in theevening, and leaders of the rescuing parties were arranging for relaysof torch bearers to light the work during the night. The powerful current on each cross street made it impossible for thosemanning the rowboats to pass a street crossing without the aid of towropes. Lines were stretched in many places and trolley boat pathsbrought many victims out. Every automobile in the city was pressed intoservice and used to meet paths and take the refugees at once to thehospitals. "Our greatest need is a dozen motor boats and men to run them, " was themessage contained in an appeal sent out by Mr. Patterson. Skiffs androwboats could not live in torrents rushing through the city's principalstreets. The big plant of the National Cash Register Company was made reliefheadquarters. As persons were rescued they were taken to a reliefsub-station, where their names were recorded and they received firstaid. At frequent intervals these lists were sent to relief headquartersand announced to crowds who waited in the rain for hours. Two expert oarsmen, Fred Patterson and Nelson Talbott, conquered thecurrent for a short distance on Main Street late in the afternoon. "We penetrated to almost the center of the city, " said Mr. Patterson. "Everywhere people yelled to us to rescue them, but it was impossible, for we were barely able to keep afloat. Large sums of money were offeredus to take persons from perilous positions. The windows of the AlgonquinHotel seemed filled with faces, and the same conditions prevailed atmost of the buildings we passed. We did not see any bodies, but the lossof life must have been great. " At Xenia a relief committee was organized to send supplies to Dayton. All the churches were made ready for Dayton refugees. PHONE OPERATOR BELL A HERO Two employees of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, John A. Bell, wire chief at Dayton, and C. D. Williamson, wire chief atPhoneton, Ohio, by unprecedented devotion to duty kept Dayton in touchwith the world. At midnight they had been on duty continuously for forty-eight hours, and, although there was no prospect of their being relieved, they gavenot the slightest indication of any inclination to leave their posts. Bell reached the Dayton office before the flood broke on Tuesdaymorning. The water came with such suddenness that all batteries andpower were out of commission before any measure could be taken toprotect them. This left the wires without current and effectually cutoff Dayton. Bell rummaged around and found a lineman's "test set. " Withthis he made his way to the roof of the building, "cut in" on the lineto Phoneton and reported to Williamson, whose batteries were still incondition. Over this meagre equipment messages were exchanged by meansof the underground wires of the company, which held up until after thenoon hour Tuesday before the cable in which they were incased gave way. The break, however, was south of Dayton, and Phoneton was still in touchwith the flood-stricken city. Except for brief intervals, Bell remained on the roof of the buildingsuffering the discomforts of pouring rain and low temperature, in orderthat the waiting world might have some word from Dayton. EXPERIENCES OF THE SUFFERERS Late in the afternoon several refugees told stories that gave an insightinto conditions in East Dayton, hitherto unexplored. The flood victimsdeclared they knew of no loss of life in this section, because a greatnumber of people had availed themselves of warnings and fled. A Mrs. Van Denberg, who remained until the flood enveloped her home, when rescued declared she had seen no bodies in the flood. Sixty-five persons were marooned in the central police station. Nothinghad been heard from Mayor Phillips, of Dayton, or from Brigadier-GeneralWood, marooned, it was believed, in North Dayton. The whole story of the Dayton disaster probably never will be told--theheroism of men; the martyrdom of women; the mad hysteria that seizedsome and caused them to jump into the flood and death; the torture ofdespair that gripped those who, imprisoned in their homes by the water, waited in vain for help until the advancing flames came and destroyedthem. The most heartrending feature of the situation was the pitiableterror of the women and children. Many of them sat up and sobbed throughthe night refusing to believe that their fathers had been drowned in thesatanic waters. Mrs. James Cassidy and her three children were brought from the floodlast night. Mrs. Cassidy was grief-stricken over the report of the deathof her husband by drowning. Even as she was being registered there wasbrought into rescue headquarters a drenched man who had to be carried. "Jim! Jim!" suddenly shrieked the woman. "That's you, Jim, isn't it? Youaren't dead, Jim. Say you aren't dead. " Jim had been rescued from drowning. The return of James Cassidy was theone bit of joy in the awful gloom at the rescue headquarters, wheregathered the victims of flood, fire and famine. CRAZED BY HER EXPERIENCE A woman, maddened by the horrors of the day, fought with Bill Riley andhis companion, Charles Wagner, who had rescued her in a boat. She bit Riley in the hand and choked Wagner, who sought to restrain her. The little boat swayed and was on the point of capsizing when the womansuddenly became calm and began to pray. A big sturdy man cried like a child in the offices of the National CashRegister Company. He had been to the hospitals, the schools whererefugees are housed and to the churches--but in none of these was hisfamily. In many similar cases relatives of the supposed dead were uncertain asto the fate of the missing. The money loss was heavy, but nobody caredabout money loss, though it ran into the millions. In this hour of Dayton's woe money apparently was the most useless thingin the world. A graphic story was told by Edsy Vincent, a member of the Dayton firedepartment. His engine house was within a few doors of Taylor Street, where the break of the levee occurred. The department watchers, fearing being flood-bound, sounded the firecall simultaneously with the break in the levee. "When the horses, which were hitched in record time, reached thestreet, " said Vincent, "we were met by a wall of water which must havebeen ten feet high. The driver was forced to turn and flee in theopposite direction to save the team and the apparatus. " INSTANCES OF SELF-SACRIFICE The dark colors in these incidents were lightened here and there bystories of bravery exhibited by many of the flood prisoners. A woman with three children marooned in the upper floor of her home onthe edge of the business district called to the oarsmen: "I know you can't take me off!" she cried, "but for the love of humanitytake this loaf of bread and jug of molasses to Sarah Pruyn down thestreet; I know she's starving. " Twice the boatmen attempted to take the food, but waves that eddiedabout the submerged house hurled them back. LOOTERS AT WORK Numerous stories of looting were told, and many prisoners were lockedup. In most cases these had entered houses and had been searching forvaluables. A gang of roughs went through the southern part of the citylate at night instructing the people to extinguish all lights for fearof a gas explosion and then began raiding. The police dispersed them. All day and all night strings of automobiles were going back and forth. Those coming to Dayton were seeking friends or relatives. Those goingback had people to take back with them. At night the temperature dropped suddenly. A blinding snowstorm and highwinds followed close upon the fall of the thermometer. The blizzardweather caused added suffering. Survivors who escaped the horrors of aflood and fire stricken city at night were huddled roofless in an arcticstorm. Countless men, women and children were marooned in the storm whohad had no warm food or clothing since Tuesday morning. CHAPTER IV DAYTON IN THE THROES OF DISTRESS PITIABLE CONDITION OF MAROONED--FALSE REPORT CAUSES PANIC--THE FLOOD RECEDES--A SURVEY OF THE FLOOD'S DAMAGE--MARTIAL LAW ENFORCED--RESTORING SANITATION--FEEDING THE HOMELESS--PATTERSON CONTINUES NOBLE WORK--STORIES OF SURVIVORS. When Thursday morning dawned on stricken Dayton the food situation whichhad threatened to become serious was relieved temporarily by the arrivalof a special train from Richmond, Indiana, bringing seven cars ofprovisions. Quartermaster Logan also received word from the UnitedStates Army quartermaster general that 300, 000 rations had been orderedshipped from Chicago, 100 ranges and one complete quartermaster depotfrom Columbus, 3, 300 tents, 100 hospitals tents and 400 stoves fromPhiladelphia, and 300, 000 blankets and 500 bedsacks from St. Louis orCincinnati. Quartermaster Logan was authorized to purchase in openmarket all rations needed. [Illustration: MAP SHOWING THE RIVERS AND CREEKS WHICH RUN THROUGHDAYTON, AND THE PRINCIPAL SECTIONS OF THE CITY] [Illustration: Showing the difficulties experienced by the rescuers ingetting to the hundreds of people whose lives were imperiled by beingcaught in the flooded buildings] [Illustration: Copyright by George Grantham Bain. Mayor of Cleveland getting motor boats ready for relief work in NorthernOhio. For days after the flood reached its height, even strong boatscould reach many of the marooned people only with great difficulty andrisk] The thing that made the situation most difficult for concerted rescuework was the peculiar geographical situation of the town. It is dividedinto six sections: central Dayton, comprising the down-town businessdistrict; West Dayton, the territory extending several miles west of thebig Miami; Riverdale, the northeast, across the river from the centraldistrict; Dayton View, the extreme northeast; Southern Dayton, themanufacturing district in which the National Cash Register Company'splant is located and separated from the central district by lowlandswhich were deep in flood water, and North Dayton, northwest of thebusiness district, across the river from the business section. PITIABLE CONDITION OF MAROONED The river forms a horseshoe around the business district, making itimpossible to reach that part until the torrents that poured down thevalley should recede. Dayton View, West Dayton and Riverdale were the only sections betweenwhich communication was possible. The suburb of Riverdale up to Helena Street was penetrated by thedown-town relief commission and conditions found much similar to thosein the southern suburbs. Everyone was crowded to the second floors orroofs of their homes, but few of the more stable dwellings were washedaway. North of Burns Avenue as far as Fourth Street the water was found to befrom three to six feet deep. Beyond Fourth Street the water had recededto make it possible in many places to proceed on foot. Nothing was known of the foreign settlement in North Dayton close to theMiami River. It was this part of the city where the flood first made itsway and where the occupants of the houses had ignored warnings toleave. It was here also that it was feared most of the deaths wouldoccur. The only body found on Thursday was that of Charles Parker, alivery man, discovered in the court house yard. Captain of Police H. E. Lackhart declared that water in North Dayton, Miami City and East Dayton reached the housetops. His estimate of thenumber of dead in that district was three hundred. The bodies of a woman and a baby were seen floating down JeffersonStreet, one of Dayton's main thoroughfares. It was thought that theycame from the district north of the river. A report which had been current in the water district south of MainStreet that Brigadier-General Wood had been fatally injured by fallingplate glass, proved to be untrue. He continued in full charge of therelief work, although his arm had been badly cut. Parts of Main Street were impassable because of debris. At severalpoints it comprised outbuildings that had struck more stable buildingsand been dashed to pieces. Hourly apprehension for the appalling sights to be uncovered when thewaters return to normal was growing. PLANS FOR FIGHTING PESTILENCE Pestilence was feared and sanitary and health officials mapped out theirwork. Sewers were burst by the flood, manholes were simply blown fromthe earth, and it was realized that many days must elapse before thewater service could be restored and before street car companies couldoperate. Because of the lack of electric lights, and as a precaution againstlooting, military notices were posted, forbidding citizens to be on thestreets between the hours of 6 P. M. And 5 A. M. Word was received that a number of motor boats with men to operate themwere on the way from Cleveland and Cincinnati. The water receded rapidly during the day. An occasional snow flurry andbiting gusts of wind added to the discomfort of the rescue crews, butthey remained steadily at work. The Emergency Committee began publication of an official newspaper fromthe plant of the National Cash Register Company. It was a one-sheetposter designed for free circulation in all accessible parts of thecity. Its leading article warned the people to beware of thieves andburglars. A thief was caught robbing homes of flood victims who had been taken torefuge stations. He was shot to death by state guardsmen. The progress of the first canoe into the water-bound district wasgreeted by appeals for bread and water. In nearly every house leftstanding wistful faces were to be seen pressed against window panes. Allof these were asked whether there had been any deaths and with only afew exceptions all replied that there had not. Temporary morgues were established in the United Brethren Church andalso at Fifth and Eagle Streets. At these points many bodies were caredfor, chiefly those of women and children. FALSE REPORT CAUSES PANIC Needless suffering was caused during the day by an announcement of thebreaking of the Lewistown reservoir. Men rushed through the uptownstreets shouting: "Run for your lives! The reservoir has broken!" There was really no danger. The reservoir contained 17, 000 acres ofwater space, but it was pointed out that the flood extended over severalmillion acres and the worst possible effect of the breaking of thereservoir would be to retard the rescues and could not cause a rise ofmore than a foot. The waters at the time were seven feet lower than thehigh water of Tuesday night. The alarm was spread by a policeman who was posted on the edge of theflood district. Others were quick to take up the cry. Soon thousands of men and women crowded the streets. Many of them fledfor the hills, but hundreds hurled themselves past guards and into themain office building of the National Cash Register Building, which wasalready crowded. Not until John H. Patterson, president of the company, had addressed thethrong was any semblance of order restored. Mr. Patterson was appointed military aide in the southeast district ofthe city, with full control under martial law. He at once ordered everyavailable motor car and truck to scour the farmhouses south of the cityand confiscate all available food supplies. Colonel H. G. Catrow arrived with his military aides from Columbus inthe afternoon and took charge of the militiamen. SIGHTSEERS BARRED FROM CITY Sightseers of Springfield who sought to visit Dayton received a rudeshock. On the first train to the stricken city from Springfield werefifty linemen and three coaches full of people on a sightseeing tour. The Governor learned of this and on his orders when the train reachedDayton two soldiers were stationed at each car door and none but linemenwere permitted to alight. The train was then run back to Springfieldwith its disappointed passengers. The Governor then ordered guardsmen at Springfield to let none boardtrains for Dayton who did not have a military pass. The purpose in thiswas to prevent idle visitors draining the limited food resources ofDayton. DYNAMITE AND LIME SENT Dynamite, gasoline and lime were sent from Springfield as supplies forthe sanitary corps ordered there to prevent the spread of disease and afeared epidemic. The dynamite was needed to blow up dangerousobstructions, the gasoline to burn rubbish and the lime for disinfectingpurposes. Mutiny broke out in the city workhouse, where one hundred prisoners wereconfined. Terror-stricken by the flood and fire, the prisoners weredemanding freedom. They beat at their cell doors and shouted imprecations at their keepers. Superintendent Johnson applied to the militia for help. One workhouseprisoner was released because he knew how to run the water-works pumps. The two hundred and fifty guests of the Algonquin Hotel were keptcomfortable except for the continuous dread that the fire would spreadto them. The water reached the second floor, but all the supplies hadbeen moved to places of safety, and those in the hotel experiencedlittle discomfort. From Fourth Street to the Miami River, relief work was taken up by acommittee headed by Chief of Police Allaback. All of the grocery storeswere commandeered and, although in most cases the goods were coveredwith water, yet sufficient supplies were found to prevent greatsuffering among those in the interior dry strip. SUFFERERS CHEERFUL One of the remarkable features was the cheerful spirit with which floodvictims viewed their plight. This was Dayton's first big flood in manyyears. Much of the submerged area had been considered safe, but as themajority of residents of these sections looked out on all sides upon agreat sweep of muddy, swiftly moving water, they seemed undisturbed. In some of the poorer sections the attitude of the marooned was not socheerful. As a motor boat passed beneath the second floor at one partlysubmerged house, a man leaned out and threatened to shoot the boat'soccupants unless they rescued his wife and a baby that had been born theday before. The woman, almost dying, was let from the window by a ropeand taken to a place of refuge. Further on, members of a motor boat party were startled by shots in thesecond floor of a house, about which five feet of water swirled. Theboat was stopped and a man peered from a window. "Why are you shooting?" he was asked. "Oh, just amusing myself, shooting at rats that come upstairs. When areyou going to take me out of here?" he replied. Three babies were born in one church during the afternoon. One was bornin a boat while its mother was being conveyed to safety. Such sceneswere common. WOMEN BECAME HYSTERICAL At the rescue stations the scenes enacted were heartrending and the mostpitiful were witnessed at the temporary morgues. At the West Daytonmorgue frantic crowds all day and night watched every body brought in, hoping against hope it was not that of some loved one. Women became hysterical at times when searching for missing members oftheir families whom they had failed to find at the relief stations. With the coming of nightfall Thursday the efforts to rescue more personswere slackened, and all of Dayton not in the central flood districtswaited in dread for the nightly fires which had added horrors to thealready terrible situation. The flood situation at night appeared brighter than in the morning. Thewater had fallen from three to five feet, the currents of the river andcreek had slackened, and there was food enough left for the town'sbreakfast and dinner. As Galveston and San Francisco pulled themselves together after calamityso Dayton began pulling itself together on Friday of the week of theflood. Emerging from the waters and privation, citizens beganco-operating with those who rushed to the rescue from outside. Considerable progress was made toward the restoration of order and ingiving relief to those in the worst distress. Much cheer was taken from the fact that so far as loss of life wasconcerned it was not so great as had been feared, though no exactestimates were yet calculable. Financially the citizens had a great burden to bear. Investigators onFriday put the figures of the losses at double that of the previous day, making it $50, 000, 000. THE FLOOD RECEDES The down-town district was practically free of water. Fire enginespumped out the basement of the Algonquin Hotel, that the Algonquin'sartesian well supply might be pumped into the empty city water mains forfire protection. Water was still from ten to fifteen feet deep in certain districts ofthe west side. A mile of residences on Linwood Avenue had been sweptclear and nothing remained to indicate that the street had existed. A SURVEY OF THE FLOOD'S DAMAGE In a tour of the business sections it was found that the high stage ofthe flood had been nine feet at Third and Main Streets, the heart of thecity. The tower of Steele High School was levelled and the Leonard Building onMain Street was undermined so that it collapsed. Other buildings stoodup. The following buildings were found to have withstood the flood, furnishing shelter to about 7, 000 people who were marooned in them sinceTuesday: Conover Building, Kuhns Building, The Arcade, two CappelBuildings, Callahan Bank Building, Schwind Building, CommercialBuilding, Mendenhall Building, Rike Kumler Building, Reibold Building, Elder & Johnson's building and United Brethren Publishing Company'sbuilding. NO PUBLIC BUILDINGS GONE None of the public buildings was destroyed. Among these buildings werethe Dayton Club, Victoria, National and Colonial theatres, city hall, court house, Beckel, Phillips, Algonquin and Atlas hotels, Masonictemple, post office, Y. M. C. A. And various churches. The Log Cabin, 115 years old, the first house built in Dayton, stillstood, although it is on the south bank of the Miami, right in the pathof the flood. The electric light and gas plants were safe from the high water. Thecity's water comes from a reservoir high above the river. In Dayton less than one hundred bodies had been recovered by Fridaynight, though thousands were missing. The fire was out, however, and theflood had so receded that relief boats were able to get to practicallyall parts of the city. MOST HOUSES WRECKED Every house in the flooded district was practically ruined. Streets wereso clogged with wreckage that it was almost impossible to get throughthem. "Strange to say, there was not much suffering in our particularneighborhood, " declared George Armstrong, who had been marooned in theCapell furniture store building. "There was one woman with athree-weeks-old baby. We took excellent care of her. And did we pray?There never were such prayers in church. We had a case of whiskey andoffered to send it off to persons who seemed exhausted. They refused totake it, although ordinarily they are not teetotallers. " BOATMEN TOUR DISTRICTS Members of the United States life-saving crew of Louisville navigatedsections of flooded Dayton heretofore unexplored, reporting conditionsin North Dayton and Riverdale quite as deplorable as the first estimatesconcerning suffering were concerned. Cruising the southern end of Riverdale, where it was feared there wouldbe found a big death list, Captain Gillooly, in charge of the crew fromthe United States life saving station at Louisville, Ky. , reportedconditions paralleling those in other sections of the stricken city, butonly two bodies were reported as having been recovered. The floodedterritory in Riverdale, which is a section of substantial home owners, was approximately seventeen blocks long and seven blocks wide. After having descended the Miami River, Captain Gillooly reported thatin the south central section of Dayton, where the flood flowed wildeston Tuesday night and Wednesday, thousands of persons still wereimprisoned in upper floors of their homes. He stated that from numerousinquiries among people whose residences had been inundated it appearedthe life loss would not be nearly so large as it was placed by firstreports. This section still was flooded, although the water rapidly was receding, and while a few corpses eddied out from the flood's edge, yet in thecenter of the area it was stated that only two bodies had been seen. DRINKING WATER DISTRIBUTED Captain Gillooly and his men distributed food and quantities of drinkingwater to a large number of the flood's prisoners. Arrangements also weremade to provide the needy ones with the necessary supplies from time totime until the flood waters receded. At many different points along the route stops were made and the crewdetoured away from the rivers. It was found that many of these detourscould be made afoot, the water having rapidly fallen since the night. Atno place was the water behind the levees deeper than four feet. The Louisville men took relief to several hundred families in the lowdistrict in the vicinity of Ludlow and Franklin Streets. Here the waterhad reached the roofs of all two-story buildings. Only a few of the mostdesperate cases were brought out, the first move being to leave breadand water in as many places as possible. Sixty Catholic sisters at the Academy of the Sisters of Notre Dame andeighteen persons for whom they had provided refuge were found to havebeen without food or water since Tuesday. There were several cases ofillness, and the suffering had been intense. The life savers left breadand water and planned to take further help. Meanwhile Capt. H. A. Hansen and the crew from Cleveland were operatingseveral boats in North Dayton. There many of the poorer class live, andfew of the buildings were substantial. Dozens of them were swept away, upturned and shattered. Mayor Phillips was still marooned in his house, and G. B. Smith, president of the Chamber of Commerce, continued in active aid of reliefoperations. The Fourth National Bank Building, which was reported several times tohave been destroyed by fire, was found untouched by the flames, althougha building immediately adjoining was burned. The newspaper offices, the_News_ and _Herald_ and _Journal_ buildings, were safe, but none wasissuing papers. The Cleveland battalion of engineers were the first of a horde of troopswhich began to pour into Dayton in the morning. They were immediatelyput at work distilling the water. The fifteen men of the Dayton OhioNational Guard companies, who had been on duty since midnight Tuesday, frankly had been unable to cope with the situation. The police forcewas also depleted by the fact that many of its members had been maroonedby high water. The looter had been in high glee. MARTIAL LAW ENFORCED Strict martial law was put into force. With headquarters at BambergerPark, Col. Zimmerman of the Fifth Ohio Regiment organized the forces ofprotection, and by noon every accessible section was under strict guard. Frequent fights and skirmishes were held with the pillagers, who soughtto steal under the cover of darkness. Orders to shoot to kill looters onthe third shot were issued to the militiamen. The pillaging of abandonedhomes and stores and the slugging and robbing of men and women in thestreets after nightfall had reached a desperate stage when the troopsarrived, and drastic orders were necessary. "Shoot at the legs first, and then shoot to kill, " was the way thesoldiers were instructed to act. Colonel Zimmerman listened to thousands who sought passes to go throughthe flood area to reach marooned friends and kinsmen. Only a few wereallowed to go, and these were compelled to prove special causes. Tothose who asserted they had starving friends, Colonel Zimmerman rejoinedthat provisions and medicines constantly were going into the inundateddistrict. "Be satisfied you're not dead yet, " was the Colonel's disposition ofmany of the applicants. All during the night and until dawn revolver and rifle shots hadsounded. Most of the shooting was in the bottoms near the river, butabout midnight there was a lively volley of shots, evidently an exchangeof bullets, believed to have been between soldiers and pillagers. A robbery was thwarted when the police arrested a man who was escapingfrom the city with a satchel containing $50, 000 in diamonds and jewelrywhich he had stolen from downtown jewelry shops. "Beware of thieves and burglars, " said an official bulletin given widecirculation. "Don't leave your houses without protection. It was thieveswho scared you about the reservoir and natural gas explosion. Thenatural gas has been turned off and there is no danger of explosions. " REFUGEES IN FIGHTS At three o'clock Friday morning it was unofficially announced that threepillagers had been shot to death in various parts of the city during thenight. Over in North Dayton, when the lowlands were inundated by the rush ofthe waters of the Mad River, the foreign population, which practicallyoccupies that section, was driven to the upper floors and the housetops. With the extinguishing of the city's lights bedlam broke loose invarious portions of North Dayton. Men in the frenzy of their troublefell to desperate quarreling among themselves, and shots were heard atall hours of the day and night Wednesday and Thursday. There were unconfirmed reports that more than a dozen murders had beencommitted. Troops were ordered into this district to stop the conflicts. RESTORING SANITATION Problems of sanitation, the water supply and the reconstruction of thewrecked sewer system were resumed by engineers. Citizens were ordered todig cesspools in their yards and to get rid of all garbage. Members ofthe State Board of Health, bringing carloads of lime and otherdisinfectants, reached here to ward off disease. A report was circulated that an epidemic of typhoid fever and pneumoniahad developed in Riverdale and West Dayton. It was ascertained, however, that not a single well-developed case of either disease was known in thesections mentioned, although there was considerable sickness among therefugees, particularly women and children, due to privation. Three deaths from diphtheria in other sections were reported bySecretary of Health Board Miller. FEEDING THE HOMELESS The food situation was much brighter. The trucks sent from the CashRegister Company, manned by men with military orders to confiscatepotatoes and food from the farmers, brought back a good supply ofvegetables and several relief trains reached the city. The problem of providing for refugees was bravely faced by an army ofworkers, many of whom came from neighboring cities equipped with carloads and train loads of food. "We can't tell how much we need, " said John M. Patterson "and we don'tknow yet in just what shape we want some of the supplies. For instance, there came a carload of flour. We can use it later, but if that flourhad been made into bread it would have been immediately available forthe persons imprisoned in their homes whom it has been impossible toremove. We could take bread to them, but flour is not serviceable. " Many motor boats went into the flooded district taking food and waterand bringing out persons who needed medical attention. Many of them wereso weak from deprivation and suffering as to be scarcely able to move. Hundreds were taken to the Cash Register Hospital and other places wherethey could be aided. Among those taken out of the Algonquin Hotel were Stephen Patterson andhis wife. Mr. Patterson is a brother of John H. Patterson, the cashregister manufacturer. Great anxiety had been felt for their safety andalso for Mrs. Frank Patterson, a sister-in-law. The latter was found inher home on West Fifth Street. HUNDREDS STAND BY HOMES In that section on the east side of the Miami River and north of the MadRiver rescue work went forward with the two United States life-savingcrews in charge. Hundreds of people living in upper stories andpractically without food or water since Tuesday morning refused to leavetheir homes, believing they would have a better chance for safety therethan elsewhere. Water and food were supplied them. Hundreds of othershad left their homes, in some instances effecting exits by choppingholes through the roofs. Very few of these were accounted for. [Illustration: Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y. While the flood was raging, hundreds of fires which started throughoutthe flooded States were left to consume millions of dollars worth ofproperty, and to destroy many lives, because of the inability of thefire-fighters to get near the burning buildings] [Illustration: Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y. President John H. Patterson, of the National Cash Register Company, third man from the right, directing the work of rescue at Dayton, Ohio. Through his magnificent skill as an organizer, and his coolness of mind, scores of lives were saved that would otherwise have been lost, and agreat deal of suffering was alleviated by his prompt measures of relief] A central morgue was established at the Probate Court building, and asfast as possible identifications were made. Many of the bodies thus farrecovered, however, presented difficulties in the way of identification. Colonel Zimmerman reported that boatloads of provisions continuouslywere going into the still inundated districts. Milk for babies andmedicine for invalids were not forgotten by the rescue squads. GovernorCox solved the problem of getting milk for Dayton's babies byconfiscating in the name of the State the entire output of theMarysville dairies, and having it sent to the stricken city. The statealso seized two cars of eggs at Springfield found in a railroad yard andsent them to Dayton. PATTERSON CONTINUES NOBLE WORK The dead bodies were placed in coffins as soon as they were identified. These coffins and decent burial for the victims were paid for by thePresident of the National Cash Register Company, who footed most of thebills in the tremendous and efficient work of relief. The weather was bitter cold, but the rain ceased to fall. Thousands ofsurvivors who spent two nights marooned in buildings without light, heator food on Friday night slept in warm beds. CHAPTER V THE RECUPERATION OF DAYTON SPIRITS GO UP--SECRETARY OF WAR GARRISON ON THE SCENE--CLEARING AWAY THE DEBRIS--BOAT CREWS SAVE 979--RELIEF ON BUSINESS BASIS--STRICT SANITARY MEASURES--TALES OF THE RESCUED--A SUMMARY OF WORK ACCOMPLISHED--RAILROADS AGAIN WORKING--COMMISSION GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHED--A HOME OF TENTS--MILLIONAIRES IN THE BREAD-LINE--ORVILLE WRIGHT'S ESCAPE--DEATH AND PROPERTY LOSS--THE TASK OF REBUILDING. Dayton passed Friday night in terror because of constant shooting by themilitiamen. Just how many looters were killed was unknown, asinformation was refused. The facts figure only in military reports. Fifty shots were fired between midnight and three o'clock Saturdaymorning within hearing of the main hospital quarters in the NationalCash Register Building. Civil workers in the center of the town, whereefforts were being made to clear away debris, reported that five looterswere shot after midnight. One of these was a negro who had succeeded in entering a Madison Streethouse where he was seen by a militiaman and shot in the act of looting. It is declared that only one of the five men shot was killed. Orders were issued to the soldiers to inflict summary execution oncorpse robbers--ghouls who sneaked through the business and residencestreets like hyenas after a battle. Dayton came out in force on Saturday to look around and judge for itselfthe extent of the tragedy that confronted its people. Business men withforces of assistants penetrated the business section and set about thetask of learning whether they had been stripped of their possessionscompletely. Haggard faces, worn out with sleepless nights and days of weary struggleand apprehension for the future, brightened with the flush of new-bornhope as some of the searchers found that the flood had not provedcompletely disastrous for them. Scores of business interests, not alone in the central section, but aswell in the outlying manufacturing districts, faced ruin. The work ofreconstruction, already in the forming, meant for them going back to thebeginning for a fresh start, but on every hand one heard in spite ofthis words of hope and cheerfulness that the disaster was no greater. SPIRITS GO UP The bitter cold gave way to a day of sunshine and comparative warmth. The military authorities lifted the ban on uninterrupted travel aboutthe city. This privilege and the brightness of the day brought most ofthe people out of their discouragement and great throngs appeared on thestreets. They found the death toll smaller than they had expected andthe property damage, while almost crushing in the size of the figures itrepresented, not so utterly annihilating as was generally feared. Military engineering experts began the work of extricating Dayton fromits covering of debris, and its menace to general public health. H. E. Talbot, of Dayton, who built the Soo Locks, was placed in charge and thePennsylvania Railroad sent in seventy-five engineers to assist him. While fifty additional experts appeared from other points, the OhioNational Guard Battalion of Engineers from Cleveland became a part ofthe organization to "sweep up" the city. Relief from the suffering because of the closing down of the publicutilities bade fair to be accomplished by Sunday. The city lived up toits motto "Dayton does" with the amendment that if it cannot find a wayit will make one. With real philosophy and high courage its people set about the arduoustask of retrieving the ground and the fortunes they lost. The lives thatwere taken by the disaster were not sacrificed in vain. The Citizens'Committee, headed by John H. Patterson, the relief agency, and H. E. Talbot, determined to find a way to protect the city against arepetition of the horrors of the week. Things looked brighter. It was announced that on Sunday the water wouldbe turned on in all the mains that were not broken, in order to givepure drinking water to practically the entire city, something thesanitary and engineering experts were working for as imperative ifepidemics were to be avoided. Until such time as the city mains couldbe used, water was distributed from artesian wells by water carts and inkegs, which were carried to the various districts by the "flyingsquadron" of the auto relief corps. SECRETARY OF WAR GARRISON ON THE SCENE Secretary of War Garrison and his staff arrived at Dayton at noon, andimmediately went into conference with John H. Patterson, chairman of thecommittee of fifteen, in charge of the relief work. Soon after Mr. Garrison arrived the relief committee began to call localphysicians to consult with him to determine whether to place the cityunder federal control. It was said Dayton's sanitary condition appearedto warrant the presence of federal troops and government health experts. It was later decided to leave the city in control of the state militiaand the local committee, except that sanitary experts from the federalhealth service should be brought to Dayton. Mr. Garrison stated thatMajor Thomas Rhoades, in co-operation with Major James C. Normoyle, would have charge in Dayton. Major Normoyle had experience in furtheringrelief in the Mississippi flood district last year. GARRISON'S REPORT Secretary Garrison gave out the substance of his telegram to PresidentWilson as follows: "I find the situation at Dayton to be as follows: "The flood has subsided so that they have communication with all partsof the city, no one being now in any position of peril or without foodor shelter. The National Cash Register plant has been turned into asupply depot and lodging place for those who have no other presentplace. "Surgeon General Blue and some of his officers are here, as are alsosome naval surgeons. We are all working in concert. The Governor, theMayor, the local committees and the citizens have all expressed muchgratitude for the action of the National Government, and have welcomedus warmly, all of them stating that the fact that a directrepresentative has been sent to their community has been of the greatestbenefit to the morale of the situation. "I find a competent force is already organized to clean up the streets, remove the debris and do general work of that description and has agreedto work under the direction of the army surgeon I leave in charge ofsanitation. The National Guards have their Brigadier-General, George H. Wood, here in command of the military situation and he has cordiallyoffered to co-operate in every way with our work of sanitation. "I think that the situation here is very satisfactory and that thiscommunity will find itself in a reassured position within a very shorttime and facing only then the problem of repair, restoration andrehabilitation. "I will go back to Cincinnati tonight to get into touch with mattersleft unfinished there and will go to Columbus at the earliest moment. Governor Cox tells me that he thinks matters are in a satisfactorycondition at Columbus; that he has ample immediate supply of medicinesand other necessities; and that much of each is on the way. The weatheris very fine and there does not seem to be any cause for apprehension offurther floods in the vicinity of Dayton. " CLEARING AWAY THE DEBRIS Efforts were made to clear away debris in sections where the flood waterhad run off, and it was feared bodies might be found in these masses ofwreckage. With well organized crews doing this work, others took food topersons still marooned in Riverdale and North Dayton. The two hundred and fifty persons marooned in the Algonquin Hotel, inthe heart of the flood district, moved from their prison after thewaters had receded. Most of them said there was a general scare at thefire which burned along Jefferson and Third Streets, on Wednesday night. There was one death in the hotel, Johnny Flynn, a bell boy. Several ofthe guests organized the majority after the flood waters had cut offescape on Tuesday, and for three evenings programs of entertainmentswere given in the hotel dining-room. It was decreed by a safetycommittee that any person who declined to contribute to theentertainment would be compelled figuratively to walk the plank. Therewere no dissenters. Among those marooned in hotels were one hundred from New York, Chicago, Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Toledo, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Detroit, Boston and St. Louis. All were safe. A brilliant sunshine threw an uncanny light over the distorted scenes inthe areas where the homes of 75, 000 people were swept away or toppledover. A view down almost any street revealed among the wreckage, tumbled-over houses, pianos, household utensils and dead horses brushedtogether in indescribable confusion. At two points the bodies of horseswere seen still caught in the tops of trees. Digging bodies out of the mud was the chief work of rescuing parties. The water had drained off from almost all the flooded area. In someinstances the mud was several feet deep. The rush of the currents claimed the greatest toll of lives, judgingfrom how most of the bodies recovered were found. They were washed uponto the ground from new-made rivers and many were found buried in thewreckage. In moving this workmen moved carefully, fearing they mighttread upon bodies, but they were not found in groups. It was anticipated that the majority of the bodies of flood victimswould be found buried under the debris in the Miami Canal under greatpiles of wreckage and far down the Miami River, at Miamisburg, Middletown and Hamilton. Those who were drowned for the most part werecaught in the streets either while on their way to their places ofbusiness and employment or while trying to get to places of safety whenforced to flee from their houses. Lieutenant Leatherman, surgeon of theThird Regiment, O. N. G. , who went through the flood in West Dayton, said that he saw scores of dead bodies floating down the Miami River andmany people were swimming, but there was not one chance in ten thousandthat these were saved, he said. The policing of the city by the military was reorganized withBrigadier-General George H. Wood commanding and Captain Tyrus G. Reed asAdjutant General. The city was turned over into a military district offive military zones, and rigid orders were laid down for the conduct ofits affairs. Chairmen of the various committees were unanimous in asking that word bespread broadcast that mere sightseeing visitors were not wanted. Therailroads were informed of this attitude and conductors refused toaccept passengers who could not show that their presence here wasnecessary. There were thousands of visitors in the city. Most of themwere from surrounding towns. BOAT CREWS SAVE 979 The work of extending succor to the marooned inhabitants of thedistricts which were still flooded continued during the day. In manysections were to be seen rowboats, skiffs and canoes making their waywith extreme difficulty among the heaps of wreckage and overturnedhouses among tangled meshes of telegraph, telephone and electric lightwires, seeking out possible victims who had been uncared for. Among the organizations engaged in rescue work was the company of navalreserves from the United States ship Essex at Toledo, under command ofCaptain A. F. Nicklett. The company reached Dayton on a special relieftrain from Toledo Thursday and immediately launched a number of boats onthe raging torrents which were sweeping the city from end to end. Up tosix o'clock Saturday night the sailors had been constantly on duty andhad to their credit a total of 979 lives saved, and they were notthinking of sleep when darkness fell. One crew in command of Ensign E. E. Diebald, with two boats, rescued 375persons from the business section and that district immediately east ofMain Street and west of Eagle Street. Many of the people were taken fromtheir homes only after the sailors had mounted to the tops of partiallyoverturned houses and chopped their way through to the attics where theinmates were huddled together waiting for death to enter. Another crew under Junior Lieutenant Ross Willoh succeeded in saving360, while three boats in command of Senior Lieutenant Theodore Schmidtrescued 244 persons. The majority of these latter were taken from boxcars, warehouses, freight sheds and grain elevators in the railroadyards. It was here that the water attained its greatest violence, rushing in whirlpools between the irregular buildings on either side ofthe tracks. Navigation was extremely perilous on account of manysubmerged box cars, flat cars and overturned sheds. Several times the sailors were capsized, but managed to keep with theirboats and right them again. Not a single life was lost either among thereserves or among the hundreds whom they attempted to rescue. While sailors worked incessantly to save lives, Lieutenant WalterGayhart, also of the ship's company, succeeded in establishing a supplystation on East Fifth Street, where many refugees congregated, andissued rations to the suffering. He slept Saturday night afterseventy-one hours of continuous labor. With the additional military forces which arrived the city wasthoroughly policed. At night the city was in darkness again. It wasimpossible to do much relief work at night and the curfew order was duein part to the advisability of keeping the men where they could protecttheir own households if necessary. RELIEF ON BUSINESS BASIS The distribution of food supplies and clothing and relieving of distresswas put on a business basis. Supplies reached Dayton in largequantities, and the relief stations were sufficiently organized to takecare of the incoming refugees from the flood districts. The problem ofcaring for the homeless was still serious, but with all promise of warmweather it was hoped there would be less suffering. Health officersreported that there was only one car of lime in the city, and there wasgreat need of more. Fifteen thousand persons were subsisting on rations given out underdirection of the relief committee. Ten thousand of these, it wasestimated, were in their homes, and food was carried to them in boatsand automobiles. About five thousand were being cared for at the reliefstations. This showed a marked reduction in the number of persons beingpublicly fed. There was plenty of food, and it was placed into baskets in lots toserve five persons for two days. Over candles given out with the foodthe people boiled coffee, but the other food was eaten cold. There wasno gas and little coal. Announcement was made by the relief committee that until conditionsbecame normal, no private messages to persons here would be delivered oranswered, as the wire capacity was taxed to the utmost to carry officialand public business. Major Dupuy stated that he feared an epidemic of some kind unless themost rigid sanitary rules were enforced. STRICT SANITARY MEASURES Major Dupuy stated that the city had been divided into six sanitarydistricts, each district in charge of an officer of the sanitary corpsof the National Guard. Strict orders regarding the disposition ofgarbage were issued and the people were advised, by means of bulletinsposted in conspicuous places in the streets, how best to preserve thepublic health. Several cars of lime reached the city and many more were en route fromdifferent points. A carload of ambulance supplies was on the way fromCincinnati. Members of the Citizens' Relief Committee were apprehensive of a waterfamine. It was believed there was little chance that the present supplycould be made to last until the water mains were in use again. R. H. Grant, head of the Relief Supplies Committee, issued an appeal to allcities in the country asking that as much bottled water as possible beshipped to Dayton immediately. It was especially desired that this water be strictly pure, as it waspractically impossible to boil the water for drinking purposes. Considering the number of persons affected by this flood, there wascomparatively little sickness, the cold weather being responsible forthis to a great extent. The cold caused great suffering among thosemarooned without food, water, or heat, but in the end it proved ablessing. Dr. William Colby Rucker, Assistant Surgeon General of the United StatesPublic Health Service, who arrived from Washington at the direction ofthe Secretary of the Treasury, with Surgeon General Rupert Blue, gavethe following outline of the sanitary conditions existing in the city: "A survey of conditions in Dayton today shows that the sanitarysituation is not so bad as was at first thought. Citizens have beenwarned to boil all drinking water and to bury refuse. City water is nowflowing under twenty-pound pressure. Sewers in some sections are againin operation. The city expects to have others working tomorrow. "The city has been divided into six sanitary districts and tonightphysicians who have been sworn in as district sanitary officers arebeing instructed as to their precise duties as heads of thesedistricts. " TALES OF THE RESCUED Pathetic scenes, so intense as to bring tears to the eyes ofundertakers, were witnessed when scores of fear-stricken parents andchildren walked down the rows of dead lying upon slabs in the temporarymorgues. In Riverdale and North Dayton, where the flood waters attained thegreatest depth and degree of destructiveness, several thousand personswaded knee-deep in slimy mud, rummaging their desolated homes forclothing. All of this, of course, was soaked and plastered with mud, butit was dried on the hillsides, where the populace had taken refuge. Insome places in these districts the water had so far receded as to renderpossible the beginning of the work of cleaning the lower floors of themud and debris. The dead line around Riverdale, where the water remained about threefeet in depth around most of the houses, continued to be maintained inorder to guard against looting during the absence of residents. It wasestimated that not more than a week would be required to immunize allhomes requiring it outside of the Riverdale section, to free them fromwater and prepare them for cleansing. A SUMMARY OF WORK ACCOMPLISHED Following are some of the things accomplished since the flood broke overthe city Tuesday morning: The water-works pumping station was in operation, but the distributionof water was greatly retarded by open pipes in wrecked houses. Thepressure was feeble, but growing stronger as leaks were checked. The main sanitary sewer was in operation, although many of the lateralsleading from houses were clogged with mud and backed-up water. The flood sewers, separate from the sanitary, were almost ready forservice. These sewers carry off the rainfall from the gutters, and wereneeded to remove the water being pumped from basements. Sightseers in motor cars felt the heavy hand of public necessity whenGeneral Wood began impressing machines. The sightseers were ordered fromtheir cars and the latter were pressed into public service. Protestswere unavailing. The more stubborn surrendered at the points of rifles, and gave up their cars "until released by order of the chairman, " as theplacards placed in them read. The militia also began impressing citizens into service as workers. Menwho had the appearance of being able-bodied, but idle, were questionedby officers of the National Guard; if they had not good reason for beingin the streets, and no duties of a mandatory nature, they were pressedinto service. The Sixth regiment, O. N. G. , from Toledo and northern Ohio towns, whichhad been on duty in Dayton, commandeered a train when ordered toCincinnati and departed before nightfall. The naval reserves from Toledowent on train. Coroner J. W. McKemy estimated that one hundred bodies had beenrecovered, though there was record of only seventy-two. He said some hadbeen buried without usual official action and that in some cases he didnot expect to get records. The postoffice was put out of business on Tuesday and it was not untilSunday that any sort of service was attempted. Telegraph and telephoneservice was almost entirely crippled until Saturday night, when evenshort messages were accepted only on condition that the sender assent toindefinite delays. Telegrams were relayed through Cincinnati. The only long-distancetelephone wires in service were two private wires connecting withCincinnati. On those who succeeded in securing permission to use thesewires a time limit of three minutes conversation was imposed. No braver services were performed during the flood than those by thetelegraph and telephone linemen who made possible the dissemination ofnews to hundreds of thousands of friends and relatives of Daytonians. They waded and swam icy floods and entered tottering buildingsunhesitatingly in pursuit of their duty. Operators who had not removedshoes or clothing since last Tuesday were found Saturday. RAILROADS AGAIN WORKING Direct railroad communication was established Sunday night withSpringfield, Ohio, Cincinnati and Richmond, Indiana. The Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton lines, on which Dayton passenger traffic dependedmostly, were not working. The tracks leading into the Union Station werecompletely blocked and the few trains arriving discharged theirpassengers on the outskirts of the city. H. E. Talbott, who was commissioned by Governor Cox, chief engineer ofthe military zone, completed his plans for beginning the rehabilitationof the city. He announced that four departments had been created, withan assistant engineer in charge of each. One had charge of rebuildingthe streets and alleys; another the levees along the rivers; another thesewerage system, and still another the bridges. [Illustration: Photograph by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y. Life lines strung across one of the streets. The rescuers caught personscarried down on wreckage in the raging flood and brought them to a placeof safety] [Illustration: Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y. Man walking along the telephone cables after escaping from his house, which was washed away by the flood. The houses in the center have beenwashed from their foundations and are floating away] Hundreds of persons still looking for relatives passed along the linesat the morgues, fearing they should find their loved ones there. Only afew bodies had not been identified. Because of the city's financial condition, the problem of paying thecosts of rejuvenation caused great concern. The treasury was practicallyempty, and the borrowing capacity would be exhausted when $900, 000 wasraised. It was planned to seek immediate relief from the Legislature. By order of Governor Cox, the reign of martial law over Dayton wasextended to take in the whole county. The flood did more than sweep awayproperty, for it swept away the city administration, temporarily atleast, and brought in what amounted to a commission form of government. The extension of the area under martial law developed from action takenby local dealers whose places were closed. They complained that saloonson the outskirts were sending whiskey into the city, and thatconsiderable drunkenness had been observed. Brigadier-General Woodreported the situation to the Governor, and his action was prompt anddecisive. COMMISSION GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHED As soon as martial law was proclaimed, the municipal administration waseclipsed. Brigadier-General Wood for the moment became supreme under theGovernor. On the heels of this Mr. Patterson was appointed chairman of acommittee of five to administer the affairs of the city. The militia wasinstructed to obey his orders and thus became a police force. Under martial law the city enjoyed the free services of the biggestbusiness men and the most expert professional men in Montgomery County. Citizens who ventured into the streets were impressed from the time theyleft their doors that Dayton is steadied and perhaps somewhat depressedby the absolute grip of martial law. Soldier government was maintainedinexorably. Owners of business places could not set foot on theirproperty without the permission of the khaki-clad militiamen, standingat the curbs with loaded carbines. If a citizen found himself somedistance from his home when the curfew rang at 6 P. M. His return wasbeset with much difficulty, because of the necessity of halting by themany sentries he encountered. A citizen fearsome enough to venture from his threshold after 8 P. M. Literally took his life in his hands, because the fingers of the militiarested on hair triggers. Nine colored men and one white man were added to the seven suspectedlooters shot and killed since martial law was proclaimed. Absolutesecrecy concerning the deaths was maintained by the militaryauthorities. Citizens who heard repeated firing between midnight anddawn in the business center of Dayton and near Ludlow Street, in whichwere located many of the handsomest homes in Dayton, spread thesereports. The reports were confirmed in a non-committal way by militiamenwho were on duty in these sections, who admitted they had fired ballcartridges as a "warning" to suspected looters. The most detailed account of the death of the white man had it that hewas halted near Main and Third Streets shortly after 2 A. M. He had onehand behind his back, and when ordered to open it two watches fell tothe pavement. He was then searched and eighteen watches were found inhis pockets. The sentry called a corporal's squad of six militiamen andreported the loot found on the prisoner. The prisoner was led to thewall of a near-by building, faced toward the wall, and the squad, whichhad received instruction from its commander, fired. A white band with ared insignia, made apparently to simulate a Red Cross badge, was takenfrom the man's arm, and the body was thrown into the canal. EXECUTIONS DENIED The nine colored men reported as killed were discovered by sentries invarious parts of the city. A dozen militiamen on duty near Main andThird Streets, about 2 A. M. , said that they had heard firing at thelocality named, but attributed it to warning shots. One of the men saidthat a sergeant in his company told of shooting and killing a coloredman Friday night, when the man tried to escape in a boat on the MiamiErie Canal. Brigadier General George H. Wood, when asked about the reports ofsquad-firing and the deaths of ten suspected looters, said: "There was some squad-firing after midnight by sentries posted in theLudlow section, where are located the homes of some of Dayton'swealthiest citizens. But neither there nor in other sections of the citywhere shots were fired was any one killed. The report that executionsfollowed the detection of militiamen caught looting are withoutfoundation. There have been no drumhead or other courtmartials and nonewill take place while I am in command here in Dayton. "We have the situation well in hand. I have 1, 400 doing sentry dutythroughout the city and I intend to guard homes and suppress alllawlessness. " In spite of the rigor of this military government of Dayton, praise ofGeneral Wood's administration was heard on every side. Citizensdiscredited the stories of executions of looters and were notover-inquisitive of details, because they realized that drastic measureswere imperative under the existing conditions. In accordance with suggestions made Saturday by Secretary of WarGarrison and General Leonard Wood, chief of staff, Major Thomas L. Rhoades, President Wilson's military aide, took charge of the sanitarycampaign and permanent relief organization. He had for his chieflieutenant Eugene T. Lies, of Chicago, who was in command of the RedCross forces. Investigation of the financial standing of everyhouseholder whose home has been damaged by the flood was begun. Inworthy cases money or materials with which to make repairs werefurnished from the Red Cross funds. A HOME OF TENTS Major Rhoades took up plans for establishing a tented camp in NorthDayton in which to shelter residents of the flood districts. Theseflooded homes were inspected and when found to be unsanitary theoccupants were invited to take up quarters in the tented camp. Where theinvitation was refused recalcitrants were escorted by a corporal's guardto the camp and compelled to remain there until their homes were cleanedand fumigated. Major Rhoades was supported by the militia in carryingout a policy to immunize every home in Dayton if necessary, and thusminimize the danger of epidemics. The medical authorities forbade the use of old clothing until after ithad been fumigated. It was urged upon the general public that oldclothing was not desirable for fear it might bring a pestilence in someform to a city unable to cope with more disaster. Nothing to indicate the approach of an epidemic due to flood conditionswas reported, although the number of diphtheria cases was slightly abovenormal. Eight persons suffering from diphtheria were at the Miami ValleyHospital. Seven of them were caught in a house with a person who hadrecently become ill with the disease. Four persons hemmed in with onewho had measles were suffering with that disease. Typhoid fever andpneumonia were a little more prevalent than usual. Clear skies and warmsunshine contributed to the comfort of the city and made possible goodprogress in the work of redemption. Two hospitals in Dayton were flooded on the first floor, so all sick andinjured were taken either to the Great Miami Hospital or to the stateinsane asylum. Eight persons whose minds temporarily became affectedbecause of hardships suffered in the flood were cared for at the latterplace. With warmer weather, the greatest problem was the removal of thecarcasses of dead horses. Every available automobile truck and all thehorse-drawn drays were impressed by the sanitary officials and hundredsof men were engaged all day removing the carcasses to the differentincinerating plants and to vacant lots on the outskirts of the city, where they were burned. George F. Burba, Governor Cox's private secretary, reported to thestate's executive that there were 40, 000 persons in Dayton who must befed and sheltered for at least a week, and 10, 000 who were destitute. The latter were without either sufficient clothing or food, and untilbusiness activities were restored, they had to be financed andmaintained in lodgings until they could become self-supporting. Theodore A. Burnett and T. H. Smith, government food inspectors, tookcharge of the food supply, in so far as inspection was concerned, andappointed twelve deputies. All shipments of supplies from other placeswere carefully examined before being given to the refugees. Particularattention was paid to meats and canned goods. Announcement was made that the particular need of the people wasdrinking water, shoes, clothing, picks and shovels. Money also waswanted, although a considerable amount had already been subscribed bycities throughout the country. Food was on hand in ample quantities, free to all, but the variety waslimited to staples such as beans, potatoes, bread and canned vegetables. Of fresh meat there was practically none and butter and eggs werescarce. All food supplies were those contributed by the outside worldand distributed from the various relief depots on the requisition ofhouseholders. Neither provision nor other stores received anyconsignment of goods. Citizens and visitors alike were impressed with the facts that Dayton'scondition was distressing. A review of the streets from sunrise untilthe curfew bell's toll furnished a practical illustration of this. Except for the comparatively few householders who had supplies on handin considerable quantities, daily sustenance was secured by the marketbasket method. This was as true of the fairly well-to-do families as ofthe laboring classes. HOW RATIONS WERE ISSUED The head of a family made out a requisition each morning stating hisneeds for the day. This requisition was presented at any of the supplydepots, and on it were issued rations consisting of potatoes, cannedmeats, prunes or preserves, beans, biscuits or bread. Men, women andchildren with their baskets were seen in the streets throughout the day. Most of the absolutely destitute were cared for in one or another of thebuildings comprising the huge plant of the National Cash RegisterCompany, which is on high ground at the southern end of the city, untouched by the flood. On the ninth floor of the administrationbuilding, known as the office's club, and where there is a dining roomwith a capacity for 1, 000, more than 5, 000 destitute persons were feddaily. The menu for Sunday was a typical one, as follows: Breakfast--Oatmeal and milk, coffee and bread. Dinner--Vegetable soup, stewed canned meat, stewed corn, coffee and bread. Supper--Bean soup, potatoes, coffee or tea and bread with butter. John F. Patterson, head of the plant, had his dinner in this generaldining room on Sunday. The only luxuries enjoyed by him and not providedfor the others were hard-boiled eggs and preserved peaches. Among themost active of the uniformed waitresses was Mr. Patterson'snineteen-year-old daughter. Volunteer waitresses helped out their paidsisters during these days of hardship. Monday in Dayton was much like the days that immediately preceded it, except that rapid progress was made toward the restoration of the cityto a habitable condition. Electric current was supplied Monday night ina limited residential district and in a few downtown buildings, and thenarrow zone of street lighting was extended. Automobile fire engineswere brought overland from Cincinnati to assist in pumping outbasements. Ample telegraph equipment was installed in the Beckel House. Thousandsof telegrams remained undelivered, and it was still impossible for thetelegraph companies even to attempt delivery. The line of citizenswaiting in front of the Western Union's temporary office, to ask formessages from friends, extended during the morning a full block. The Bell Telephone system promised partial restoration of service byTuesday. Its plant manager, John A. Bell, complained of his linemenhaving been impeded by refusal of guardsmen to honor the militarypasses. This was called to the attention of Brigadier General Wood, commanding the Ohio Guard, and relief was given. Practically no newspapers had been received here since Tuesday and thepeople of Dayton grew very anxious to learn of conditions in othercities. News of the death of J. P. Morgan first reached the publicthrough a bulletin posted by a representative of the Associated Press. Later the Dayton _News_, whose plant was inundated, put a two-page paperon the street in which a few details of the death of the financier wereprinted. Impressed and volunteer laborers were put to work Monday refilling thebroken levees. Removal of dead animals was the most pressing work ofsanitation. Major Thomas L. Rhoads, President Wilson's aide and personalrepresentative in charge of sanitary work, said that the situation wasquite encouraging; that hospital facilities so far were ample; noepidemics of disease were in evidence and in two weeks there would besubstantial relief, although it would require two months to remove thedirt and debris. WOMEN SHOVEL IN STREETS Monday for the first time, offensive odors came from the mud and slimethat was shovelled into the streets by householders and storekeepers. Inthis work men, women and children were engaged. Wives of prominentcitizens were seen with shovel and hoe, some of them wearing theirhusbands' trousers and rubber boots, doing as best they could the workof men. On Monday, John H. Patterson, chairman of the Citizens' ReliefCommittee, issued the following statement: "Our committee has now at its disposal all the food and clothingnecessary. Money, however, is required to put our city in condition toprevent the outbreak of diseases and to rehabilitate the thousands, manyof whom have lost their homes entirely and all of whom have lost theirhousehold and personal effects. "The committee sends an urgent appeal to the citizens of the UnitedStates for the necessary funds. All contributions should be sent directto W. F. Bippus, treasurer of the relief committee. " MILLIONAIRES IN THE BREAD-LINE In the bread-line on Monday was Eugene J. Parney, a multi-millionaire, whose gifts to charity have been very large and who recently included$25, 000 to the Y. M. C. A. Of this city. The day after the flood he wasoffering $1, 000 for enough wood alcohol to heat malted milk for hisinfant grandchild. Monday he was no more successful in buyingprovisions. He appeared with a basket on his arm, rubbed elbows withthose nearest in the motley line and apparently none was more gratefulthan he when his basket was filled with beans, potatoes, cannedvegetables, rice and other staples. He was eager to pay for hissupplies, but money is refused at the supply depots. It was arranged tochange this system on Tuesday to enable those well able to pay to doso. Fred B. Patterson, only son of John H. Patterson, stopped work in themorgue at his father's factory long enough to tell for the first time ofthe part he took in the rescue work. Like his sister Dorothy, who workedas a waitress feeding refugees, young Patterson was doing the thingsthat many poor men had avoided. ORVILLE WRIGHT'S ESCAPE Orville Wright, the aeroplane builder, and his family, who had beenmarooned in the west side, reported to relief headquarters on Monday. The flood stopped just short of wiping out of existence the pricelessmodels, records, plans and drawings--all in the original--of the Wrightbrothers, who gave the airship to the world. Out in West Dayton live the Wrights--Orville, his father, Bishop Wright, and Miss Katherine Wright, the sister, in a small, unpretentious framehouse. Orville Wright and his father and sister were in the oldhomestead when the flood swept in. The aged father was placed in a boat, but instead of conveying him to aplace of safety, the boatman carried him to a house nearby where he wasmarooned until the waters subsided three days later. Orville Wright andhis sister escaped to safety on an auto truck, being carried throughfour feet of water. In fleeing, however, the inventor of the aeroplane was compelled toabandon the small factory adjoining the homestead in which were storedall of the originals from which the plans for the air craft wereperfected. Had these gone, there would have remained nothing of thepriceless data save what exists in the brain of Orville Wright. At the height of the flood a house adjoining the factory took fire. There were no means to fight the flames. For several hours the factorywas in peril, but a special providence protected it and it came out ofboth flood and fire unscathed. "We were lucky, " said Orville Wright, whimsically, on Monday. "It is theirony of fate that at the critical moment I was not able to get awaywith my folks on one of my own machines. However, we came through allright and there doesn't seem to be anything more to be said. " Just one week after the coming of the deluge Governor Cox entered hishome city for the first time, accompanied by several of the members ofthe Ohio Flood Relief Committee. Governor Cox praised Mr. Patterson for his invaluable part in the reliefwork. "Mr. Patterson is the one man who is in the eye of America morethan any one other man, " said the Governor. Mr. Patterson, after he returned Tuesday night in company with H. E. Talbott, chief engineer, from a tour of sections of Dayton that wereswept by the flood, issued a statement in which he said: "Dayton is facing one of the gravest problems that any city of the worldever faced and we want the world to know we need money and food for ourstricken people. " In speaking of a tentative plan to ask the Federal Government for aloan of from $20, 000, 000 to $40, 000, 000 to be used in reconstructionwork, Mr. Patterson said: "At a meeting of bankers and officials of the building associations thisevening it was decided to make an appeal for Federal aid. The banks andbuilding associations have $60, 000, 000 worth of assets which they willput up as collateral. It may be deemed advisable to ask the Governmentto give us some financial assistance. We feel that the disaster is anemergency which would justify extraordinary action on the part ofCongress. " Since Sunday more than $750, 000 in cash was received from banks inCincinnati to replace damaged money in local banks which remained closeduntil April 8th. DEATH AND PROPERTY LOSS Mr. Talbott estimated that the property loss in Montgomery Countytotaled at least $150, 000, 000. He declared that one manufacturingcompany alone had lost half a million dollars. Although several carloads of provisions were received on Tuesday, officials in charge of relief work stated that the food situation was amatter of grave concern. "We must have rations for more than 100, 000people for an indefinite period, " Mr. Patterson declared. A carload of automobile tires, contributed by an Akron rubber companyfor use in relief work, arrived on Tuesday. One of the great losses sustained from the flood was that which befellthe public library. An inspection of the institution disclosed the factthat the children's library, the medical library and the referencelibrary had been wiped out of existence. Included in the loss were allthe public and official accounts and copies of the newspapers datingfrom the first issues, back in 1822, none of which could be replaced. County Coroner John McKemy, who in the week following the flood handlednearly one hundred bodies, said that at least twenty-five bodies weredisposed of before he was released from his imprisonment by the flood. He estimated that the number of lives lost from the flood in Daytonexceeded two hundred. THE TASK OF REBUILDING So day followed day in the recuperation of Dayton; but, looking ahead, it was evident to the magnificent corps of expert men in charge of thework that months must elapse before all Daytonians could again live intheir own homes. There were 15, 000 residences to plaster and paperbefore they could be occupied. There were 4, 500 houses to buildfoundations under, to straighten, re-roof, put in doors and windows, rebuild chimneys and make other repairs before their owners could movein again. There were 2, 000 houses to raze and new structures to bebuilt. The Citizens' Relief Committee, on advices from engineers, decided thatthis reconstruction work would require four months, even if buildingmaterial could be obtained promptly. So far as the business and industrial buildings were concerned, it wasestimated by architects who looked over the different premises that itwould require eight months before repair work and rebuilding could beaccomplished. In the interim business was done in whatever premises wereavailable. Thousands of men were employed, together with many teams of horses, andwork was pushed to the utmost in all departments. Surveys of the damagedone were made and large quantities of material were ordered bytelegraph, to be shipped immediately. Generations must come and go before the Dayton flood will be forgotten, and standing out in bright contrast with all else there will perhapsremain longest the inspiring picture of the energy and fortitude withwhich the stricken residents set about the retrievement of their cityfrom the devastation of the angry waters. CHAPTER VI DAYTON: "THE CITY OF A THOUSAND FACTORIES" SURVIVOR OF SIX FLOODS--ESTABLISHED BY REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS--PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS--OTHER OF DAYTON'S FEATURES OF INTEREST--A CITY OF CIVIC PRIDE--"A THOUSAND FACTORIES"--ITS SUCCESS. Dayton has stood in the shadow of disaster from flood ever since itsfoundation. No less than six times previous to the present inundationhave the rivers which flow through it left their accustomed courses andbrought death and destruction of property upon the town. The first ofthese floods occurred in 1805, the very year that Dayton wasincorporated as a town. The sixth was in 1898 and the others in theyears 1847, 1863, 1866 and 1886. The site of the present city was purchased in 1795 by a group ofRevolutionary soldiers and laid out as a town in the following year byone of them, who named it after Jonathan Dayton, a Jerseyman who hadfought in the Revolution and who later served in Congress and the UnitedStates Senate. It became the county seat of Montgomery County in 1803and received its city charter in 1841, something more than a score ofyears after the opening of the Miami Canal gave a boom to its growth andprosperity. [Illustration: Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y. Crowds at the end of one of the streets which was turned into a racingriver. Many persons floating down on the debris were rescued by willinghands as they neared this point] [Illustration: Copyright by George Grantham Bain. Even before the flood reached its height, the wood-working department ofthe National Cash Register Factory was busily putting togetherimprovised boats that were afterwards of great value in rescuingmarooned residents from their flooded homes] PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS Within the city limits the waters of Wolf Creek, Stillwater and MadRivers unite with those of the great Miami. The latter stream flowsthrough the city from north to south. As it reaches the corporationlimits at the north it sweeps to the westward and is joined byStillwater River a mile and a half from the court house. Then it takesan easterly course for half a mile and is joined by the Mad River at apoint about half a mile from the court house. The river then bends again to the west for more than half a mile and isjoined by Wolf Creek. Its course lies thereafter to the southeast. Greatbridges, some of them of great architectural beauty, cross all of thesestreams. The Miami Canal takes water from the Mad River about two milesnortheast of the court house, runs parallel with the Mad River to itsconfluence with the Miami and then runs southward to the city limits. The city is regularly laid out, the street and house number plan beingarranged with arithmetical exactness. Main Street is the center of thissystem and the house numbers begin from it or the point nearest it onthe streets that run east or west. For the streets running north andsouth the house numbers begin on Third Street or the point nearest ThirdStreet. Main and Third Streets are respectively the dividing lines ofall streets crossing them. SPLENDID PUBLIC BUILDINGS The court house stands at Main and West Third Streets. Distances aremeasured from it, and it is at the center of the scheme according towhich streets are laid out. Its original portion was modeled after theGreek Parthenon and is built of rough white marble taken from quarriesin the vicinity. It is only one of the many buildings of which the cityis proud. Among others are the Steele High School, St. Mary's College, Notre Dame Academy, Memorial Building, Arcade Building, ReiboldBuilding, post office, Algonquin Hotel, public library and the Y. M. C. A. Building. There is also the Union Biblical Seminary and a publishing houseconnected therewith. The Central Theological Seminary was established in1908. Among charitable institutions are the Dayton State Hospital forthe Insane, Miami Valley and St. Elizabeth hospitals, the ChristianDeaconess', Widows' and Children's homes and the Door of Hope, a homefor girls. Just outside the city is the central branch of the NationalHome for Disabled Soldiers. In addition to these buildings there are anumber of very handsome churches. OTHER OF DAYTON'S FEATURES OF INTEREST Dayton is on the Erie, the Dayton and Union and the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroads. There are one hundred andtwenty-five trains entering the city daily. The Union Station was openedto the public in July, 1900, and cost, including tracks, $900, 000. Thecity has an area of ten and three-quarter square miles. The Mayor, Treasurer, Auditor, Solicitor, and Board of Public Service, of three members, are elected by popular election. The Board of PublicSafety, of two members, and the Board of Health, are appointed by theMayor and confirmed by Council. The City Council, composed of thirteenmembers from ten wards, is elected by popular vote, for two years, eachmember receiving an annual salary of $250. It is a legislative bodyonly. The supply of water for the city is almost inexhaustible in quantity andof absolute purity. In 1904 there were one hundred and thirty-threemiles of street mains, 1, 300 fire hydrants and 15, 503 service taps. TheFire Department has a force of ninety men, fourteen engine-houses, fiftyhorses maintained at a cost of $86, 728. 48, and with property worth$375, 000. A complete system of surface and underground sewerage, bothstorm and sanitary, is provided. In 1904 there were sixty-seven andnine-tenths miles of storm sewerage. There are seven National Banks and two Savings and Trust Companies. Dayton takes rank as foremost in building associations of any city ofits size in the country. A large number of the 20, 000 or more homes inthe city have been built with the aid of these associations. A potent force in the development of the city has been the electrictraction lines, of which Dayton has more than any other city in Ohio. There are nine lines, with a total mileage of three hundred andeighty-five miles, which radiate in all directions through the populousand rich country of which Dayton forms the center. The city railwaylines, three in number, have a total mileage of nearly one hundred milesand render excellent service. The Dayton public school system has for many years enjoyed thereputation of being one of the best school systems in the West. Dayton had the first library incorporated in the state, one having beenestablished in 1805. The Public Library was opened in 1855 and issupported by public taxation, having an income of $18, 000 per annum. There are five daily newspapers, each with weekly editions, besidesseventeen church and other publications. There are also three largechurch publication houses. The city hospitals include the St. Elizabeth Hospital, the Miami ValleyHospital, and the Protestant Hospital, which has a large centralbuilding known as the Frank Patterson Memorial of Operative Surgery, oneof the most complete buildings for its purpose in the United States. TheDayton State Hospital for the Insane is maintained by the state. TheHospital of the National Military Home which adjoins the city is thelargest military hospital in the world and has an average of 600patients, all of whom are veteran volunteer soldiers of the Civil andCuban Wars. A CITY OF CIVIC PRIDE Dayton was early imbued with the spirit of civic pride and the resultsare seen in a system of drives and parks. The streets are well built andnumerous good hard gravel roads radiate into the surrounding country, afertile farming region which abounds in limestone. The levee along theMiami is made of hard gravel and is wide enough at the top to form afoundation for a drive. "A THOUSAND FACTORIES" Dayton is sometimes known as "the City of a Thousand Factories, " andsome of its varied industries are known throughout the world. Leadingthese is, of course, the National Cash Register Company, which employssomething more than 7, 000 men. In addition to cash registers there are manufactured agriculturalmachinery, clay-working machinery, cottonseed and linseed oil machinery, railway cars, carriages and wagons, automobiles, flying machines, sewingmachines, paper, furniture, soap and tobacco. Almost every industrialproduct finds a maker in this town. Barnum & Smith are the well knownmanufacturers of street cars. There is the Davis Sewing Machine Company, the Speedwell Automobile Company and many others. Water-power inabundance is supplied from the Mad River. Dayton is the fifth largest city in Ohio. The final abstract of theFederal census for 1910 placed the population at 116, 577, as comparedwith 85, 333 in 1900 and 61, 220 in 1890. With its industries so diversified, its banks and building associationsso strong and uniformly successful, and with its people so welleducated, it is one of the richest and most prosperous communities inthe Union. CHAPTER VII THE DEVASTATION OF COLUMBUS THE RISING FLOOD--MOST OF THE CITY DARK--GREAT AREAS UNDER WATER--THE MILITIA IN CONTROL--THE RELIEF OF THE VICTIMS--THE EXTENT OF THE DISASTER--STORIES OF THE HORROR--ORDERS TO SHOOT LOOTERS--RECOVERING THE DEAD--GOVERNOR COX INDEFATIGABLE--HUNGRY REFUGEES SEIZE FOOD--INCIDENTS OF HEROISM--SCENES OF PATHOS--LOSS BY DEATH AND OF PROPERTY--THE WORK OF RECONSTRUCTION. At Columbus, on Tuesday night, March 25th, darkness settled down on aswirling flood that covered large areas of the city. Thousands ofpersons were separated from members of their families and were franticbecause they were unable to get into communication with their homes. THE RISING FLOOD Hundreds of fathers, sons, brothers, sisters and daughters had lefttheir homes on the west side of the city in the morning to go to work, before the Scioto River had reached a flood stage. Rising suddenly, thewater cut them off from their homes and when night fell they only knewthat their homes were flooded and that the members of their familieswere dependent for food and shelter on more fortunate neighbors. Because the city was in darkness, only meager details of the conditionof the flood-marooned inhabitants were obtainable. Wringing their hands, weeping and appealing vainly for help, scores ofgirls crowded in as close to the water's edge in the darkness as statetroops and policemen on duty would allow them, but there was no chanceto cross the stream to their home district. MOST OF THE CITY DARK Owing to the high water, electric lights in the flooded district and apart of the business section of the city were out, and the water supplywas cut off. The supply of gas was also cut off, with a view topreventing explosions. In Columbus the west side was practically wiped out, and the reportedloss of life ranged from a half dozen to 200. Houses were floating downthe river with people on their roofs. Several fires in the submergeddistrict added to the horrors. Refugees slept in public buildings, whilemilitia helped the police patrol the streets, which were in totaldarkness. It was estimated that over 10, 000 persons were homeless on the west sideas a result of the flood and that at least 15, 000 were living on thesecond floors of their homes. Only about ten per cent of the street carswere able to operate and steam railroad and suburban lines were tied up. Damage amounting to $30, 000 was done by fires in the west side duringthe afternoon, which for a time threatened greater damage owing to thewater supply being cut off. Even had there been water, most of thefire-fighting facilities were on the east side of the city and unable toreach the section affected. GREAT AREA UNDER WATER Bridges connecting the west side with the eastern portion of Columbuswere swept away shortly after noon. Dozens of smaller bridges went down. Hundreds of men were marooned in factories on the west side, and policeand National Guardsmen were making rescues in boats where it waspossible. All street car traffic was abandoned. Fifteen hundred homeswere flooded. With a great roar the levee at the foot of Broad Street let go shortlybefore eleven o'clock, sending down a deluge of water that swelled theScioto River and covered a great area. Several small buildingscollapsed. Just before the break the police ordered all persons in thelowlands to leave their homes quickly and flee for high land. All fireand police apparatus assisted in the work. The residents were told notto stop for clothes or valuables. The Sandusky Street levee also collapsed, permitting the water to washout a railroad embankment and pour into all the low districts betweenthe river and Sandusky Street. With water to the hubs, a horse-drawnwagon galloped out West Broad Street filled with police, who shouted asthey went a warning to all to fly to the hills. While being swept down the channel of the swollen Scioto River just asdarkness was gathering late in the day, a man, woman and child wererescued from the roof of a house that had been torn from its foundationby the flood. Two other children of the same family fell into the waterand were drowned. THE MILITIA IN CONTROL State troops at the order of Governor Cox patrolled the streets in theflooded sections of the city and scores of automobiles were busycarrying the suffering to higher ground. Meantime, the rain which began Sunday night continued, at timesmoderately and at other times in torrents. The fact that the water hadalready destroyed several bridges and broken a levee gave cause for thealarm that other levees might break and further damage result. Because of the proportions of the flood, which washed out nearly everybridge of steam and electric roads leading out of Columbus, nearly alltrain service was annulled. Floodgates were closed against all trains coming in or going out ofColumbus on all roads except the Norfolk and Western. A train on thatroad practically swam into the Union Station at 9 P. M. After havingcrept along through high waters for most of the run from Portsmouth toColumbus. During the day several trains on roads from the East were detouredthrough Columbus over the Norfolk and Western, but this was discontinuedbecause of washed-out bridges between Columbus and Pittsburgh and otherpoints. Norfolk and Western officials said they had no assurance thatthey would be able to operate any trains from here. Ten solid miles of Pullman and other trains, including the TwentiethCentury Flyer, on the Pennsylvania Railroad, extended from Lima toLafayette, held up by a wash-out. Repairs allowed the trains to move onabout eleven o'clock. In taking charge of the relief work Governor Cox issued an orderdirecting Adjutant-General John C. Speaks to call out the entireNational Guard of the state for duty in the flooded districts. BRIDGES SWEPT AWAY Bridges were swept away, barring those who would have fled to places ofsafety. The rush of waters caught hundreds in their homes, and as thedarkness fell the scramble to escape became wild and foreboding. Thosewho were able to do anything sent their appeals for aid to outlyingcities before the wires had absolutely failed. Added to the terrors of flood and darkness was that of fire. In the wildrush for places of safety that followed the first warning of the dangerfrom the bursting levees, lamps were toppled over, electric wires werecrossed and soon flames were mounting high in many sections of the city. Representative H. S. Bigelow introduced a bill in the legislature toappropriate $100, 000 for the flood sufferers in Ohio, the money to behandled under the direction of the Governor. With no change in the number of reported dead in this city, estimates onWednesday placed the probable dead at from one hundred to one hundredand fifty. Columbus was still being drenched and torn by flood waters ofthe Scioto and Olentangy Rivers. The scene of devastation on the westside was partly made visible to residents of other sections of the cityfor the first time in two days. The isolation of the western sectionagain became real when the last remaining bridge gave way before thetorrents. Numerous persons who were considered conservative asserted that they sawscores of bodies float down stream and dozens of persons carried away intheir houses. Miss Esther Eis, rescued from her home on the west side, said she sawthe house with George Griffin, wife and seven children collapse anddisappear, and another house containing John Way, wife and fivechildren, break up in the flood. Besides the actual tragedies that were enacted in connection with theflood the most exciting incident occurred at the announcement that thestorage dam, several miles north of the city, had broken, sending itsgreat flood to augment that of the Scioto River. The scene that followed was one of wild panic in all parts of the city. Patrolmen, soldiers and citizens in automobiles, tooting horns, ringinggongs and calling through megaphones a warning to every one to seeksafety in the higher parts of the east side, sent thousands in flight, while many, stunned by the supposed impending disaster, collapsed fromfear or gave way to hysteria. It was more than an hour before the report was officially denied. Policeofficials assert that the report was made to them by persons connectedwith the military end of the patrols. City officials said that the storage dam was holding fast against themillions of gallons of water that were being poured against it, and theyexpressed confidence that it would continue to do so despite the greatpressure upon it. The Governor telegraphed the War Department at Washington, asking that50, 000 tents and 100, 000 rations be made available for use anddistribution by the Ohio National Guard. Governor Cox also sent out appeals for aid to the Governors of all theborder States of Ohio, including Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky. Tents and provisions were badly needed, accordingto the Governor's appeal. After working all night in the Adjutant-General's office in the StateHouse, officers of the Ohio National Guard reported that they hadsucceeded in assembling 3, 500 militiamen, ready for service in the flooddistricts. Mobilized at all points of the state, companies and regiments of theOhio military force started at daybreak on Wednesday for the strickencities and towns as soon as arrangements for their transportation, themost serious problem confronting the militia headquarters, could bearranged. The relief which they carried was held back by the lack ofrailroad facilities everywhere. THE RELIEF OF THE VICTIMS Howard Elting, president of the Chicago Association of Commerce, telegraphed Governor Cox that citizens of Chicago were raising a relieffund for flood sufferers. "I am pleased to state, " the telegram said, "that $100, 000 will beplaced at the disposal of Ohio through the American Red Cross Society. " The Senate passed the Lowry Bill making appropriation for the relief ofthe flood sufferers, but increased the amount to $500, 000. The action was taken in response to the following message from theGovernor: "The flood disaster that has befallen our state is of such magnitude inloss of life and human suffering that I respectfully urge upon yourhonorable body the importance and propriety of making an appropriationfor the succor of those in distress. "May I further suggest that it be of such size and made with suchdispatch as to reflect the great heart and resource of ourcommonwealth?" THE EXTENT OF THE DISASTER On Thursday it was apparent that the part of the city between Centraland Sandusky Avenues was almost wiped out, and estimates of the deathtoll of the flood in this city ran into the hundreds. It was not until Thursday when the waters began to recede, and after twonights of horror, during which hundreds of people clung to thehousetops, while others sought safety in trees, that the fact dawnedupon the inhabitants that their city had been visited by as great acalamity perhaps as that which had fallen upon the Miami Valley. The bodies of 200 persons lay huddled in the United Brethren Church onAvondale Avenue, according to O. H. Ossman, an undertaker, who exploredthe flood district in a rowboat. He said this report was made to him by a man who said he had been ableto reach the building and look through the windows. Police who sought toconfirm the story were unable to reach the church because of thecurrent. Ossman said nineteen bodies had been taken to his undertaking rooms andthat he has been asked to be prepared to care for sixty-nine otherbodies. He said he counted fully two hundred bodies in wreckage on WestPark Avenue. Members of searching parties who were able to explore the west side ofthe city, south of Broad Street, for the first time reported that thatsection was a scene of vast desolation for a great area, much of itbeing still under water. The names of more than a half hundred persons were placed under thecaption "known dead, " while the list of probable dead was too great tobe collated at that time. The number of missing and unaccounted for, itwas said, would reach far into the hundreds. An Associated Press operator, who was marooned for hours in the floodafter it broke early Tuesday, reached the Columbus office Thursday afterhaving traveled by a circuitous route covering more than forty-fivemiles in order to get into the main portion of the city. He saw more than a score of bodies washed through the flood, and saidthat house after house was carried away in the flood. Many of the smallframe cottages were wrenched to pieces by the currents and theiroccupants thrown into the water to be seen no more. It was believed that many bodies would be found at the Sandusky Streetbridge or lodged against such part of it as was left in the river atthat point. Further exploration of that part of the west side was begunThursday afternoon. Because she had no home after she was rescued from the flood district, Miss Florence P. Shaner and William G. Wahlenmaier were married. Theyhad intended being married in May. The girl was rescued by Wahlenmaier. Her mother was drowned and their home swept away. STORIES OF THE HORROR Other men who had ventured into the flood district told correspondingstories of awful loss of life. To add to the horrors of the situationreports reached the State House that the buildings in the flood-sweptdistrict were being looted by men in rowboats. To meet this emergencyand to better patrol the west side, which is under martial law, GovernorCox ordered Troop B of the National Guard to patrol the ruined sectionof the city. It was believed the cavalrymen could cover more territorythan foot soldiers. As the waters receded the militia guarded the west side underarrangements made between the Adjutant-General's department and ChairmanNass of the Columbus Relief Committee. Hundreds of people were still marooned in flooded homes, their rescue upto that time being impossible because of the swift current of theriver. Rescued people in dire straits were brought to the City Hall in astream all day, where people by the hundreds waited to obtain news ofmissing relatives and friends. Families were separated, and men, women and children stood night and dayat the edge of the water waiting for the flood to subside that theymight reach abandoned homes. The body of a man was suspended in a tree near Glenwood Avenue, beyondreach of the rescuing parties. Other bodies were among debris washed upon the edge of the waters in the southwest end of the city. Near thisdebris were two submerged street cars. Many of the refugees were in state institutions on the high ground atthe west end. The water fell several feet and some of the streetsinundated could be traversed, but in the lowlands, where it was fearedthe greater number of dead would be found, it was several days before athorough search could be instituted. Many of the refugees were in a pitiable condition when rescued. Theywere benumbed by the cold and suffering from hunger and exposure. FOUR BORN AS OTHERS DIE Colonel D. N. Oyser, an attache of the city sanitary department, reported that two truckloads of bodies were removed from one point onthe west side. The cold wave which struck the section Wednesday night caused many tofreeze, lose their grip, and drop into the water. [Illustration: Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y. Part of the residential section of Fremont, Ohio, flooded. The waterreached to the second story of the houses] [Illustration: Copyright by George Grantham Bain. Carrying on the work of rescuing Dayton flood sufferers from theirhouses in the boats made for the purpose at the National Cash RegisterFactory] With military glasses rescuers standing on the Baltimore and OhioRailroad near Center Avenue could see several dead forms lying on theroof of a building to the east. Four babies were reported to have been born in a school house on thehilltop. According to those who invaded the stricken district, the churches, bigstate institutions and storerooms in the hilltop section were crowdedwith refugees. They tell stories of indescribable horrors. Former Mayor George S. Marshall, who was in telephone communication withCecil Randall, his law partner, said that Mr. Randall estimated thedeath toll at several hundreds. Throngs of excited groups of people fromthe flood-stricken section of the city who were crowded into thetemporary rescue quarters asserted that the estimate of Mr. Randall wasnot exaggerated. Neither the extent of the awful tragedies enacted during the sweepingaway of homes nor the exact death tolls could be known for days untilthe mass of wreckage, houses and uprooted trees which were strewn on thelevel lowlands south of the city were uncovered. This mass of debris wasunder several feet of water, with swift currents running in manydirections. Many of those rescued told of escaping from their homes by fractions ofminutes, just before the rushing waters swept their homes away andcrushed them like eggshells against bridges. Scores of entire families, these people assert, were swept down with their houses in the swiftcurrent. Every available inch of space in the Columbus State Hospital for theInsane and Mt. Carmel Hospital on the hilltop was occupied by refugees. Fire Chief Lauer, who was marooned on the hilltop beyond the floodedsection, reaching that point of safety in his automobile just before thewaters swept the lowlands, said that he saw scores of people standing ontheir porches as the waters swept down and that he could not see howscarcely any of them escaped. After two nights of horror, during which hundreds clung to housetopscalling for help until their voices gave way, while dozens perched inthe branches of trees, many were still beyond the reach of rescuers. ORDERS TO SHOOT LOOTERS J. W. Gaver, Justice of the Peace at Briggsdale, swore in severaldeputies and armed them, with instructions to shoot down all looters. Relief trains from Marysville and London, bearing food and clothing, relieved the situation in the refugee quarters on the hilltop, wherehundreds of homeless were waiting news from relatives. Relief work was directed toward rescuing two hundred and fifty from themarooned plant of the Sun Manufacturing Company, where they had beenimprisoned for two days without food or heat. One boat which got withinhailing distance before it was stopped by the swirling current wasinformed that conditions were terrible. With a blinding snowstorm and the temperature falling, gnawed by hungerand suffering from the cold, the thousands of flood sufferers of thestate faced the uncertainties which the freezing temperature was addingto their plight. Although some of the early morning reports said flood waters werereceding slowly in some of the flooded sections there was scarcely aperceptible change in the flood height. In other places, even thoughreceding, the water was still of such height as to maroon the sufferers, many of whom were suffering from exposure which followed their clingingthroughout the night to some points of vantage above the murky waters. All were facing the chilly winds, blinding rain, sleet and snow. Governor Cox issued a proclamation declaring a holiday in all districtsflooded in Ohio for the next ten days. This was done to protectnegotiable paper that might be subject to presentation. Hundreds of the refugees harbored in the various relief stations and inprivate homes just outside of the flooded district were separated fromrelatives, and many of them believed that lost sons or daughters, fathers or mothers had perished. The authorities were fearful of looting in the flood district and themilitia, under strict orders, in several cases arrested rescue workersand interfered with their work, suspecting them of looting. A largequantity of supplies was transported to the flood district by automobileand rail, and the refugees were made comfortable as fast as they couldbe released from the grip of the waters. RECOVERING THE DEAD Thursday's bodies were recovered from jams of driftwood that had piledup along the shallow shores of the flood. All of them were badlymutilated and in several cases identification was difficult. Theauthorities organized a squad of men to cover the entire inundated areain the search of bodies. Up to date fifty-one known dead had beenreported. Hundreds of those whose homes were in the flooded district, but who weremarooned in the business section of the city, away from their families, were able to get to the flood section Thursday by a circuitous routeabout twenty-five miles long. All manner of vehicles and pedestrianscrowded the road throughout the day, and at the end of the way patheticreunions of families separated since Tuesday took place in the muddy, flood-swept streets. Daniel A. Poling, general secretary of the Ohio Christian EndeavorSociety, issued an appeal to the 160, 000 Christian Endeavorers in thestate, urging them to forward contributions to state headquarters. West Columbus remained virtually under martial law. Militia companies onduty were ordered to shoot looters on sight. Thousands of curious peopleand those with friends and relatives in the flooded districts were keptout of the west side by police and troopers. The city relief station, atthe city hall, and the newspapers maintained and compiled lists of therescued, as well as lists of the dead. By Friday order was being rapidly evolved out of chaos, and missingloved ones were being accounted for by hundreds. Ample shelter and foodwere being provided for the thousands of homeless. Flood waters drained off from the devastated districts, railroad servicewas slowly resumed and telegraph and telephone wires were beingrestrung. [Illustration: MAP SHOWING ONE OF THE CIRCUITOUS ROUTES BY WHICH NEWS OFTHE FLOOD WAS CARRIED TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD] GOVERNOR COX INDEFATIGABLE For three days Governor Cox tirelessly accomplished the work of a dozenmen, laboring from daylight to long past midnight to aid theunfortunates of Ohio. His hand guided everything done in the work ofrescue and on Friday he turned his attention to new problems ofpreventing epidemics, safeguarding life and property, relieving thesufferings of surviving flood victims and the care of the dead. The hero of the Dayton disaster, John A. Bell, the telephone officialwho, marooned in a business block had been keeping Governor Cox informedevery half hour of conditions in the stricken city and delivering ordersthrough boatmen who rowed to his window, called the State House atdaybreak and greeted the Executive with a cheery "Good morning, Governor. The sun is shining in Dayton. " But sunshine gave way to a blizzard like a snowstorm later in the dayand the reports coming from Bell were less cheering as the day advanced. On Friday the Governor seized the railways to insure passage of relieftrains and to keep sightseers and looters away from the afflictedmunicipalities. The entire military force of Ohio was on duty in the flooded districts, which included practically the entire state. Because of the interruptedcommunications headquarters had not been able to keep fully in touchwith the movements of all the troops. The officers in command in mostcases had to determine routes and procure their own transportation. Under the most difficult conditions they uniformly showed both energyand ingenuity in reaching their destination. Estimates of the flood death list in Columbus continued to range fromfifty to five hundred, although these figures represented largelyopinions of officials on duty in the flood zone. The efforts of theauthorities were directed almost entirely to relieving the suffering ofthose marooned in houses in the territory under water, and until all ofthese had been rescued the search for the dead did not begin in earnest. The waters receded slowly on Friday and the swirling currents abated atrifle, allowing the rescue boats a wider area of activity. ORGANIZING RELIEF George F. Unmacht, civil service clerk, connected with thequartermaster's department of the United States army, stationed atChicago, arrived in Columbus Friday to assist in directing thedistribution of supplies. Rations for 300, 000 arrived together withtents for 20, 000 persons; 100 hospital tents, 400 stoves, 29, 000blankets, 8, 900 cots, 100 ranges. Officers at Columbus were ordered to report at Fort Wayne, Cincinnati, Youngstown and Hamilton, while a hospital corps was sent to the Columbusbarracks. The Governor's attention on Friday was devoted largely to organizationof the work of relief. He received telegrams notifying him ofcollections of more than $250, 000. A New York newspaper had sent$150, 000 subscribed to a fund it raised. Word was received that theChicago Chamber of Commerce had raised $200, 000, half of which had beenforwarded to Ohio. Judge Alton B. Parker subscribed $5, 000 and James J. Hill $5, 000. A thousand dollars was sent from Walkerville, Ontario. Governor Dunne wired that a bill appropriating $100, 000 for Ohio floodsufferers had been introduced in the Illinois Legislature, whileGovernor Osborne telegraphed that the Michigan Assembly had appropriated$20, 000. Colonel Myron T. Herrick, of Cleveland, Ambassador to France, cabled hisdeep anxiety over the Ohio disaster, and Governor Cox in reply asked himto call a meeting of the Ohio Society in Paris and wire funds, sayingthe losses exceeded the San Francisco earthquake. The Ohio Society of Georgia wired the Governor it was sorry and it toowas invited to show how much it was sorry. HUNGRY REFUGEES SEIZE FOOD The need for relief was indicated when a company of telephone linemenworking outside of Columbus had their supplies taken from them by hungryflood refugees. Governor Cox recalled some of his former comments on the need ofexpenditures for the National Guard. "The National Guard, " he said, "hassaved itself. Its efficiency has been a revelation to me. " In theorganization so promptly effected by the Governor the moment the floodscame, his most efficient aid came from Adjutant-General Speaks and theNational Guard officers, and with the Guard the work of rescue and ofmaintaining order was made possible. The officers and men performedevery duty faithfully. Martial law prevailed in most of the stricken cities and the soldiersprevented the looting of the abandoned houses and cared for therefugees. Colonel Wilson, of the Paymaster's Department, was made financialofficer as well as treasurer of the relief funds. Under his directionand the Governor's supervision the Ohio relief commission prepared for aWar Department audit, as is required by the Red Cross Society. TheGovernor demanded that there should be but one relief committee in thestate, and to that end the local committees formed were subordinate tothe state commission. INCIDENTS OF HEROISM The work of rescue brought out many striking incidents of personalheroism. From two o'clock Tuesday afternoon until nearly nightfall WednesdayCharles W. Underwood, a carpenter of this city, held two babes in hisarms while he clung to the branch of a tree near the Greenlawn Cemetery, where he had been carried fully a mile by the current. One babe was hisown, the other belonged to a neighbor, and as he clung to them he sawhis own twelve-year-old daughter on another limb of the same tree weakenfrom exposure and die, her frail body swaying limply as it hung over thebranch. He also saw a woman refugee in the same tree weaken and fallinto the swirling waters. Underwood and the babes were finally rescued. Two hundred and thirty-three souls marooned in the building of the SunManufacturing Company succeeded in sending out a note by messenger, praising the work of John Brady, who, with a skiff, after his home wasswept away, rescued two hundred men, women and children and brought themto the Sun plant. "Track out at Columbus because of floods, " was the message that AlbertE. Dutoit, a Hocking Valley Railway engineer, read when his train wasstopped Wednesday at Walbridge, near Toledo. His heart gave a bound, for he knew his family must be threatened. He detached his engine fromthe train and started on his race with death. Like mad he shot hisengine across the country between there and Columbus. All nightWednesday he tried to get through the military lines and succeeded onThursday. He induced men in motor boats to rescue his family. In a fewmore moments, he had his eight-months-old baby in one arm with the otheraround the waist of his wife. The reunion brought tears of sympathy tothe eyes of the rescuers. Mrs. Emil Wallace, living southwest of the city, in the lowlands, rantoward a hill when she saw the onrushing waters. She reached safety justas the water was up to her neck. Her home was submerged. A street car was washed a quarter of a mile away from the track. Theconductor and half a dozen passengers were drowned like rats in a trapbefore they could get out of the car. Two unknown men lost their lives while trying to save a twelve-year-oldgirl from a raft floating near Greenlawn Avenue. On horseback the menfought desperately against the swift current of the flood until at lastthey were carried away. Nearly one hundred babies were born in the flood district and in therefuge camps between Tuesday morning and Saturday. In the majority ofcases neither the mothers nor the babies received any medical attention. Many of the babies died from exposure. As the sun broke through a fringe of clouds Saturday morning it lookeddown upon scenes of utter devastation in the stricken west side of thiscity, where a mighty torrent of water had rendered what was a prosperousand happy community of 40, 000 souls into a place of death, want anddisaster. SCENES OF PATHOS The scenes were full of human pathos. Torn bodies, disfigured almostbeyond recognition, were being dug from debris. Whole families, maroonedfor four long days and nights in the upper stories of houses that hadescaped as if by miracle, many of them without food or water and in fearof constant death by flood or flame, were being reached by rescuers. Many of those rescued were in a critical condition from the long hoursthey had spent in the bitter cold--their clothing soaked by theincessant rainfall of three days and nights and no fuel or bedding withwhich to combat their fearful condition. The water was subsidingmaterially and the work of rescue was thus made easier. The work of the searching parties in the flooded district increased thelist of bodies recovered from the water to sixty-one. All of these werelodged in the temporary morgue, and most of them were identified. Accurate estimates of the dead were still impossible. Safety DirectorBargar said not more than one hundred had been drowned. Coroner Benkertasserted that the loss of life would reach 200, while former MayorMarshall, commanding the rescue workers in the southern end of theflooded district held that both estimates were too high. Of the sixty-one bodies recovered twenty-seven had been identified. Estimates placed property loss at from $15, 000, 000 to $30, 000, 000. Butno one seemed to care about the monetary loss. The city was staggered bythe weight of human suffering. Governor Cox received a telegram from D. T. McCabe, vice-president ofthe Pennsylvania Lines, offering to transport free of charge all reliefsupplies to points in the flooded area of the state if properlyconsigned to the relief authorities. The Governor also received atelegram from Governor Ralston, of Indiana, saying that ten carloads ofsupplies had been started for Ohio points by Indiana relieforganizations. Approximately one thousand persons, refugees from the Dayton flood, arrived in Columbus on Saturday, most of them having made their way byautomobile and trains. As if pursued by tragedy, it fell to them thattheir landing place in this city should be within the radius of therecently-flooded hilltop district of the west side. The arrival of therefugees was unexpected and no arrangements had been made to care forthem. Adjutant-General John C. Speaks was notified and said that thestate would do the best that could be done to provide them with food andshelter. General Speaks said that the local relief committees were beingsorely taxed, but that he had been advised by the Columbus reliefcommittees that they would give all possible assistance in housing andfeeding the Dayton arrivals. Scores of transfer wagons traversed the inundated streets carryingrelief to the hundreds marooned in the upper stories of houses. Anelement adding to the difficulty of the situation was the refusal ofhundreds to leave their homes in the submerged district. This despitethe fact that they were compelled to live in damp upper stories, withlittle heat or cooking facilities and in the face of threatened illness. "We've saved our bedding and furniture, and that's all we have, " saidone of these. "We are not going to take any chances of losing that. " City Health Officer Dr. Louis Kahn ordered an immediate cleaning up. Thehealth authorities also called attention to the necessity of boiling allwater for drinking purposes. Miss Mabel Boardman, head of the Red Cross Society, reached CincinnatiSaturday night. She came to confer with Governor Cox. The Governor againasserted that the property damage caused by the floods in Ohio wouldaggregate $300, 000, 000, and that this amount would be increased by thehigh water in the Ohio River. With the water fast receding in Columbus and the danger stage passed, the food problem promised on Sunday to become the most serious for therelief workers to solve. Mayor Hunt, of Cincinnati, had been sending food to Dayton and otherplaces, but on Saturday as the flood descended upon his own city fromthe upper reaches of the Ohio River, he put an embargo on furtherexports of provisions. Though fifty-five carloads of provisionsconsigned to the state were in Columbus last night, and supply trainswere headed for Ohio from Chicago, Washington, New York and otherplaces, Governor Cox was by no means reassured that the relief in sightwould be sufficient. All of the people in the marooned district were reached and thosewilling to leave their homes were brought over to the east side of thecity and cared for in hospitals, private homes or temporary places ofrefuge. Boats and other contrivances were in constant use carryingprovisions and fuel to those who could not leave their homes. Eight morebodies were recovered. A majority of the rescued presented a pitiable sight, some hardly ableto stand on their feet and others, thinly clad and benumbed by the cold, trembled as they were lifted into the boats. The hospitals were crowdedwith people dangerously ill from days of exposure. The morgues, hospitals and places of refuge were constantly besieged bypeople looking for lost relatives. Those received related tales ofhorror and heroism unparalleled except in great disasters like theTitanic or Johnstown. A year-old baby, wrapped in a blanket, was washed ashore in front of thegates of the state institution for feeble-minded. Although chilled bythe water the child was soon revived. Pinned to its underclothing was apiece of paper, upon which the name, "Walter Taylor, " was written. Theboy was restored to his parents, Mr. And Mrs. Theodore Taylor, twenty-four hours later. The family had been penned in its home for twodays. As the water rose gradually the parents moved to the second floorand then to the attic. Finally the father was forced to hold the childfor hours above his head. Climbing out to the roof as a last resort, thebaby was swept away and the parents had given it up for dead. Governor H. D. Hatfield, of West Virginia, arrived in Columbus at seveno'clock Sunday night on a special train from Charleston. The trainbrought supplies, motor boats and skiffs. The motor boats and skiffswere later taken through the different sections of the city to rescuehundreds who were marooned. The local military company took charge ofthe rescue work and pushed it forward as rapidly as conditions wouldpermit. The sum of $50, 000 was raised by voluntary contributions in Columbus fora relief fund. In addition, the city council voted $75, 000, and greatstores of provisions and clothing were contributed by local people andoutsiders. Thousands of the homeless people were cared for in homes ofthose willing to share them, or in public halls. One thousand were feddaily in the Masonic Temple. In a statement full of feeling, issued Sunday evening, shortly before heleft the Executive office for home and the first full night's rest hehas had in more than a week, Governor Cox said: "Refreshed by the tears of the American people, Ohio stands ready fromtoday to meet the crisis alone. "Ohio has risen from the floods. Such a pitiless blow from Nature as wesustained would have wiped out society and destroyed governments inother days. We cannot speak our gratitude to President Wilson forfederal aid, to the Red Cross, to states, municipalities, tradeorganizations and individuals that sent funds and supplies. They willnever know their contribution to humanity. "The relief situation, so far as food and clothing are concerned, is inhand. Thankful to her friends who succored her, Ohio faces tomorrowserene and confident. " Governor Cox and members of the Legislature began on Monday an outlineof reconstructive legislation, to be followed in all of the flooddistricts by the state. It was decided that the San Francisco reliefplan should be placed into effect for the Ohio flood sufferers. Underthis plan the relief was based upon property loss of the individual andthe income loss incurred. The amount of relief each person received wasprorated on such a basis. Upon the recommendation of Governor Cox, the Legislature recessed untilnext Monday, thereby giving state officials a week to formulate plans. Resolutions warmly thanking the citizens of New York State andPennsylvania for their flood relief contributions were passed. All that human effort could accomplish on Tuesday failed to penetratethe part of the debris piled in the west side, where, it was believed, many of the bodies of persons missing finally would be recovered. Asmatters stood Tuesday night, however, eight more bodies had passedthrough the morgues. In addition to this number, was the body of James M. Kearney, amerchant, who was drowned several months ago, and which, cast up by theflood, was found lodged in a tree when the waters had receded. That manyother bodies would be recovered after the army of men employed in thework had attacked the great pile of debris made at several points bywrecked homes was generally conceded. [Illustration: Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y. View of River Street In Troy, New York, showing the Collar, Cuff andShirt Factory of Cluett, Peabody & Company, the largest of its kind inthe world, closed on account of the floods. Thousands of people werethrown out of work on account of the overflowing of the Hudson] [Illustration: Photograph by Underwood & Underwood. Under the martial law established at Dayton, citizens were kept off thestreets at night as a precaution against looting] LOSS BY DEATH AND OF PROPERTY Four more bodies were recovered Wednesday from flood wreckage, makingthe total of bodies found in this city stand at eighty-four. Of theseall except seven were identified. Coroner Benkert, who made a wide-spread investigation among families, some members of which were among the missing, said that he estimatedthat at least one hundred and twenty-five bodies would be recovered. Itwas expected that other bodies that had been washed down the river wouldnever be identified as Columbus victims. The property damage in Columbus, like the death toll, was confinedprincipally to the west side, the business and manufacturing districtshaving gone almost unscathed. THE WORK OF RECONSTRUCTION Governor Cox and the State Relief Commission on Tuesday left on a tourof the state to visit cities and districts that were hit hardest by theflood to determine what relief was necessary in each case. Before theirdeparture, however, conditions in Columbus were fast approaching normal, and the residents with a cheerful, courageous spirit had commenced therepair of their devastated city. CHAPTER VIII COLUMBUS: THE BEAUTIFUL CAPITAL OF OHIO CAPITAL OF OHIO SINCE 1810--EARLY HISTORY--CITY OF BEAUTIFUL STREETS AND RESIDENCES--SPLENDID PUBLIC COMMODITIES--TRADE AND INDUSTRIES--CHARACTERISTICS OF ITS RESIDENTS. Columbus, Ohio, the capital of the state and the county seat of FranklinCounty, is located at the center of the state at the junction of theScioto and Olentangy Rivers, on a slightly elevated alluvial plain, andis nearly equidistant from Cincinnati, southwest; Cleveland, northeast;Toledo, northwest; and Marietta, southeast, the average distance fromthese points being one hundred and fifteen miles. It has a population ofsome 180, 000. Columbus was made the capital by the legislature in 1810, and became thepermanent capital in 1816, the original territorial and state capitalhaving been Chillicothe. The first state buildings were of brick, andcost $85, 000. The present massive buildings and additions are of dressednative gray limestone, in the Doric style of architecture. They covernearly three acres of ground, and their total cost has been $2, 500, 000. CITY OF BEAUTIFUL STREETS AND RESIDENCES As early as 1812 Columbus was surveyed in rectangular squares; it wasincorporated as a village in 1816, and chartered as a city in 1834. Ingeneral outline the city resembles a Maltese cross. It extends eightmiles north and south, and seven miles east and west on its arms ofexpansion. Its longest streets, High and Broad, bisect the city northand south, and east and west respectively. The uniform width of theformer is one hundred feet, and the breadth of the latter is one hundredand twenty feet. Broad Street is planted with four rows of shade-treesfor its entire length east of Capitol Square, where it penetrates thefashionable residence district. High Street is the leading businessthoroughfare. Capitol Square, a miniature park of ten acres, is situatedat the intersection of these streets, two squares east of the SciotoRiver. The residence portions of the city contain many beautiful homesand fine mansions. There are numerous apartment buildings; the houses ofthe average people are substantial and comfortable. On the businessstreets are many handsome, commodious blocks; many steel, brick andstone office buildings, as well as commodious railway buildings andstations. The streets are wide, well paved and lighted, and are kept ingood condition. SPLENDID PUBLIC COMMODITIES The police and fire departments are excellent; the water supply is pureand ample, and the sewerage system good. The waterworks are owned by thecity. A large municipal electric-lighting plant was completed in 1908. Natural gas is the principal fuel for domestic use. Bituminous coal, inunlimited quantities, is found a few miles to the south. The church buildings of Columbus include those of the followingreligious denominations: Methodist Episcopal, United Presbyterian, RomanCatholic, Lutheran, Baptist, Disciples, Friends, Christian Scientist, Evangelical, Jewish, Independent German Protestant, German EvangelicalProtestant, African Methodist Episcopal, Seventh Day Adventists andUnited Brethren. The newspapers and periodicals include English andGerman dailies, secular weeklies, and trade, professional, religious, fraternal and other publications. There are numerous public schoolbuildings, four being devoted to high-school purposes. Amonginstitutions for higher education are the Ohio State University, CapitalCity University and the Evangelical Theological Seminary. Professionalschools include one dental and three medical colleges, and a law school;and there are also private and religious educational institutions. Columbus is the location of a state hospital for the insane; stateinstitutes for the education of deaf mutes, blind and imbecile youth;the Ohio penitentiary; county, city and memorial buildings; five operahouses; and a board of trade building. There are five public parks and aUnited States military post, Fort Columbus. This post, known also asColumbus Barracks, was originally an arsenal, and now has quarters foreight companies of infantry. From Columbus steam railroads radiate to all parts of the state, intersecting all through lines running east, west, northwest, northeastand south; and interurban lines connect with a model street-railwaysystem. TRADE AND INDUSTRIES Columbus is near the Ohio coal and iron fields, and has an extensivetrade in coal, but its largest industrial interests are in manufactures, among which the more important are foundry and machine products, bootsand shoes, patent medicines, carriages and wagons, malt liquors, oleomargarine, iron and steel, and steam railway cars. There are severallarge quarries adjacent to the city. CHARACTERISTICS OF ITS RESIDENTS The citizens of Columbus possess the characteristic push and enterpriseof western people, and much of the culture and artistic taste of thosein the east. The population is drawn chiefly from the counties in thestate, and especially from those which are centrally located. Thelargest foreign elements are German, Irish, Welsh, English and Italian, and include scattered groups and individuals from almost every civilizedand semi-civilized country in the world. CHAPTER IX CINCINNATI: A NEW CENTER OF PERIL A GREAT MANUFACTURING CITY--THE TUESDAY CLOUDBURST--ANXIOUS WAITING--HOMES SUBMERGED--FACTORIES FORCED TO CLOSE--THE SITUATION EVER GRAVER--EXPLOSIONS IN THE CITY--THE CRISIS--FLOOD DAMAGE. Scarcely had Dayton, Columbus and Zanesville begun their real battle forrestoration when Cincinnati became a new peril center. Situated on theOhio River at the point where the Muskingum, Scioto, the two Miamis, andthe Licking were pouring their millions of gallons of flood water intothe river, the city was bound to suffer. It seemed as if the BuckeyeState would never be able to escape from the clutches of the great demonof flood. A GREAT MANUFACTURING CITY Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County, in the extremesouthwest of the state, one of the great commercial and manufacturingcenters of the Union, tenth in nominal rank, and seventh or eighth infact. It is situated on the north bank of the Ohio River, almost exactlyhalf way from its origin at Pittsburgh to its mouth at Cairo, Illinois. On the western side of the city from west to south runs Mill Creek, theremains of a once glacial stream, whose gently sloping valley, half amile or more wide, forms an easy path into the heart of the city, andwas an indispensable factor in determining its position. Highways, canals and railroads come through it, and the city's growth has pushedmuch farther up this valley than in other directions. The railroadstockyards are on its eastern slope. Cincinnati extends for aboutfourteen miles along the river front, to a width of about five in anirregular block north from it, but attains a width of six or seven milesat the extreme point along the creek valley. The bottom level below the bluffs along the riverside is the seat of theriver shipping business, and has as well the usual fringe of lowquarters; it is paved, and there is a broad public landing fronted byfloating docks, wharf-boats, etc. Above are the wholesale and then theretail business streets, with great extent and variety of fine businessarchitecture, and gridironed with electric roads. The principal linesconverge at or near Fountain Square, and connect with a ring ofbeautiful suburbs, within and without the city limits, unsurpassed inAmerica. Among the sights of interest is the busy public landing or levee. TheGrand Central Depot, a terminal of several of the largest roads, iscentrally situated near the river. Among the most prominent buildingsare that of the United States Government Custom House, the City Hall, the City Hospital, the Springer Music Hall, the Odd Fellows and MasonicTemples, the Public Library, with 431, 875 volumes, and the Museum ofNatural History. St. Peter's Cathedral, St. Paul's Protestant EpiscopalCathedral, St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church, the First and SecondPresbyterian Churches, and the Jewish Synagogue are handsome edifices. Fine hotels and theaters are numerous. The biennial musical festivalsare famous. THE TUESDAY CLOUDBURST The troubles of Cincinnati began on Tuesday, March 25th, when the cityexperienced a cloudburst that started the gauge rising in the OhioRiver, temporarily flooded the streets of the city and carried away twobridges over the White Water River, at Valley Junction a short distanceto the south. PREPARING FOR THE WORST By Thursday Cincinnati was facing one of the worst floods in herhistory. It had rained steadily for twenty-four hours. The flood hadentered several business houses in the lower section during the nightand early morning found the entire "bottoms" a sea of moving vans, working up to their capacity. At eight o'clock in the evening the gaugeshowed 60, a rise of more than three feet since the same hour thatmorning. East and west of the city on the Ohio side of the river the lowlandswere inundated and much damage done. In the low sections of the citymany houses were flooded and the inhabitants of these sections fled tohigher ground. Across the river at Newport and Covington, Kentucky suburbs ofCincinnati, similar conditions prevailed and the police early warneddwellers of the danger that threatened. Dayton and Ludlow, otherKentucky suburbs, were also sufferers from the rising flood and manyhouses were already completely under water. [Illustration: TOPOGRAPHY OF STRICKEN SECTION OF TWO STATESPractically every town and city shown in this illustration suffered fromthe floods, most of them from loss of life and all of them from propertydamage. ] A seventy-foot stage for Cincinnati was predicted. The Central UnionStation was abandoned and all trains leaving or entering the city weredetoured. ANXIOUS WAITING Slowly the treacherous waters rose while tired watchers waitedanxiously. Conditions were not acute but distressing. The people knewthat they must face conditions worse than the present. All the lowlandto the west and east of the city had been submerged and also along thewater front of the business section the commercial houses were graduallydisappearing under the yellow river. Hundreds of families along theriver front in Cincinnati had been forced to move by the encroachingriver and many merchants had removed their goods from cellars andbasements to higher ground. Chief of Police Copeland, however, had the flood work well in hand. Thepolice were put on twelve-hour duty and worked in the flooded territoryin rowboats. The city armory sheltered many persons and preparations were made todistribute food at the city jail. Nearly every landing place along theriver front was piled high with furniture, bedding and other householdeffects. HOMES SUBMERGED Along the Kentucky shore conditions rapidly became worse. At Covingtonmore than five hundred houses were submerged and their occupants givenshelter and protection in public buildings. Plans were formulated to care for flood sufferers, and a meeting washeld at Covington at which arrangements were made to raise a sufficientfund for the poor. At the same time arrangements also were made forpolicing the flood zone and preventing looting. The river-front section of Ludlow was deep under water and the residentshad moved. Bromley was entirely cut off from other neighboring towns. Dayton, Kentucky, and other nearby small towns were in the same isolatedcondition, and there was much suffering in consequence. FACTORIES FORCED TO CLOSE Many of the large manufacturing plants closed because operatives wereunable to reach their places of employment. Newport, which, with Covington, is directly opposite Cincinnati, formingthe larger of the suburban sections, was in almost as bad a case as itsneighboring city. The flood of water had risen in all parts of the town. One of the bridges across the Ohio had been closed, and the authoritieswere preparing to close others to the public, thus cutting off the southshore from communication with Cincinnati, and also closing practicallythe only railway outlet the latter city had to the South and East. No food shortage was anticipated, but warnings were issued by the mayorof this and other nearby cities that merchants must not take advantageof the situation to charge extortionate prices. All attempts of thisnature in Cincinnati were promptly curbed by the authorities. THE SITUATION EVER GRAVER With nearly 15, 000 persons in the towns on the Kentucky side of the OhioRiver driven from their homes by the rising flood that was sweeping downthe Ohio Valley and with more than 3, 500 homes altogether or partlysubmerged, the flood situation in the vicinity of Cincinnati on Saturdaywas assuming graver proportions hourly. The water reached the second floor of a number of business houses alongFront Street and was half way up on the first floor of several blocks ofhouses on Second Street. Several lines of the Cincinnati TractionCompany, operating in the lower district were abandoned. Reassuring wordfrom the packers, commission men and general produce merchants cameearly in the day, when it was estimated by experts that Cincinnati hadenough food supplies to last at least ten days without inconveniencingany one. Railway service into and out of Cincinnati was virtually at astandstill. The Louisville and Nashville trains were leaving the cityfor the West on time, but arriving trains were much delayed. So far only one life had been lost as a direct result of the high watershere. Miss Anna Smith, the first victim, drowned in an attempt to reachNewport in a skiff that capsized in midstream. Her three men companionswere rescued while swimming to shore. KENTUCKY SUBURBS IN TROUBLE Newport and Covington were virtually surrounded by water. Conditionsthere were worse than elsewhere and nearly ten thousand people weredriven from their homes. Relief measures, however, were adequate. Manufacturing plants in the lowlands ceased. In these two cities the only fear was that health conditions would beseriously affected because of the clogging of the sewage system and thestagnation of back water. The water works and gas plants continued inoperation, but the electric light plants had been forced to cease. In the Kentucky towns of Dayton, Ludlow, Bellevue and Bromley identicalconditions existed, but in their cases all communication withCincinnati, Newport and Covington was suspended. These towns remained inisolation until the water had fallen sufficiently to permit theoperation of street cars on the south side of the river. In these towns there were 2, 000 persons cared for by relief committees. More than 500 homes disappeared under the flood waters. Property damageassumed alarming proportions, especially as this was the second timewithin three months that the Ohio Valley had suffered from high water. By Sunday the outlook for Cincinnati was brighter. No trains had goneout of the city except south to Kentucky by way of Covington, and railand telegraph communications were still badly demoralized, but fair, warm weather which had continued since Thursday had greatly helped thecomplex situation. It was predicted that the river would reach itsgreatest height at Cincinnati on Monday. EXPLOSIONS IN THE CITY Spreading over a vast expanse of territory in Cincinnati, as well as analmost equal amount in the various towns that lie along the river on theKentucky shore, the Ohio continued to rise. During Saturday night the central part of the city was thrown into asemi-panic by an explosion that could be heard for miles. The UnionCarbide Company, at Pearl and Elm Streets, had been destroyed in anexplosion caused supposedly by the carbide coming in contact withwater. The river reached the stage of 69. 3 feet at noon, Saturday, andcontinued to rise at the rate of two-tenths of a foot every two hours. Two companies of the Ninth United States Infantry, stationed at FortThomas, Kentucky, were held in readiness to march at an instant's noticeto Covington, where Mayor George S. Phillips feared the city might be inneed of military protection due to high water that virtually surroundedthe town. When the river stage reached more than 68 feet on Friday thegas plants were put out of commission and the city was in darkness. Of the few important towns in Kentucky, opposite Cincinnati, only one, Newport, maintained direct communication with Cincinnati. ThroughNewport communication was obtained with Covington by a circuitous route. In Newport there were already under water nearly one hundred and twentysquare blocks, located in the section along the south bank of the OhioRiver. The other towns, Bromley, Dayton and Ludlow, were still withoutoutside communication, but reports from there were that there was noimmediate need of assistance. THE CRISIS The river continued to mount. It rose two-tenths of a foot during Mondaynight and early Tuesday the stage was 69. 8 feet. The weather forecaster, Devereaux, said he expected the river to rise another tenth, after whichit probably would recede. Up-river points reported the river eitherstationary or falling slowly. At midnight Tuesday the river began to fall. The whole city breathed asigh of relief. The Government stated that the river would be inside itsbanks within a week. FLOOD DAMAGE The direct and indirect damage caused in Cincinnati by the flooding ofthe river-front and low-lying residential sections was very great. Anestimate of the indirect loss can never be made, while the direct lossis placed at more than $2, 000, 000. Across the river in the Kentucky suburbs conditions were deplorable. Estimates were that one thousand homes there had been inundated and thatmore than four thousand persons were homeless. CHAPTER X THE FLOOD IN WESTERN OHIO DISTRESS IN BELLEFONTAINE--PIQUA DELUGED--TROY A HEAVY SUFFERER--MIAMI ON THE RAMPAGE AT MIDDLETOWN--HAMILTON HARD HIT--BIG RESERVOIRS THREATENING--OLENTANGY RIVER A LAKE AT DELAWARE--FLOOD AT SPRINGFIELD--NEW RICHMOND UNDER WATER. The rushing torrent of water that swept down the Miami River, surgingover Dayton, devastated a score or more of towns in its mad course fromthe creeks around Bellefontaine to the point southwest of Cincinnatiwhere the waters of the Miami merge with those of the Ohio. DISTRESS IN BELLEFONTAINE Cries of distress arose from Bellefontaine on Wednesday, March 26th. Atthat time millions of gallons of water were pounding against the banksof the Lewiston reservoir, fifteen miles from Bellefontaine, and it wasfeared that if the increasing flood should burst the banks the lives ofevery inhabitant of the Lower Miami Valley would be imperiled. The immense reservoir at Lewiston did burst its banks between Lake Viewand Russell's Point and swept through the great Miami Valley like atidal wave. It was this vast quantity of water, added to the alreadyoverflowing river, that inundated the cities of Sidney and Piqua. [Illustration: Photograph by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y. The engraving shows a view of Broadway, Watervliet, New York, theprincipal business street of that city, covered with eight feet ofwater] [Illustration: Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y. The bridge shown in the illustration leads to the Carnegie Steel Companyat Youngstown, Ohio. Ordinarily this bridge is far enough above thewater to allow the large river steamers to pass under] At Sidney there was no loss of life, but the town was badly flooded andearly reports of loss of life ran high. PIQUA DELUGED The flooded Miami swept over Piqua in a great deluge. The water reachedthe first floor of the Plaza Hotel, which is situated in the high partof the city. Panic-stricken the people fled from their homes or soughtrefuge in the upper stories of high buildings. Fire broke out in manyplaces. At one point in the city the water was twelve feet deep. Manypersons were drowned. Many lost all their possessions. Relief measures were taken by city authorities. The property loss wasgreat, as most of the manufacturing plants were destroyed by the flood. A company of militia from Covington maintained order and cared for thosemade destitute by the flood. TROY A HEAVY SUFFERER The town of Troy was also a heavy sufferer. The state troops who arrivedin the town on March 27th with provisions for Dayton were stranded. One-third of the town was cut off from gas, electricity and watersupply. A train load of provisions arrived. The provisions werecarefully distributed. One-half of the state troops left on foot for Dayton, following thetracks of the railroad. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FLOOD EDITION THE PIQUA DAILY CALL Vol. 29 PIQUA, OHIO, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 1913. No. 134 Calamity Strikes Piqua; Our City Bowed in Grief Appalling Loss of Human Life, and Great Destruction of Property. Thousands Are Homeless City Under Martial Law--Communications Cut Off with Outside World--Relief Station Established at the Y. M. C. A. Piqua is today a stricken city; a city bowed down, broken with grief. We have been visited by the greatest calamity in our history. The loss of life that has been suffered from the flood cannot be estimated now. It is sufficient now to tell that relief measures are being taken. The Business Men's Association, the Y. M. C. A. And citizens generally are co-operating with the city and military authorities to bring order out of chaos to rescue those confined in houses still standing in the flooded sections to house and feed the homeless. The city is practically under martial law. Company C. And Company A. Of Covington are here and patrolling the city under the the direction of the city authorities. Last night, we regret to say, there was a beginning of looting and plundering in the south part of the city. Rigorous measures will be taken by the military and the police to repress and prevent such in the future. Piqua still is cut off from communication from the outside world. All the telegraph and telephone wires are down. Bridges and tracks are down on both railroads and no trains are running. The only outside communication possible has been by using a Pennsylvania freight engine to Bradford from which point it has been possible to use the telegraph. All the traction lines still are crippled and unable to run their cars in or out of the city. How soon it may be possible to re-open these lines of communication it is impossible to say. While greatly crippled the local telephone service has been maintained by both exchanges. The operators have done heroic work day and night ever since the first danger began to threaten. No mail has been received or sent out of Piqua since Monday. Local deliveries, of course, are impossible. North and south the C. H. & D. R. R. Is crippled. From Sidney to Dayton the washout is practically complete. The Pennsylvania R. R. Bridge was washed out at the east end, and there is no communication across the river. It is understood that much track has been washed out. A line is open to Bradford and westward. The Y. M. C. A. , the Spring street, Favorite Hill Schools, the Presbyterian, Christian, Church of Christ, Grace M. E. , St. Marys school hall, and countless homes have been opened freely to the flood sufferers. The Y. M. C. A. Has been the center of the relief administration and from which all directions have been issued and to which the sufferers have come. Provisions can and are being brought from Fletcher and other places east to the sufferers who have reached the hills on the east of the river. This morning Mayor Kiser placed the fire department at work freeing the most necessary places from water. The electric light plant was first pumped out. Last night the city was in darkness except for gas, oil lamps, and candles. The hospital was found needing little attention. The damage to property is beyond calculation. Over 200 houses at least have been washed away and destroyed. Shawnee is practically wiped out. The above is a facsimile reproduction of the first page of _The PiquaDaily Call_, issued the day after the city was inundated by the flood. Ordinarily the Call is an eight-page newspaper, 17 × 20 inches in size. This issue consisted of four pages 7½ × 10 inches. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - MIAMISBURG CUT OFF Miamisburg, a town of eight thousand, was cut off for days. When newsfinally reached neighboring towns the death list was estimated attwenty-five. Later estimates placed it at less. Only one body has beenrecovered, but the property damage ran high. MIAMI ON THE RAMPAGE AT MIDDLETOWN As the result of the worst cloudburst known in twenty years the greatbridge over the Miami River, at Middletown, was carried out on March25th. Fifteen persons were afterward missing and scores of houses couldbe seen floating down the stream. The water and electric light plantswere out of commission. Two hundred houses were under water, their former occupants findingshelter in the school houses, churches and city buildings. The greatMiami River was a mile wide at this point. The city was practically cut off from the outside world. Tracks of boththe Big Four and Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroads were underwater and no trains were running. The tracks of the Ohio ElectricRailway were washed out in many places. A portion of the state dam inthe Miami River, north of Middletown, was washed away. Water from the river started the Maimi and Erie Canal on a rampage andsubmerged half of Lakeside, a suburb. The families of Harold Gillespieand Mrs. Mary Fisher were forced to flee from their homes in their nightclothes. The casualty list could not be estimated with accuracy. It was believedthat from fifty to one hundred had been claimed by the waters. About three o'clock the following morning the river began to fallslowly, but the situation was still dangerous. Supplies were rapidlyrunning out, and a food famine was looked for. Misery was averted by thearrival of food late Thursday night, but building of fires was notpermitted. The authorities feared an outbreak of flames similar to theDayton conflagration. Ten thousand of the eighteen thousand populationwere homeless. HAMILTON HARD HIT Of all the cities in the Miami Valley with the exception of Dayton, Hamilton was hardest hit. Many persons killed, a thousand houses wreckedby the rushing torrent and 15, 000 homeless was the toll of the flood inthis city and environs, and the harrowing scenes attending flooddisasters in the past decade faded into insignificance when comparedwith the havoc wrought by the latest deluge. Before darkness blotted out the scene on March 25th, house after house, with the occupants clinging to the roofs and screaming for help, floatedon the breast of the flood, but the cries for help had to go unansweredbecause of the lack of boats. What little rescue work there wasaccomplished was done before night came on, as the rescuers werepowerless after darkness. The city was then without light of any kind, the electric light and gasplants being ten feet under water. Soldiers rushed to this city fromColumbus were in charge of the situation, the town being under martiallaw. The victims of the raging waters were caught like rats in a trap, sofast did the flood pour in on them, and few had even a fighting chancefor their lives. Ghastly in the extreme was the situation. The cries ofthe women and children as they faced inevitable death, and the franticbut unsuccessful efforts of husbands and fathers to rescue loved ones, presented a scene that will go down in the history of world'scatastrophes as one of the worst on record. Fire added to the horror of the situation when shortly after midnightthe plant of the Champion Coated Paper Company, which is six blocks longby one block wide, broke into flames. In less than a quarter of an hourthe entire factory was a mass of fire and there was no chance ofchecking its progress in the least as the water service needed by thefire department was put out of commission early in the day. The Beckett Company's paper mill, valued at $500, 000 for buildings andequipment, collapsed into the flood the following morning. SUFFERING AMONG THE REFUGEES On Wednesday, March 26th, the river began to fall at the rate of nineinches an hour. After the season of awful horror the change broughthope. The work of rescue and relief, however, was exceedingly difficult. There were only a few boats that could be used in the work of rescueand relief. Ohio National Guardsmen who arrived from Cincinnati Tuesdaynight did heroic work. They came in four motor trucks and brought foodand clothing with them. One of the trucks returned to Cincinnati formore boats. A relief train arrived from Indianapolis Wednesday morning and othercars and automobile trucks, loaded with supplies, managed to reach theoutskirts of the city. The Lakeview Hotel, which had previously housed fifty refugees, collapsed early Wednesday, but all the occupants left in time to escapedeath. Williamsdale, Cooke, Otto and Overpeck, the north suburbs of Hamilton, were in ruins. On the west side of the river many residences were saved, but there was despair among the survivors, who were unable to get wordfrom husbands and fathers who were caught on the east side and unable tocross after bridges were destroyed. Efforts to get lines across theriver were futile. Provisions for the homeless continued arriving in abundance, but thegas, electric light and water plants were in ruins and this added to theterrors of the living. More than two hundred and fifty persons spent two days and nights in thelittle court house without light, food, water or heat, and often theywere drenched with rain that leaked through holes in the roof. REMOVING THE DEAD As the flood waters receded on March 27th, the authorities immediatelybegan the work of removing the dead. The first hour of the search sawten bodies uncovered from the ruins, and the most conservative estimatesplaced the death roll at fifty. [Illustration: THE FLOOD IN MIAMI VALLEY The above map shows a part of Ohio which was devastated by the mostdisastrous flood in American history. A large number of small streamsconverge into larger streams and then into still larger water courses, several of which form a junction at Dayton, where the greatest loss oflife and the heaviest damage to property occurred. ] Piled high upon the east side of the court house on Friday were coffinsawaiting the flood victims, whose bodies were being gathered as rapidlyas possible. On April 3d, the city offered a reward of ten dollars for each bodyrecovered from the debris left by the flood. Up to that time seventy-onebodies had been recovered. It was believed, however, that many bodieshad been swept out of the Miami into the Ohio River and perhaps wouldnever be found. DAMAGE OF $4, 000, 000 Secretary Garrison, of the War Department, who toured the flood districtof Hamilton on March 30th, as the personal representative of PresidentWilson, was told that the property loss was estimated at $4, 000, 000. With Secretary Garrison were Major-General Wood, chief of staff of thearmy, and Major McCoy. They permeated the very heart of the city throughzones of devastation which in many respects rivaled in horror thosethrough which they passed in Dayton. They saw block after block in boththe residential and business sections of the city, where street linesvirtually were eliminated by upheaved and overturned houses jammedagainst each other and against the buildings which withstood the shock, in great and almost unbroken heaps of debris. South Lebanon was cut off from Lebanon by a raging current that sweptall the surrounding farm lands, entailing a property loss of thousandsof dollars. All rivers and creeks south of Dayton to Lebanon wereswollen by a heavy rainfall. The flooding of the Miami at Cleves, seven miles below Cincinnati, caused the railroad embankment to break and that part of the town wasunder fifteen feet of water. The operator at Cleves said he distinctlyheard cries for help, but he could not learn if there was any loss oflife or the extent of the property damage. The following day the waters had receded, but part of the city was stillunder water; no loss of life was reported. Hartwell and the vicinityfelt the force of the rising Mill Creek caused by the breaking of thecanal at Lockland. The large factories at Ivorydale were forced to closedown, and many thousands of employees were thrown out of work. BIG RESERVOIRS THREATENING The Grand Reservoir at Celina, Ohio, in the extreme western part of thestate, seriously threatened Celina and the adjacent towns. For two daysthe very worst was feared, but on March 28th, the river was slightlylower and no water was flowing over the banks. OLENTANGY RIVER A LAKE AT DELAWARE The Olentangy River, ordinarily only a creek, became a lake that coveredmost of Delaware. In many places people were left clinging to trees, roof-tops and telegraph poles crying for assistance. The work of rescuewas practically impossible because of the swift current of the flood, and most of those who were seen trying to save themselves were sweptaway to death. The village of Stratford, five miles to the south, was entirely underwater and the loss great. Property damage in Delaware itself wasestimated at $2, 000, 000. FLOOD AT SPRINGFIELD Springfield suffered the worst flood in its history. Both Buck Creek andMad River broke from their banks and flooded the lowlands. Severalhundred houses in the eastern section of the city were surrounded bywater. They contained families who refused to abandon their homes. Manyfactories were compelled to close. There was no loss of life, but intense suffering due to insufficientfood supply and the destruction of many homes. NEW RICHMOND UNDER WATER The flooding of the Ohio in the southwestern part of the state causeddisaster in many other towns besides Cincinnati. On April 1st the entiretown of New Richmond was under water. The people took up quarters on thehills surrounding the town. Provisions were received from Batavia andthere was no suffering. No one was reported dead or missing. At Moscow, near New Richmond, fifty houses were washed from theirfoundations. CHAPTER XI THE FLOOD IN NORTHERN OHIO YOUNGSTOWN AND GIRARD--CLEVELAND AND ITS SUBURBS--AKRON--MASSILON, FREMONT AND TIFFIN. No section of the country suffered more extensively from the flood thanOhio, of which state no part seemed to escape. In the northern countiesthe loss of life and damage to property were quite as extensive as inmany other parts. Fed by incessant rains, the Mahoning River rose at the rate ofseven-eighths of an inch per hour until it reached a stage oftwenty-five feet, which was ten feet higher than ever before recorded. Every large industrial plant in the city was flooded and fully 25, 000workmen were out of employment. The financial loss to the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company, RepublicIron and Steel Company, Carnegie Steel Company and other plants easilyreached $2, 500, 000, while the loss in wages to men was extremely heavybecause of the fact that weeks elapsed before the industries were againable to operate at full capacity. Fully 14, 000 workmen employed invarious industries of the city are thrown out of employment as a resultof the high water. At East Youngstown the Mahoning River was nearly half a mile wide andthe Pennsylvania lines through the city and for a number of miles eastwere entirely submerged. The Austintown branch bridge of the Erie, whichcrosses the Mahoning River, was weighted down with a train to preventits being washed away, the water having already reached the girders. Every bridge was guarded by policemen. But one pump was working at the water-works pumping station. The floodwas the worst experienced by Youngstown since October, 1911, whenmillions of dollars of damage was done. Two hundred families were temporarily homeless, but the Chamber ofCommerce with a relief fund of $10, 000, attended promptly to theirwelfare. Youngstown's only water supply during the flood was from the RepublicRubber Company, pumping 3, 000, 000 gallons a day, and the Mahoning ValleyWater Company, which turned 4, 000, 000 gallons a day into the city mainsfrom its reservoir at Struthers. At Girard, northeast of Youngstown, Mrs. Frank Captis, who was rescuedjust before her home was swept away in the flood, gave birth to a babyboy at the home of a friend, where she was taken. The baby was namedNoah. CLEVELAND AND ITS SUBURBS At Cleveland scores of families were driven out of their homes by thegreatest flood in the city's history. Many narrow escapes from drowningwere reported from all over the city, where people were beingtransferred in rowboats by police and other rescuers. One big bridge, in the heart of the city, used by the New York Centrallines, went down. The steel steamer, "Mack, " moored to it was unharmed. All traffic was kept off the bridge and no one was hurt. The lossexceeds $75, 000. Other bridges were in danger. Boats broke from theirmoorings and battered the shore. Dynamite was used to open a way for thewater into the lake. Great damage was done all along the Cuyahoga Riverthrough Cleveland, where hundreds of big manufacturing plants arelocated. Fifty thousand men were idle. The telegraph companies werecrippled and many lights were out throughout the city, as theelectric-light plants were partly under water. All the suburbs sufferedseverely. All railroad traffic in Cleveland was suspended because of washouts andno trains entered or left. The Lake Shore Railroad tracks along theshore of Lake Erie were thought immune, but that road suffered alongwith the Big Four, Pennsylvania and Wheeling and Lake Erie. Boston, Ohio, and Peninsula, Ohio, between twenty-five and twenty-eightmiles south of Cleveland, on the Cuyahoga River, were submerged. The dam of the Cleveland and Akron Bag Company went out at four o'clockThursday morning, March 27th, dropping thousands of tons of water intothe valley in which the two villages, with a total population of aboutfour thousand five hundred, are located. [Illustration: MAP SHOWING DANGEROUS RESERVOIRS IN OHIO] AKRON The big state reservoir three miles south of Akron, which supplies waterfor the Ohio Canal, broke Tuesday afternoon at two o'clock, sending aflood of millions of gallons of water which swept away farmhouses andother buildings from the banks of the canal and damaged several milliondollars' worth of property. The huge volume of water which had been gathering in the threehundred-acre reservoir caused a report that there was danger of theconcrete walls bursting. Most of those living near the canal soughtrefuge in Akron. When the heavy rain continued over night the dam began to show signs ofwear. Cracks in the concrete appeared. All during the night horses werekept saddled to carry the news ahead if the danger became imminent. Whenthe masonry showed flaws Thursday morning the riders were sent out. Theystarted several hours before the dam collapsed, and warned everybodynear the canal in time for them to escape. The rush of water from thebroken dam struck the city within a few minutes after the break. Most of the bridges in the county were swept away. The city was in totaldarkness at night, and telephone and telegraph connections weredestroyed. A few bodies were seen floating down the canal. Many houseswere swept away. MASSILON, FREMONT AND TIFFIN At Massilon five known dead, three thousand homeless, half the towninundated and heavy property damage was the toll of flood water from theTuscarawas River. The town was without light and gas. Citizens raised$11, 000 to aid the sufferers. The effect of the flood at Fremont was very severe. The water in MainStreet was fifteen feet deep. Wires were down and buildings collapsed. Several lives were lost. Death and intense suffering marked the great flood which swept clean theSandusky valley. Tiffin became a city of desolation. Every bridge wentdown, and half the city was under water. Many were carried to death inthe treacherous currents. CHAPTER XII THE FLOOD IN EASTERN OHIO MOUNT VERNON HARD HIT--MILLERSBURG CUT OFF--THE TUSCARAWAS RIVER--COSHOCTON IN DISTRESS--ENTIRE CITY OF ZANESVILLE UNDER WATER--MARIETTA FLOODED--SCIOTO RIVER AT CIRCLEVILLE--STRUGGLES OF CHILLICOTHE--FLOOD AND FIRE IN PORTSMOUTH--HOMELESS IN EAST LIVERPOOL AND WELLSVILLE--FLOOD WASHES STEUBENVILLE--HIGHEST FLOOD IN HISTORY OF GALLIPOLIS--IRONTON REQUESTS AID--A CRITICAL SITUATION. In the eastern part of the state there were two great floods, the floodof the Muskingum River and the flood of the Ohio River. Besides thesethere were many local floods of grave importance. Mount Vernon, in Knox County, was hard hit by the flood. Many lives werelost, communication was entirely cut off, and thousands of dollars worthof damage was done. Miles of track on the Pennsylvania, Baltimore andOhio Railroads were washed away. MILLERSBURG COMPLETELY CUT OFF For two days Millersburg was completely cut off. The river rose fourfeet higher than ever before. It swept through the Cleveland, Akron andColumbus Railroad depot two feet deep, driving everybody out. Water, gasand electric light were shut off with the exception of one gas line. Telephone service was limited, hence nothing could be sent or receivedfor two days--until intermittent communication was re-established. THE TUSCARAWAS RIVER The flood in the Tuscarawas River was the worst in its history. All thelowlands were under water, and a highway bridge west of Dennison wascarried out by the tide. Two bridges on the Baltimore and Ohio, nearUhrichsville, were washed away, and the village of Lockport was cut offfrom all communication. Supplies in Lockport were exhausted and two menwere reported drowned. Eighteen families were marooned in the school house at Port Washington, ten miles west of Dennison, on the Tuscarawas River. Operator A. W. Davis, of the Pan Handle Railroad, was isolated in a signal tower forseveral days without food or fire. Newcomerstown was isolated for four days. All houses in the village, with the exception of those on Rodney Hill, were flooded by theTuscarawas River. There was no death, but great damage. Conditions throughout the Tuscarawas Valley were very bad. From a pointnear Uhrichsville, about one hundred miles west of Pittsburgh, toCoshocton, a distance of thirty miles, the valley was one great lake. Thousands of acres of the richest farm lands in Ohio were under waterand the loss of live stock was heavy. COSHOCTON IN DISTRESS The Tuscarawas and Walhonding Rivers unite at Coshocton to form theMuskingum River, and it is the water from these swollen streams thatpoured down to Zanesville, thirty-two miles below, and thence toMarietta. Reports from points along the Muskingum River, all told the same storyof destruction, flooded towns and great property damage. Many days wererequired to restore railway communication. Above Coshocton on the Walhonding River many villages were flooded andthe loss to farmers was great. Coshocton itself naturally suffered. A railroad bridge on the Columbusdivision of the Pan Handle Railroad went out, and scores of highwaybridges throughout the section were washed away. All the streams weretorrents. ENTIRE CITY OF ZANESVILLE UNDER WATER "Entire city under water. It is coming into our office. Have placed therecords as high as I possibly can and have done everything possible. Thebuilding next door has just collapsed and I am compelled to leave nowfor safety----" This message flashed across the wire as the operator at Zanesville fledfor life. With fifteen reported dead, and the Muskingum River at a stageof forty feet and still rising, the city faced the worst flood in itshistory. The big Sixth Street bridge had already been swept away by theflood, and much of the business section was inundated. At least two thousand had been driven from their homes by the highwater. Food was growing scarce and the water was threatening the lightand water plants. The suffering during the night was intense. The temperature took asudden drop and the thousands who were forced to spend the nightmarooned in buildings or on the hills without heat and proper clothingpresented a spectacle to excite pity. With the break of day on March 27th, disorder and terror prevailedthroughout the whole city. The Muskingum, in its rampage, was sixteenfeet higher than the previous record mark set in 1898. The city was onevast lake and the waters covered the valley from hill to hill. Only thebuildings high on the sides of the slopes escaped the ravages of thedeluge. The water varied in depth from one to fifteen feet. Many liveswere sacrificed. Six hundred buildings were torn from their foundations and swept away bythe mill race currents, while many others collapsed and were hurledagainst those still holding. The water reached a depth of eight inches in the Clarendon and Roggehotels at noon on Thursday. The court house was surrounded. In sections which were bearing the brunt of the deluge little could bedone to relieve the people who were marooned in their houses and in thelarge buildings. Every effort was being directed by the city officialsand volunteer relief parties to lend aid to the sufferers, but theswift, onward rush of the waters made the undertaking extra hazardous. The authorities turned their efforts toward relieving the suffering ofwomen and children driven from their homes by the high water, and someprogress had been made. Putnam lay in ruins. Muskingum and LindenAvenues had been washed out, and where three days before stood manyresidences, watchers from the highest buildings saw nothing but a wasteof swirling waters. MARIETTA FLOODED The valley between Zanesville and Marietta became a surging lake, whichpicked up buildings and everything movable and carried them along withincredible speed. The loss of property was tremendous. Marietta suffered from the swollen waters of both the Muskingum and OhioRivers. The situation was serious on Wednesday; by Sunday it wasalarming. At eight o'clock Saturday morning the river had reached thestage of 60. 6 and was still rising. All the business section of the townwas flooded and many residences were under water. There were no publicutilities in operation and food and medical supplies were sorely needed. There were many rumors concerning loss of life, but the swift currentprevented communication to those parts of the city where persons werereported drowned. Immediately upon reciept of the message from Whipple, a station on theMarietta Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, that Marietta was underwater, preparations were made by the railroad company to send out arelief train from Cambridge. It reached Whipple Saturday night and fromthere help was brought to the distressed city. SCIOTO RIVER AT CIRCLEVILLE The flooded Scioto River, which surged through the streets of Columbus, carried destruction down through farm lands and towns to the Ohio River. Circleville, Chillicothe and Portsmouth, being the principal towns onthe river course, suffered most. At Circleville on March 26th all the bridges had been washed away, andthe Scioto River stood three feet higher than ever before. Another risewas promised. The city was cut off from railroad communication, and alltrains on roads entering Circleville were annulled. STRUGGLES OF CHILLICOTHE Many dead, one hundred houses washed away, and property loss of$1, 000, 000--such was the tale of destruction in Chillicothe. On Friday, March 28th, the waters had begun to recede, leaving seven bodies hangingon the Kilgore bridge, three miles south of the city, but it wasimpossible to recover them immediately. Conditions were much improved, the light plant having been able toresume service, and the water supply also was now adequate. The waterhad receded from the streets, and all public utilities resumedoperations. The homeless refugees were being cared for in the homes which withstoodthe flood and in school houses. Provisions were plentiful and there wasno disorder. Many citizens were sworn in as deputy marshals. The looting problem was one difficulty for the authorities. Notwithstanding their efforts much looting took place. Near Omega, to the south, Mr. And Mrs. Hatfield and their family ofseven children were drowned when their home, barn and all their otherbuildings were swept down the river. FLOOD AND FIRE IN PORTSMOUTH Portsmouth presented a picture of distress as the flood from the swollenScioto and Ohio Rivers advanced. On the night of March 27th the Sciotobridge was swept away by the flood. By morning hundreds of persons hadbeen driven from their homes, school houses had been thrown open to thehomeless, the streets were filled with household goods and merchants inthe heart of the city were moving their wares to places of safety inanticipation of flood conditions more serious than ever before. On March 29th the Ohio River stood at sixty-eight feet, the highest everknown, and was rising. Fire broke out in several places and was difficult to control becausethe flood had interfered with the water facilities. Efficient management, however, soon brought the situation under control. The arrival of the steamers, "Klondike" and "J. I. Ware, " on March 31st, brought sufficient provisions to supply those in need for a week. HOMELESS IN EAST LIVERPOOL AND WELLSVILLE We have already seen the swollen waters of the Ohio at Cincinnati, Portsmouth and Marietta. It remains to treat of the devastation wroughtin other Ohio River towns in the eastern and southern parts. At East Liverpool on March 27th, more than a thousand families weredriven from their homes, five thousand potters were deprived ofemployment temporarily and the city water works were out of commissionas the result of the flood. The electric light plant was seriouslythreatened and trolley lines were tied up. The following day the river had eclipsed the 48. 8 foot stage of 1884. Astage of at least fifty-one feet was expected. Conditions remained the same, but the situation at Wellsville, a city often thousand, three miles south, was perilous. Over three thousand werehomeless. The city is located on a flat promontory, with the easternportion a slight apex against the fast rising stream. Back water had already made an island of the city, precluding anypossibility of escape to the high hills. Both East Liverpool and Wellsville were in darkness because of theshutting down of the power plants. All the river front potteries andmills were idle. Street railway and railroad traffic was at astandstill. Police and fire departments of Wellsville and East Liverpool made manythrilling rescues during the day. Seven Italians, dumped from a skiff, were taken from the water half drowned. Food supplies were diminishing at Wellsville, there was no electricityor gas, the supply of coal was constantly lessening and the river stillrising. FLOOD WASHES STEUBENVILLE At Steubenville the Ohio River at 9 o'clock on March 26th was at the34. 4-foot stage and rising at the rate of seven tenths of an inch anhour. The west part of the town was under water and twenty-five housesflooded. Many families were rescued by wagons. Five large manufacturingplants were forced to close down, throwing 1, 300 men out of work. HIGHEST FLOOD IN HISTORY OF GALLIPOLIS The river at Gallipolis reached the sixty-seven-foot stage, six feethigher than ever before, but was gradually falling. The State Hospitalremained unharmed, and was for a time taking care of two hundred people, while the town was taking care of three hundred. There was no loss oflife. Traffic was at a standstill, and train service into Gallipolissuspended. IRONTON REQUESTS AID Ironton suffered by both flood and fire. A block and a half in thebusiness center of the city were consumed by fire and several buildingswere dynamited to check the flames. No loss of life occurred. A citizen of Ironton wired to a friend in Philadelphia: "Floods here awful. Any charity funds that can be directed here throughclubs or otherwise would be appreciated. " A CRITICAL SITUATION Even taking into account the tremendous seriousness of the flood inDayton and Columbus, the situation all along the Ohio River was one thatcalled for sympathy and sustained relief. Governor Cox, of Ohio, in oneof his early proclamations covering relief work said: "There is every indication that the Ohio River will reach the higheststage in its history. Calls for food and clothing are coming fromunexpected parts of the State. A critical situation has developed in allOhio River towns. We are still greatly in need of help. " CHAPTER XIII THE FLOOD IN EASTERN INDIANA HORROR OF THE RISING WATER--THE FOUR FLOODS--DISASTER IN BROOKVILLE--PEOPLE GATHERED IN CHURCHES--NEWS FROM LAUREL--SURGING FLOOD AT FORT WAYNE. "Every stream we crossed seemed to be a raging torrent, its watersracing at top speed, " said one traveler who arrived in Chicago on March26th. "We could hear the swish of the waters and hear the cries ofpeople in distress, " reported another. Yet these eye-witnesses could not see the worst of the four vast floodsthat swept over the state of Indiana, tying up the railroads, renderingthousands of persons homeless, killing scores of others, wiping outwhole towns. Just how many persons lost their lives in the great floodswill probably never be known. THE FOUR FLOODS Indiana had known many devastating floods, but none like to this ineither destructive force or extent. On March 26th three distinct flooddistricts prevailed--the eastern part of the state including the valleyof the White Water River and the Fort Wayne territory, the valley of theWhite River and its tributaries, and the valley of the Wabash. Laterthe flooding of the Ohio River and its tributaries added to the awfultale of disaster. The entire state was practically one huge sea, andevery brook, creek and river exacted its toll of damage. The overflow, coming with astonishing suddenness, caught farmersthroughout the state unprepared and the breaking of levees in manyplaces forced persons living along the rivers to desert their homes. Inthe crowded cities it added woe upon woe. The appalling swiftness with which the waters rose found city as well asstate unprepared. Streams that were brooks Easter morning had becomeraging torrents on Tuesday. Persons who retired in apparently safe homesMonday were rescued the following day from second-story windows withboats. Lowlands became vast lakes. The dawn of Wednesday, March 26th, found anxiety in Indiana centered inBrookville and Connersville, on the White Water River, from whichfrantic appeals for aid were received by Governor Ralston. Other despatches from the same region declared that the smaller towns ofMetamora, Cedar Grove and Prenton were swept away completely. DISASTER IN BROOKVILLE Sixteen persons were drowned at Brookville, when they were caught by theeast and west forks of White Water River which meet in that town. Survivors told of attempts of men, women and children to escape by thelight of lanterns. Cross currents rushing along streets and alleyscarried them down to a united stream a mile wide just south of the town. Five children, all of one family, were seen clinging to posts of anold-fashioned wooden bed when they were swept into the main stream andlost. The person from Connersville who first talked with the Governor saidthat a break in the White Water River levee had flooded the valley, sweeping many persons before it. After that it was impossible tore-establish communication even for a few minutes. Militia were readyall during the night to hurry to the town, but no train was operated inthat direction. PEOPLE GATHERED IN CHURCHES Five wagon bridges, the Big Four Railroad bridge, the depot and a papermill were utterly destroyed. Fifty summer houses on White Water Riversouth of Brookville were washed away, foundations and all. People, boweddown by the calamity, gathered in churches, where religious serviceswere held. None of the bodies were recovered for several days. Hall Schuster was drowned Thursday night in an attempt to cross the WestFork of the White River at Brookville to rescue Harlan Kennedy, ahermit, formerly a Methodist minister. Two hundred and fifty children rescued from the flood had only nightclothes. Wagon trains carried food and clothing from Connersville to thestricken people. On Friday, March 28th, the list of known dead in Brookville wassixteen. Heavy loss of property and a food and fuel famine imminent werethe precise situation. There were six persons missing, and it was feared that they had beendrowned and their bodies washed away or buried in debris that had notyet been searched. Brookville was practically under martial law, and twenty men were drivenout of the city after they were discovered looting damaged homes andbuildings. NEWS FROM LAUREL News from Laurel reached Connersville on Saturday when Deputy PostmasterGeorge Lockwood came through on horseback. He said the White Water Rivervalley, eleven miles around Laurel, was flooded, and the damageestimated at $300, 000. Four buildings and many small houses were wrecked in Laurel, but nolives were lost. Several farmers in the valley between Brookville andLaurel were missing and their houses had disappeared. Several othertowns in the valley were inundated and many houses had been swept away. SURGING FLOOD AT FORT WAYNE At Fort Wayne, in the northeastern part of the state at the confluenceof the St. Mary's and the Maumee Rivers, the flood surged for threedays. A keeper in the Orphan Asylum and five men in a surfboat did splendidwork in saving seventy-five inmates of the asylum from drowning. Alllife-saving stations in the flooded district devoted their utmostefforts to the work of rescue and used their funds and supplies withoutstint. The relief work was in every way well organized. SITUATION UNDER CONTROL On March 28th, with the flood receding at the rate of three inches anhour, Fort Wayne had the situation in control and stood ready to assistits less fortunate neighbors. Many of the refugees were able to get backinto their homes. The property loss was estimated at $4, 000, 000, and itwas almost certain that the loss of life would not exceed six. The pumping station had been started up the previous night, twolocomotives sent by the Lake Shore Railroad furnishing the power. Thewater was being pumped from the river. The only drinking water availablefor several days was brought in bottles. CHAPTER XIV THE DESOLATION OF INDIANAPOLIS AND THE VALLEY OF THE WHITE RIVER THE TWO FORKS OF THE WHITE RIVER--WORST DAMAGE IN INDIANAPOLIS--SYSTEMATIC RESCUE WORK--THIEVES BENT ON PLUNDER--PREDICAMENT OF WEST INDIANAPOLIS--THE RECEDING WATERS--FLOOD VICTIMS HELPLESS--AN APRIL WEDDING--OTHER TOWNS AFFECTED. The two great forks of the White River and their tributaries drain abouthalf of the area of Indiana. Indianapolis, the capital of the state, issituated on the West Fork. In this city and more particularly in WestIndianapolis the torrent roaring through the White River valley did itsworst damage. Hundreds of spectators were watching the river on Tuesday evening, March25th, when, with a roar that could be heard for blocks, hundreds of tonsof dirt in the Morris Street levee crumbled under the pressure, andgreat walls of water rushed through the opening. Men, women and children fought through the water toward a near-bybridge, which seemed to offer the only safety. Many houses were torn topieces by the rush of the water, and others were carried away. Familiesin one-story homes were at the mercy of the sudden rush of water thatfollowed. The people were literally trapped in their own houses. OTHER TOWNS AFFECTED Other towns affected by the flooding of the White River and itstributaries were Muncie, Elwood, Anderson, Noblesville, Bloomington, Washington, Newcastle, Rushville, Shelbyville, etc. At Noblesville theriver was the highest it had been in thirty-three years, at Muncie adike in the water plant broke and the city was without fire protection. At Rushville Flat Rock Creek waters rose with a roar, and clanging firebells warned the people to flee. The entire business section wassubmerged. One person met death in Muncie; one in Newcastle; one inRushville, and five in West Indianapolis. Indianapolis awoke the following morning to find the waters higher thanever appeared before, with a property loss that two days before wouldhave been unbelievable. It was hard to bring the full realization of thedamage to the people, who had no thought of a flood from streams thatordinarily are unimportant, aiding only in beautifying the city's parksand boulevard driveways. A NIGHT OF DISASTER AND FEAR During the night the water advanced upon the exclusive residence sectionalong Fall Creek. It tore away one bridge, destroyed the city's mostpretentious driveway and forced the families living along its banks todesert their palatial homes. A few hours before they had no idea they were in any danger, and wereawakened by the militiamen to be ordered from the threatened buildings, only to find every hotel in the city full. They were cared for at thehomes of friends. The Washington Street bridge over the White River that connectsIndianapolis and West Indianapolis, which was closed for traffic lateTuesday night, in the early morning was torn apart by the waters, thefloor of the structure being carried away. A DESOLATE CITY With the breaking of day came the proposition of feeding the refugees. The city appropriated money to supply immediate needs and a relief fundwas started. Drinking water was at a premium, and water for bathing waspractically unattainable. Schools were closed, and there was a general suspension of business. Thewater in some of the streets north of Fall Creek, only fifteen milesfrom the business district, swept everything before it. The street carsremained standing in the streets where they were stopped when the powerhouse was flooded. All interurban lines were at a standstill and thesteam roads had poor success in getting trains out of the city. Passenger trains were shut out of the city on the lines entering fromthe West, and the passengers were forced to share the lot of thehomeless refugees. By Thursday conditions in Indianapolis were such that Governor Ralstonwas impelled to issue a proclamation asking for general relief. Fivehundred refugees from West Indianapolis were brought in small boats tothe Blaine Street wharf. Some of these had been clinging to trees forhours. Others were taken from floating houses. Women with babies weretaken from the upper stories of houses. The refugees said that many hadbeen killed in Wolf Hall when the floors of that building gave way underthe strain of hundreds who had taken refuge there. Reports of death wereeverywhere exaggerated, owing to the difficulty of accurate knowledgeand the shattered nerves of the sufferers. SYSTEMATIC RESCUE WORK Systematic rescue work was rendered more difficult by a storm of snowand sleet. Tomlinson Hall, the great civic gathering place of the city, was converted into a temporary hospital. The homeless men, women andchildren from West Indianapolis, Broad Ripple and other suburbsdevastated by the White River were taken to the hall and were fed andgiven medical attention. From Fort Benjamin Harrison 500 blankets and500 mattresses and cots were obtained. Citizens' committees were incharge of the work of distributing food and of raising money. It wasestimated that 10, 000 persons in Indianapolis alone were in need ofimmediate assistance. The situation was rendered graver by the outbreak of contagiousdiseases. Five women rescued and taken to Tomlinson Hall were sufferingfrom pneumonia, and cases of whooping cough and measles were discoveredamong the refugees. There were numerous cases of pneumonia. Measles and whooping coughattacked the children. Nearly all of the doctors of the city volunteeredtheir services and asked for volunteer nurses. Those suffering from contagious diseases were removed at once andinspectors from the city board of health aided by a corps of nursesdetailed from various hospitals of the city set to work to preventexposure of the refugees to contagion and to take care of the othersick. THIEVES BENT ON PLUNDER Thieves took advantage of the wrecking of lighting plants to plunderdeserted houses and even to rob survivors of the flood. In WestIndianapolis the vandals and robbers became so bold that GovernorRalston placed that section of the city under martial law and sent acompany of militia to guard the streets. Orders were given to shoot onsight any one caught at robbery. PREDICAMENT OF WEST INDIANAPOLIS The greed of provision dealers angered Governor Ralston to such anextent that he started an investigation. Before the supply of breadavailable on the West Side had been exhausted, loaves were selling attwenty cents each. The supply of meat was entirely exhausted. That section of Indianapolis lying west of the river, where martial lawwas proclaimed, is the poorest in the city. The supply of meats, eggs, milk, coffee, bread and butter was practically exhausted before noon. Little except canned goods remained on the shelves of the grocers. Relief trains loaded with provisions were unable to enter this district. Members of the board of public safety and other city officials inspectedthe entire flooded district from motor boats and directed efficientorganization of the relief workers, aiding the state troops and stateofficials in every possible way. THE RECEDING WATERS By Friday the White River had begun to fall slowly, and the work ofcaring for the suffering could be prosecuted vigorously. It wasestimated that the property loss in the city and environs would reach$10, 000, 000. Part of this loss was in destroyed bridges. The VandaliaRailroad bridge over the White River went down Friday, carrying with itten loaded cars. By Monday, March 31st, White River waters had returned to almost normalchannel, and the areas that were covered were being searched to locatethe bodies of any who might have been drowned. The city board of healthprepared typhoid serum for 50, 000 treatments to aid in warding off anepidemic. State troops were withdrawn. On Tuesday hundreds of homes were cleaned and, with furniture whichcould be salvaged and that supplied by the Relief Committee, the ownerswere able to resume housekeeping. Relief funds were still increasingand all persons who lost homes or furniture in the flood were beingcared for. Many persons in the West Indianapolis flood district were treated withan anti-diphtheria vaccine, and Dr. T. V. Keene, in charge of themedical relief work in the flooded districts, said he feared noepidemic. FLOOD VICTIMS HELPLESS Hundreds of thousands of dollars were reported necessary to relievesuffering among the flood refugees in Indianapolis, according to thereport of the General Relief Committee, made on Wednesday, April 2d, ata meeting in Mayor Shank's office. Plans for raising a vast sum of money, to be made available immediatelyto the sufferers, were discussed and it was decided to start popularsubscriptions and designate places for contributions. Joseph C. Schaf, one of the investigators for the committee, said: "The flood victims are helpless. They need money and need itimmediately. The men are trying to hold their jobs and let the womenclean up the homes, and it is a disheartening task for which many arenot physically able. Give them money immediately so they can pile theirwater-soaked mattresses and other furniture in the street and touch amatch to it. That will give them new heart. " Mr. Schaf increased his donation by $1, 000, and several other members ofthe committee did likewise. CHAPTER XV THE ROARING TORRENT OF THE WABASH A BITTER TALE OF DESTRUCTION--MANY PEOPLE DRIVEN FROM HOMES--ALARMING CONDITIONS--THE PLIGHT OF KOKOMO--THE HOMELESS IN WABASH--DISTRESS OF LOGANSPORT--MILITARY CADETS AID IN RELIEF--NEW DISASTER AT LAFAYETTE--A SECOND HORROR IN TERRE HAUTE--THE RECEDING WATERS. Bitter was the tale of destruction in the valley of the Wabash River andits tributaries. A traveler journeying over the Wabash Railroad onEaster Sunday would have seen only the usual quiet little towns of theMiddle West; three days later, if he could have looked down over thesame territory he would have seen nothing but a raging torrent sweepingthrough the region like some fiendish monster devouring and destroyingas it pursued its mad course. He would have found the entire WabashValley, including Logansport, Wabash, Lafayette and Peru, a desolatescene, its scores of prosperous cities absolutely paralyzed and cut offfrom the outer world. Telephone and telegraph wires were downeverywhere; trains were not running and roads were obliterated. MANY PEOPLE DRIVEN FROM HOMES As early as Monday, March 24th, northern Indiana had suffered severeloss, due to the heavy rains of the previous twenty-four hours, whichhad carried away bridges, stopped railroad and interurban traffic, flooded store basements, driven people from their homes along the riverbanks, and washed away houses. At Hartford City there were seven feet ofwater in the paper mills and the merchants had lost heavily from floodedbasements. At Portland water was standing three feet deep in the center of the cityand the loss to merchants from damage to goods reached $100, 000. The wind, which followed heavy rain, cut a path several hundred feetwide. At Kokomo the light, heat, power, gas and water plants were out ofcommission and the river was still rising. The city was without fireprotection; South Kokomo, with 6, 000 inhabitants, was cut off from themain city. It was declared to be the worst flood known in Wabash since 1883; andrain was still falling. Hundreds of residents of the lowlands abandonedtheir homes. Interurban traffic was paralyzed. ALARMING CONDITIONS Reports on the following day were still more alarming. The worstconditions prevailed in Kokomo, Wabash, Peru, Logansport, Lafayette andTerra Haute. Thousands of people all along the Wabash were crying forfood and shelter. Wabash, Kokomo, Peru, Logansport and Lafayette wereentirely cut off from communication with the outside world. A bigsnowstorm on the heels of a drop in temperature added to the suffering. Rescue work was carried on by volunteers, police, firemen and the statemilitia, and every place where there was a dry home was thrown open tothe flood refugees. From many places frantic appeals for aid were received by the stateofficials, but lack of all means of transportation and crippledtelephone and telegraph service forced the submerged towns to relyentirely upon their own resources. THE PLIGHT OF KOKOMO At Kokomo the water in some of the streets was eight feet deep andrushing like a mountain torrent. Schools and business were suspended andstate troops patrolled the town as far as they were able. The homes of athousand persons were submerged. No lives were lost, but there were manynarrow escapes. Several persons were rescued from second story windowsby the few boats available. Rafts could not be used because of theswiftness of the current. THE HOMELESS IN WABASH Seven hundred and fifty persons in Wabash were rendered homeless as theresult of the high flood in the river. The city was without gas, wateror lighting facilities. The mayor on Thursday, March 27th, issued a proclamation ordering thatall saloons and business houses close at six o'clock. He instructed thepolice to keep people off the streets. There was no loss of life, but the property loss was estimated at$350, 000. There was no communication with the outside world from Monday untilThursday afternoon. DISTRESS OF LOGANSPORT The business district and the south and west sides of Logansport wereunder water on Tuesday. The bridge at the country club had been washedaway. Other bridges over the Wabash had been flooded. The moving vanswere unable to handle all the persons trying to move out of the dangerzone and the firemen of the city gave aid. The electric light and waterplants were endangered. There was great suffering among the poorerpeople. Logansport was also cut off from telephone and telegraphcommunication. Two deaths by drowning were reported (later corrected toone) and ten houses were washed down stream. MILITARY CADETS AID IN RELIEF On Wednesday the flood waters of the Wabash were sixteen feet deep onthe floors of the Pennsylvania Railroad Station, and cadets from theCulver Military Academy were rushed to the city to aid in the rescue andrelief of scores of people marooned in the business districts. The Third Street bridge had been swept away. The bridge at Sixth Streetwas being washed out. The people were fleeing to the hills, where theywere housed in school houses and churches. By indirect telephone routes on Thursday, Governor Ralston received anurgent call from Logansport for troops to aid in rescue work and topatrol the city. The city had been cut off from reliable communicationwith the outside world since Tuesday evening. The continuance of thehigh waters added hourly to the heavy property losses, and the snowstormand bitter cold caused intense suffering. NEW DISASTER AT LAFAYETTE At 2 P. M. On Tuesday, March 25th, two spans of the bridge over theWabash River at Lafayette went out, carrying a number of people with it. Boats below the bridge succeeded in rescuing all but one man. At 3. 15 P. M. West Lafayette, where Purdue University is located, wascut off from Lafayette by the breaking of one of the levees and thesubmerging of the other. The river was two miles wide and businesshouses were preparing to move their wares, anticipating a three-footrise during the night. No interurban lines were being operated and steamlines were making little effort to maintain train service. The business district and the south and west sides of Logansport wereunder water. The bridge at the Country Club had been washed away. A SECOND HORROR IN TERRA HAUTE All down the length of the Wabash the torrent raged. Hardly recoveringfrom the daze of the Easter tornado, treated in another chapter, TerraHaute inside of forty-eight hours faced its second disaster, when thewaters of the Wabash left the banks, flooding part of the residencesection. The river was then rising at the rate of five inches an hour. Railroadtraffic was suspended and interurban traction service had beenabandoned. Residents of Taylorville, Robertsville and West Terre Hautedeserted their homes, fleeing before the approaching waters. Fivehundred homes were under water and the coal mines near the city wereflooded. For two days the situation seemed to grow hourly more desperate. OnThursday the river had reached a stage of thirty-one feet six inches andwas steadily rising. Four thousand persons were homeless, and thosewhose homes were on higher ground were without gas or electricity. Traffic was at a standstill. THE RECEDING WATERS But slowly the waters receded and the work of reconstruction was begun. On down the river the disaster-bringing torrent traveled. Throughout allsouthern Indiana the river reached unprecedented stages and hundredswere driven from their homes. Railroad lines were covered with waterthrough many counties, and on March 31st the river was reported fortymiles wide between Upton, Indiana, and Carmi, Illinois. CHAPTER XVI THE PLIGHT OF PERU: A STRICKEN CITY LAST MESSAGE FROM PERU--AT ONCE TO THE RESCUE--THOUSANDS MAROONED--TALES OF STRUGGLE--FAMINE AND DISEASE--GREED ABROAD IN THE CITY--REFUGEES URGED TO LEAVE--SEARCH FOR THE DEAD--SHAKING OFF DESPAIR. Of all the cities devastated by flood in Indiana, Peru was the mostdesolated. Situated on the Wabash River just below the entrance of theMississinewa, it suffered more than any of the stricken cities throughwhich the angry, swollen waters of the Wabash flowed. "This probably will be the last message you will get from Peru, " saidthe man who telegraphed to Governor Ralston on March 25th, asking forcoffins, food and clothing. "Two hundred or more are drowned and theremainder of the residents are waiting for daylight. " AT ONCE TO THE RESCUE Governor Ralston immediately communicated with State Senator Fleming atFort Wayne and asked him to forward the coffins and other supplies asrequested. When the messages of distress from Peru were sent forth South Bend andother cities sprang nobly to the rescue. They found the people halfcrazed from exposure, want and fear. One of the rescue party who madethe trip in the first boat that entered the city said: "The cry to be saved from those who saw the first boat was heartrending. Some of them threatened to jump into the water if we did not take themaboard. But it was impossible with the scant boat supply to take allaway at once. " THOUSANDS MAROONED Relief parties from South Bend were the first to arrive on the scene. They found hundreds of people huddled together in the court housesquare, which was three miles from the nearest dry land; hundreds morewere marooned in the upper stories of buildings already rendered unsafeby the high water. There was no heat, no light, no water, and sanitaryconditions were horrible. The only motor boat had broken and it was toodangerous to venture into the raging torrent in rowboats. This made itimpossible for the South Bend relief volunteers to get blankets and foodto the sufferers. TALES OF STRUGGLE Death faced hundreds of persons who were clinging to the roofs ofbuildings, where they sought refuge. Currents of muddy water from ten totwenty-five feet deep were running through the main streets at twentymiles an hour. Harry Lumley, a despatcher, lay on a table all Wednesday in the Perustation of the Lake Erie and Western Railroad, which the water hadinvaded, and kept open the line for relief trains. Dr. W. A. Huff, a dentist, started to South Peru with an unknown manTuesday night. The boat capsized and Huff lodged in a tree, where heremained until Wednesday morning. His condition was critical. No effort was made to count the dead. "Our energies are being devotedentirely to saving those still living, " said Lieutenant-GovernorO'Neill. "It is impossible for us even to try to learn the whereaboutsof the bodies just now. " A VIGILANCE COMMITTEE Citizens, finding lawlessness in every block of the city above water, organized a vigilance committee with orders to shoot looters. On Wednesday night several thousand persons were still marooned in thecourt house, hospital, factory buildings and other structures becausethe various relief parties sent from South Bend and other cities had notsufficient boats to carry them to the nearest dry land. Snow was fallingheavily and the suffering was intense, because of the lack of heatingfacilities. The city was in darkness, except for a scant supply oflanterns. FAMINE AND DISEASE But the height of the flood had been reached. On Thursday the water wasreceding three inches an hour. It had fallen four feet since theprevious morning, but the current was still so swift on Canton Streetand in South Peru, that it was impossible to investigate in rowboats thedistrict in which the heaviest loss of life was supposed to haveoccurred. There were three inches of snow on the ground and it was still falling. Recovering from the flood, Peru organized to meet greater menaces, famine and disease. At a meeting in the courtroom at the countybuilding, Lieutenant-Governor O'Neill was chosen head of the committeeon organization. Hundreds of persons marooned in the second stories of their homesappealed to passing boats for food, fuel and water. Fishermen seizedsome of the boats and were taking the curious sightseeing. Persons whoappropriated boats and tied them up were arrested. There were 500 persons at the Bears Hotel in Peru. Their only fire was agrate in the lobby. Two meals a day were served. The water had recededso that a Lake Erie and Western relief train was pulled up to thecanning factory in the northeast part of the town and took out 200persons marooned three days. They were taken to towns along Lake Erie. It was estimated that 2, 000 persons had left the city and were beingcared for in towns and school houses to the north. The relief committeediscouraged the influx of people who came to Peru to see and eat, asthere were more mouths to feed than there were provisions. Lieutenant-Governor O'Neill remained in Peru to insure whatever aid thestate could give the sufferers. He ordered the Indiana Board of Healthto send experts to make the city sanitary. These specialists had theco-operation of city and county medical societies and a score ofphysicians who came from other cities. [Illustration: Copyright by George Grantham Bain. Scores of strongly-built bridges like this throughout the flooddistricts were carried away by the raging torrents] [Illustration: Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y. When the waters of the Hudson overflowed, hundreds of men, women andchildren were trapped in their homes near the river bank and wererescued with difficulty] TWELVE BODIES IN ONE HOUSE Twelve bodies were recovered in a single house in the southern part ofPeru on Friday. This was taken to indicate that the loss of life in thatsection of the city was great, as it was there that dwellings werecompletely submerged before the occupants could vacate. "It is impossible to tell how many lives were lost at Peru, " said one ofthe rescuers. Six survivors were suffocated in the overcrowded court house. Theweather had turned severely cold, adding to the misery of theunsheltered, but the flood was falling rapidly. Terrible conditions prevailed among the refugees, who were increasing innumbers, as the waters receded. Sanitary conditions among the hundredssheltered in the court house became so bad that boats removed many ofthem to other places. GREED ABROAD IN THE CITY The water was rushing back as fast as it came, leaving a coat of mud andslime. It was from this that the great danger of disease existed. Thestate board of health combined with the Peru board to help clean up. Relief workers and city officials joined to investigate statementsconcerning exorbitant prices for foodstuffs, and proposed to exposeevery merchant attempting to make money through the misfortunes ofothers. Several looters were arrested and others shot. One robber was shot by acitizen, who threw the body into the river. The work of rescue was greatly impeded by the selfishness of residents. An Indian of the Wallace circus secured a boat and charged people $200before he would help them off. Instances were told of men who drewrevolvers on the men and boys working in the boats, threatening to shootif they did not take them in. REFUGEES URGED TO LEAVE Railroad officials and the relief committee urged refugees to accept thehospitality of the municipalities north. They hoped to be relieved oftemporary care of 3, 000 persons by sending them out of the city. Two railroads were bringing plenty of provisions within a half mile ofthe city, but the boats could not transport rapidly enough to the centerwhere the supplies were being distributed. SEARCH FOR THE DEAD Systematic search for the dead was made, and the appalling early reportsof hundreds of dead continued to shrink, although it was believed thatthe search would probably reveal more. The diminution was due to thediscovery in the hills on the other side of the Wabash River of hundredsof persons who had been given up as dead. The streets were strewn with dead animals that had begun to decay insome sections. An epidemic was feared. One of the greatest obstacleswhich the people faced was that of ridding the city of the dead animalsand filth in the low sections around the edge of the city proper intowhich disease-breeding filth had been washed. Water still covered these low sections, and seemed likely to remainthere for a long time. There were few sections around the valley thatcould be used for burning dead animals. Citizens and officials who were becoming alarmed at the new dangerestimated that at least 500 dead animals were strewn about the city ofPeru alone. Most of them had to be fished out of the water whereverfound, and it seemed an impossible task. SHAKING OFF DESPAIR Slowly the city began to shake off despair and repair the damage done. The property damage totaled $3, 000, 000. The Broadway bridge went downwhen a large house lodged against it and in turn carried away the UnionTraction structure. As Peru emerged from the flood it became apparent that the death listprobably would not run over twenty-five. The indirect death list as a result of the flood, however, went muchhigher, as scores of aged men and women, who for hours were forced toundergo terrible exposure and later to endure unsanitary conditions, perished soon after they were rescued. CHAPTER XVII THE DEATH-DEALING TORNADO AT OMAHA THE BOLT OUT OF THE BLACKNESS--RESCUERS WORKING IN DARK--A CITY TO THE RESCUE--PATH OF THE STORM--INTERRUPTED MERRYMAKERS--FAMILY MEET DEATH TOGETHER--FREAK TRAGEDIES--BRAVE TELEPHONE GIRLS--VIVID TALE OF THE STORM. Easter Sunday did not dawn very brightly in Omaha, but in the afternoonthe sun came out warm and bright. The usual Easter promenaders throngedthe streets in holiday attire. Then, as the afternoon wore on, cloudsappeared in the sky. They gathered very quickly, came lower, and as theyapproached the earth there was suddenly a fall in the temperature. In afew minutes the sky turned black and then came the bolt of wind down outof the blackness. Through more than three miles of the city it cut aclean path of from three to seven blocks in width in which not abuilding was left whole. Then the storm mounted the bluffs and sped awayto the northeast, carrying destruction with it. Omaha's destruction was kept secret from the world for several hours bythe storm, for all wire communication was broken down in the wreckingof the homes. Messengers with the news stories had to go to Lincoln, thestate capital, to give out first definite news of the disaster. During the early hours of the night uninjured citizens workeddesperately to remove such persons as had been caught beneath razedbuildings. No great number was killed in any one place. The wind sweptalong, taking its toll here and there. No sooner had the great wind passed than a second violent gale sweptover much the same territory, but with lessened fury. The total numberof dead in Omaha and suburbs amounted to 154; the number of homeless to3, 179. Fire started in the debris of many wrecked buildings in the Nebraskametropolis, and these were menaces for some time, as the fire companieswere hindered by fallen walls and blockaded streets. A heavy rainfollowed the wind, however, and whilst it drenched the hundreds ofhomeless persons, it also put out the flames. RESCUERS WORKING IN DARK Rescue work started as soon as the people were able to hurry to thestricken district, but the night's work was by the light of lanterns andlittle was accomplished. The storm took down all the wires in its pathand the electric power was shut off immediately to prevent further lossof life. All night the stricken section was patrolled by governmenttroops from Fort Omaha. With the arrival of daylight, a train-load of militia from Lincoln andthe presence in the city of Governor Morehead, the work wassystematized. [Illustration: MAP SHOWING THE PATH OF THE TORNADO] The hospitals in Omaha Sunday night were full of injured, many of whomhad not been identified, apparently because their friends were eitherdead or among the injured. A CITY TO THE RESCUE Immediately City Commissioners appropriated $25, 000 for relief work;citizens present at the meeting organized and donated $25, 000 more. TheCitizens' Relief Committee was organized, composed of fifty citizens andan executive committee of seven to work with the seven city councilmen. Governor Morehead notified Mayor Dahlman that he would send a specialmessage to the Legislature asking for the appropriation of sufficientfunds to care for the homeless throughout the state. Cots were placed in the Auditorium, and those without shelter werehoused here. The city purchasing agent arranged for enough beds to carefor all those who could sleep in the Auditorium. The Elks' rooms werethrown open to the homeless and the Union Gospel Mission providedseventy-five men with beds. PATH OF THE STORM The storm appeared to have started at Fifty-fourth and Center Streets. From there it traveled north, veering slightly to the east, toLeavenworth Street. Then it took a northeasterly course to Fortieth andFarnam Streets, sweeping its way through everything. Still traveling alittle east of north, it covered a course from Fortieth Street east toThirty-fourth Street, six blocks. Striking Bemis Park, where the homes of the wealthy Omaha residents werelocated, the storm turned sharply to the east and passed along Parkerand Blonde Streets, to Twenty-fourth Street, where its path was sixblocks wide. In the latter section the damage was complete. Finally, at Fourteenth and Spencer Streets, the storm swept over thebluffs, high above the Missouri River, demolished the Missouri Pacificroundhouse, leveled the big trestle of the Illinois Central Railroadover Carter Lake, wrecked several buildings near the Rod and Gun Club, afashionable outing place, and disappeared to the northeast. The Child Saving Institute was a veritable death house after the stormhad spent its fury. Every available room was pressed into service, andone after another the dead and injured were brought into the house. INTERRUPTED MERRYMAKERS At the home of Patrick Hynes, a party in celebration of his eighty-firstbirthday was in progress. The guests had just begun dinner and weredrinking a toast to the health of their host when the storm swept thehouse away. All the party succeeded in getting out with minor injuries, except a grandchild, who was internally injured. "The party had just begun dinner, " said Mr. Hynes. "The young peoplewere making merry and, old as I am, I had entered into the spirit. Suddenly there was a roaring sound. The next minute the house was inruins. I wiggled around and out and aided the others in escaping. " FAMILY MEET DEATH TOGETHER Cliff Daniels, his wife and their two children met death together. Whensoldiers, digging about the ruins of their home, found the four bodies, the two little girls were clasped in the arms of their mother, while thebody of the father was over them, as if he had tried to shield them withhis own body. When C. Saber discovered the crushed and almost unrecognizable body ofhis wife he fled down the street shrieking at the top of his voice. E. H. Smith, a private of the Signal Corps from Fort Omaha, becameinsane after helping carry several bodies, and collapsed. When he hadregained consciousness it was necessary to take him to the posthospital, where he was placed under restraint. A. L. Green was on his back porch watching the storm when it broke. Hesaid: "It came like a rushing and roaring torrent of water and passed right byus to the east. I went to my attic window immediately afterward and sawfires bursting forth from houses along the path of the storm. I couldsee five fires burning at once. The flames made a ghastly sight as theyilluminated acres of razed buildings nearby. " FREAK TRAGEDIES Among the freak tragedies of the tornado none is more remarkable thanthat at the Idlewild pool hall, Twenty-fourth and Lake Streets. Twenty-five negroes were killed. The story is told by the singlesurvivor, John Brown, who was dug from the wreckage twelve hours afterthe demolition of the building. "Eight men were playing pool at one table, " Brown says. "The rest of uswere standing about watching. Without a moment's warning a terrific roarswept down through the room. The roof suddenly was lifted from above. The pool table shot straight upward, many feet into the air. "All of us still were unhurt. " Insane with fear, but wondering, the negroes rushed beneath the openroof and gazed upward. Then the heavy pool table and pieces of the roofshot down. All were caught. Brown was dug from the wreckage twelve hourslater, uninjured. HOUSE SPLIT ASUNDER Huddled with his family in the basement of his home at 3229 CumingStreet, Prof. E. W. Hunt saw the house split asunder. When he recoveredconsciousness beneath the wreckage he discovered that a last summerstraw hat was cocked on the back of his head. It had been hanging in abedroom closet three stories above before the tornado struck the house. The body of a girl about four was dropped into the arms of a pedestrian, Charles Allen, at Forty-fifth and Center Streets. Efforts to identifythe child failed. In a field half a mile from their home were found the bodies of Mrs. Mary Rathkey and her two grown sons, Frank and James. All three weredead but no bruises were found. The wind had cut their clothingcompletely away. Mrs. F. Bryant, ninety-two, lived with her son, Dr. D. C. Bryant, at3006 Sherman Avenue. She was in bed on the third floor of the house whenthe tornado struck. The three floors beneath her were shifted out andher bed fell to the basement. Except for the shock she was uninjured. Dr. Bryant and his wife were dropped to the basement from the groundfloor. They, too, miraculously escaped injury. VIVID TALES OF THE STORM Perhaps the most vivid single description of the tornado's havoc wasgiven by John Porter: "I stood on the rear porch of my home when the great cloud of the stormbegan its race across the city, " he said. "Before it rushed thetraditional 'ball of fire, ' which was in reality a yellow cloud, spherical in shape. "My wife was visiting at the moment in the home of her father. I saw thehouse caught in the vortex of the cloud. It rose straight up into theair, its walls shattered and broken, but holding partially together. Iam sure that I could not have moved an eyelash, if my life had dependedupon the exertion. "From the risen house I saw a myriad of black specks falling to theearth. Then I watched that home soar upward. It hurtled five blocksthrough the murky twilight, sustained at a height of one hundred andfifty feet. "The Sacred Heart Convent was the target at which it was hurled. Itstruck the fifth story. The convent was demolished. The home of myfather-in-law became splinters. "Then I recovered my senses partially, and ran to the site of thestructure. God himself must have directed that storm, for my wife, herfather and her mother had been dropped behind, only bruised. " CHAPTER XVIII STRUGGLES OF STRICKEN OMAHA A BLIZZARD-LIKE STORM--COUNTING THE COST--"THE GREATEST CONCEIVABLE BLOW"--SEARCHING FOR THE DEAD--A DAY OF FUNERALS--MORE CASES OF DESTITUTION--PLANS FOR REBUILDING. As if the storm of Easter Sunday were not enough calamity, ablizzard-like storm descended upon the city of Omaha on Tuesday, addingto the grief and horror. The storm, which began shortly after midnight, and continued with gathering force, seriously hampered the work ofrescue. More than three inches of snow covered the debris in the sectionof the city struck by the cyclone. It rendered uninhabitable the housesof many who had prepared to retain temporary homes in partly demolishedstructures. Women tugging at heavy beams, hoping against hope to find dear onesbeneath the wreckage, men gruffly cheering their sorrowful mates, sniveling children wrapped about with shawls and blankets were thescenes which the sunrise this morning disclosed to the federal soldiersas they patrolled the afflicted district. Later, city officials gathered within the lines drawn around thedistrict by the soldiers and distributed clothing and other necessitiesamong the sufferers who had been rendered homeless by the tornado. COUNTING THE COST For the first time the people began to count the cost in lives anddollars. When a resumé was made it was apparently more appalling thanthose who had studied the result were willing to admit. One hundred and fifty-four lives were snuffed out within the cityproper. Nearly five hundred were injured and eight of these died inlocal hospitals during the day. All Omaha rallied to the assistance of the desolate victims of thetornado. Hundreds of citizens responded promptly by offering their homesand money to aid in caring for the stricken. The City Commissioners appropriated $75, 000 for relief work, andcitizens at once subscribed to an equal amount. Governor Morehead sent aspecial message to the Legislature asking for an appropriation to carefor the homeless throughout the state. "THE GREATEST CONCEIVABLE BLOW" After making an inspection of the devastated district, the Governorsaid: "This is my conception of hell. It is horrible, and it has presented amost complex situation. The loss of life and damage to property is thegreatest conceivable blow, not only to Omaha, but to the entire state ofNebraska. I will call upon the state of Nebraska to render everyassistance and I am sure the state will respond. "My horror and grief are beyond my powers of expression. " SEARCHING FOR THE DEAD Groups of men, aided and encouraged by women and children, laboredincessantly all day Tuesday among the ruins of homes and otherbuildings. Only portions of the ruins of some buildings within whichpersons were known to have been killed were removed. As quickly asbodies were found they were taken to temporary morgues. Relativesclaimed most of the bodies, but some remained unidentified. Funerals andburials were held from all churches and homes. Cemeteries were throngedwith grieving friends and relatives. MILITARY LAW Military law was strictly enforced throughout the storm area. Upon thesoldiers rested the responsibility for looting and fires. The cityHealth Department made every effort to place the district in a sanitarycondition as rapidly as possible. Garbage wagons and trash carts werethe only vehicles admitted within the patrolled section. The watersupply fortunately remained unimpaired. A DAY OF FUNERALS Another period of unseasonable cold followed Tuesday's snowstorm andincreased the already long list of sufferers from the storm. Paying last rites occupied the time of thousands of persons onWednesday. Fifty-two funerals silently wending their way to cemeteriesbrought home with greater force to the people of Omaha the fullrealization of the extent of Sunday's tornado. All day long, as fast ashearses could deposit the bodies at graves, a continual death processionwas kept up. Many of the bodies recovered from Sunday's storm were cared for atundertaking establishments, and a great number of the funerals were heldfrom those places. Whenever possible friends of stricken families tookcare of bodies and had them prepared for burial. In many instanceschurches were demolished in the districts covered by the storm andothers were so badly wrecked as to prevent their being used for burialservices. LITTLE CEREMONY There was little ceremony. As quickly as one funeral was over anotherbegan. Undertakers co-operated in arranging burials. In severalinstances where entire families were killed or where more than onemember of a family awaited burial one funeral service was held. Thefunerals were a constant procession. One of the most pitiful of the funerals was that of Mrs. Mary Rathkeyand two small children. Surviving Mrs. Rathkey is the husband andfather, who is nearly demented over the disaster. Mrs. Rathkey and herchildren were killed in their home. MORE CASES OF DESTITUTION Many cases of destitution were reported on Wednesday. It took much timeto prepare card indexes of sufferers' wants and to make requisitions onthe central relief station at the Auditorium for supplies. While theseformalities were being carried out want stalked through disconsolatehomes from one corner of the city to the other. The task of caring forthose needing food, clothing, supplies and money seemed to be too largefor the relief forces. PLANS FOR REBUILDING As early as Tuesday plans for rebuilding the city were under way. Thebusiness men formed a corporation to conduct the undertaking in asystematic way, and to assist the unfortunates who lost their homes andpersonal effects. The Real Estate Exchange immediately took steps to prevent the raisingof rents. Cases of alleged attempted extortion, however, were reported, some of them by members of the Exchange itself. Executives of that bodydecided to deal harshly with any owners found taking advantage of thoseforced to secure new homes on account of the tornado. A public appeal sent out by the Commercial Club stated that 642 homeswere totally wrecked, 1, 669 were damaged and 3, 179 persons madehomeless. There was need of reconstruction, indeed! [Illustration: Photograph by Brown Bros. This scene shows the desolation caused by the tornado wrecking a wholestreet of houses at Omaha, Nebraska] [Illustration: Copyright by George Grantham Bain. A view showing the destructive force of the tornado at Omaha, wherehappy homes stood a few hours before. Many residents were caught as in atrap and instantly killed or fatally maimed] CHAPTER XIX OMAHA: "THE GATE CITY OF THE WEST" LARGEST CITY IN NEBRASKA--GATE TO THE WEST--GROWTH OF INDUSTRIES--SPLENDID INSTITUTIONS--A PROSPEROUS CITY--REMARKABLE ACTIVITY. Omaha, "the Gate City, " largest in Nebraska, is a typical plains town, proud of its industry and its climb on the census list. It stands eightyfeet above the Missouri on the west bank of that river opposite CouncilBluffs, Iowa. For twenty-four square miles stretch its many churches, educational institutions and large manufacturing plants, with thepleasant residential section lying above. On the site of the present city Lewis and Clark in 1804 held councilwith the Indians. There were a trading station and stockade at the placein 1825 presided over by pioneer J. B. Royce. The first permanentsettlement was made there in 1854. A tribe of Dakota Indians that livedin the region gave the city its name. When the Union Pacific Railroad was stretching steel hands westward in1864 Omaha was the most northerly outfitting point for overland wagontrains to the far West. At that time it took its name of "Gate City"and then its sudden growth began. In 1910 the population was 124, 000. GROWTH OF INDUSTRIES Because of its location it soon began to draw industries. Packing is oneof its leading industries today. So extensive is this business thatOmaha ranks third among cities of the United States in packing. Silversmelting, distilling and brewing are some of the other pursuits thatkeep its citizens busy. SPLENDID INSTITUTIONS Among the more important buildings are the Federal Building, CourtHouse, a city hall, two high schools, one of which is among the finestin the country, a convention hall, the Auditorium and the PublicLibrary. Omaha is the see of Roman Catholic and Protestant Episcopalbishoprics. Among the educational institutions are a state school forthe deaf; the medical department and orthopedic branch of the Universityof Nebraska; a Presbyterian Theological Seminary; and CreightonUniversity under Jesuit control. The principal newspapers are the _OmahaBee_, _World-Herald_ and the _News_. The _Omaha Bee_ was established in1871 by Edward Rosewater, who made it one of the most influentialRepublican journals in the West. The _World-Herald_, founded in 1865 byGeorge L. Miller, was edited by William Jennings Bryan from 1894 to1896. Omaha is the headquarters of the United States military department ofthe Missouri, and there are military posts at Fort Omaha, immediatelynorth, and Fort Crook, ten miles south of the city. REMARKABLE ACTIVITY Prairie freighting and Missouri river navigation, were of importancebefore the construction of the Union Pacific railway, and the activityof the city in securing the freighting interest gave her an initialstart over the other cities of the state. Council Bluffs was the legal, but Omaha the practical, eastern terminus of that great undertaking, work on which began at Omaha in December, 1863. The city was alreadyconnected as early as 1863 by telegraph with Chicago, St. Louis, andsince 1861 with San Francisco. Lines of the present great Rock Island, Burlington and Northwestern railway systems all entered the city in theyears 1867-1868. Meat-packing began as early as 1871, but its firstgreat advance followed the removal of the Union stock-yards south of thecity in 1884. South Omaha was rapidly built up around them. ATrans-Mississippi Exposition illustrating the progress and resources ofthe states west of the Mississippi was held at Omaha in 1898. Itrepresented an investment of $2, 000, 000, and in spite of financialdepression and wartime, ninety per cent of their subscriptions werereturned in dividends to the stockholders. The original town site occupied an elongated and elevated river terrace, now given over wholly to business; behind this are hills and bluffs overwhich the residential districts have extended. CHAPTER XX OTHER DAMAGE FROM THE NEBRASKA TORNADO GREAT HAVOC IN NEBRASKA TOWNS--DESCRIPTION OF THE TORNADO--YUTAN A SUFFERER--THE TUMBLING HOUSES OF BENSON--CURIOUS TRAGEDIES--HOUSES TUMBLING ABOUT. The storm which lashed its way through Omaha on Easter Sunday hadalready carried havoc into other Nebraska towns. William Coon, presidentof an automobile company of Lincoln, Nebraska, gave a stirringdescription of the tornado as he saw it from the platform of anobservation car on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad: DESCRIPTION OF THE TORNADO "For miles, " he said, "it seemed as if the train were being pursued bythe storm. We were approaching Ralston, Neb. , when I first noticed thestrange cloud mounting the sky. Before that it had been clear. " Mr. Coon, from his observation car seat, saw the storm strike Ralston. "The passengers sat as if glued to their seats when the cloud struck, "he said. "The engineer brought the engine to a stop and the passengers ran overto the wreckage of the houses. We could hear the groans of dying men andthe wails and shrieks of injured women and children. I entered a house, or rather what had been a house, and beneath me lay a woman. I lookedand I knew that she was dead. We got all of the injured out of the ruinsand brought them to the train. "We were about to leave when our attention was called to a little housesome distance from the others. It had been wrecked and moved from itsfoundation, but we found a mother and her little baby lying upon a beduninjured. "The cloud wheeled and made towards South Omaha. We were not far behind, but our way was blocked by the debris the tornado had thrown on thetracks. Then, too, we stopped frequently to pick up the injured. Therewere some with their limbs torn off and all were cut and bleeding. " A Chicagoan, who withheld his name, told of the scenes at Omaha when thetrain stopped there. He said: "I was just recovering from what I had seen on the train when we pulledinto Omaha with the injured. It was night then, but such a night. Thesky was lighted with a red glare, and the streets were filled withpeople who acted as though they were mad. Frequently the cries of thewounded, unloaded at the station, were drowned by terrific peals ofthunder. " It is difficult for any one who has not lived through a tornado to haveany conception of what such a storm can do. Tornadic force meansanything more than one hundred miles an hour. There have been instanceswhere tornadoes have shaved off the stone sides of buildings as if theyhad been sliced away by a stonecutter. Forecaster Scarr, of New York, said that the tornado that wrought destruction in Nebraska may have beenof the resistless kind that simply ground stone and brick to dust andcarried up its electrified funnel the remnants of every building itstruck. The tornado finally became almost like a mass of whirling steel, revolving faster than the blades of the swiftest planer and cuttingeverything to pieces in its course. YUTAN A SUFFERER The tornado first struck the little village of Yutan, southwest ofOmaha. Yutan was practically wiped off the map and its population offour hundred left desolate. After the buildings had been razed thewreckage caught fire. "The town is burning! We'll all be killed!" somekept crying, and this added to the fears of the others. Many personswere killed and many injured. Waterloo, a village of about equal size tothe northeast across the Platte River, suffered like damage. Wires weresnapped off in all directions, and it took many hours to gather andcirculate news of the disaster. Leaving desolation behind it the tornado swept at a rate of possibly onehundred and fifty miles an hour into Berlin. This little village had apopulation of about two hundred. The storm killed seven and injuredthirty. The habitations were virtually wiped out. A church, an elevatorand part of the residence of State Senator Buck were all that remainedstanding of what was a prosperous town. THE TUMBLING HOUSES OF BENSON On its way to Omaha the tornado struck Benson and Yutan. Benson is athriving town of over three thousand. Here property damage was great andmany persons were injured. As the houses began to tumble a little girldressed in white started from one of the houses and ran down the streetwith her hands above her head. Just then the side of a house camesoaring through the air, and shooting suddenly downward it struck thechild and buried her beneath it. When the storm had passed, the injuredwere lying all about the streets. At Ralston, a suburb of Omaha, many were killed and much injury anddestruction left in the path of the tornado. Late in the afternoon acopper-colored cloud was seen mounting toward the sky. The cloud grewrapidly and was traveling at tremendous speed. It assumed the form of afunnel and the air was filled with a curious, piercing noise. It swishedacross the railroad track and swept on its way toward the little town. Then the storm struck the town. Houses collapsed as though they were ofpaper. The roofs went sailing away and the sides fell in. Passengers ina passing train watched the destruction, and a cry of horror went upfrom every one. It was an awful sight. A farmer was standing on the doorstep when he noticed the funnel-shapedcloud. He called his wife and four children, and they all sought refugein a cyclone cellar. Five minutes later their house went sailing away. CURIOUS TRAGEDIES Edward Mote, his wife and three children were sitting in their homechatting when the tornado suddenly carried them and their home to PaioCreek, one hundred yards away, and dropped them into the water. Mrs. Mote was drowned. Postmaster D. L. Ham, his daughter, Mrs. Kimball, and his grandchildrenwere standing in the doorway of their home when the wind struck. Mrs. Kimball and her two-year-old daughter Frances stepped outside the door, which slammed shut. Their bodies were found among the debris. H. E. Saidand wife, bride and bridegroom of a month, were in the Ham house. Warnedof approaching death by Mr. Ham, they sought solace in each other'sarms. Thus they were found dead. Mr. Ham was slightly injured. HOUSES TUMBLING ABOUT There was a big threshing machine standing near one of the houses, andwhen the cloud struck it shot straight up into the air and was carriedabout forty rods. Houses were rolling and tumbling along the ground. Abox car was carried along by the terrific air current for a quarter of amile. When it split open six or seven men, who turned out to be part ofa repair gang, dropped out. Some lay very still, while others feeblycrawled about. A dozen other towns in the section of Nebraska surrounding Omaha werehard hit and many farming communities were destroyed. CHAPTER XXI THE TORNADO IN IOWA AND ILLINOIS MONSTER TORNADO SWEEPS ACROSS RIVER--DESTRUCTION IN IOWA--THE STORM-CLOUD OVER ILLINOIS--GALE AND FIRE IN CHICAGO. The monster tornado that wrought such havoc in Omaha leaped across theMissouri River and swished its wicked tail through Council Bluffs. Thenit sped northeasterly, wrecking several villages before it finallydisappeared. DESTRUCTION IN IOWA Reports from Mills County stated that it caused loss of life in everytown in the county reached by telephone. Many deaths occurred atGlenwood and at Council Bluffs. Scattering towns all through thedistrict reported one to two deaths. Eastern Council Bluffs suffered heavily, the storm breaking in thevalley just east of the town proper and following the lines of theMilwaukee, Rock Island and Great Western railroads for a distance of amile. The storm, which was accompanied by hail, rain, sleet, lightning and agale which blew seventy miles an hour for a time, was felt mostseverely in the northwestern section of the city, where houses wereoverturned, windows broken, trees uprooted and electric light andtrolley poles blown to the ground. Nearly fifty small fires resulted andhundreds of men, women and children fled from their homes in terror. Considerable damage was done to Des Plaines, Park Ridge and othersuburbs. The property damage in the city and suburbs was estimated atmore than $500, 000. THE STORM-CLOUD OVER ILLINOIS Illinois also suffered severely from a tornado on the night of Easter, March 23d, and the following morning. The storm was less severe thanthat which struck Omaha, but the wind was blowing at a rate of seventymiles an hour for a time, and in Chicago alone thirty-two structureswere damaged and a number of persons killed. Out in the state theheaviest suffering was at Rockford, Elgin, Wheaton, Bloomington, Galesburg, Peoria, Erie and Des Plaines. The aggregate loss in othercommunities was great. The storm covered all of Illinois north of Peoria. In Galesburg manybuildings were moved from their foundations. Half a dozen residences inPeoria were demolished. All streams rose high and costly floods occurredalong the Kankakee, Illinois and other rivers. GALE AND FIRE IN CHICAGO In Chicago all the elements seemed to meet Sunday night. The wind blew aviolent gale; snow flew before it in some places; hail crashed windowsin other parts of the city. Every available fire apparatus in the northand west sides of the city was called out to extinguish fires whichbroke out in business blocks and dwellings partly wrecked by the storm. A number of lives throughout the state were lost by this storm and theproperty loss was estimated at $2, 500, 000. A second storm on Monday caused great destruction in Mahanda. Thirtycars of a southbound Illinois Central freight train were blown from thetrack a mile north of the town. Two firemen were injured. CHAPTER XXII THE TORNADO IN KANSAS AND ARKANSAS THE "BLOWOUT" IN KANSAS--DAMAGE TO CROPS AND SOIL--DUST STORM COMES SUDDENLY--TORNADO IN ARKANSAS. Following a heavy downpour of rain on Easter Sunday night the atmosphereat Topeka, Kansas, was filled with dust until it had the appearance of aheavy fog. The dust came from the western part of the state where severedust storms prevailed. In western Kansas the "blowout" has been as great a source of damage tothe wheat fields as the drought or chinch bugs or hot winds. In theevent of a drought there is always some hope of rain; with the hot windsthere is hope of a cool spell; while the ravages of the chinch bugs maybe checked in two or three ways. With the "blowout" there absolutely is no hope left, and not only is thewheat crop gone for good, but the ground sometimes is left in badcondition. The "blowout" is little understood by any one except theperson who has witnessed a dust storm. Several years ago the "blowout"was much more common than now, although there is some damage in westerncounties every year from this source. DAMAGE TO CROPS AND SOIL The damage comes not only to the fields that have been blown out, butthe adjoining fields, on to which the "drifting soil" has blown in greatclouds and settled, have suffered likewise, and whole pastures have beenknown to be destroyed by the same means. For several years the farmershave been working night and day to devise some method to prevent thedamage from "drifting soil, " or "blowouts, " as they are more commonlyknown. Senator Malone has introduced in the Kansas Legislature a bill providingthat the county commissioners of any county where a "blowout" hascommenced may call in agricultural experts and devise ways of stoppingthe drifting. The farmers of Thomas County held a meeting in Colbyrecently to discuss the situation and if possible arrive at some meansby which the drifting of soil might be stopped from destroying thecrops. These farmers reported that a strip of land between Colby and Rexford, about fifteen miles long and five miles wide, was blown out last seasonand in that territory not a single root of vegetation remained, and thetop of the ground was as hard as the pavement on any street in KansasCity. The ground as far down as the plough went was completely blownaway. When these fields were blown out the wheat was several inches highand before the wind came up the prospects were bright for a good crop. It took but a few hours for the wind to complete its work ofdestruction. The little town of Gem sits in about the center of thedevastated land. DUST STORM COMES SUDDENLY A dust storm is not only unfortunate, but it is unpleasant in theextreme. It comes up sometimes very suddenly. The sun may be shining andnot a cloud in sight. In less than five minutes the sun will be obscuredfrom view and the air filled with dust, sand, gravel, sticks and otherdebris. Besides suffering from a dust storm, Kansas was stricken by floods dueto heavy rain in some parts of the state. Hail and lightning accompaniedthe rain and did much damage. TORNADO IN ARKANSAS A tornado on Monday night, March 24th, eight miles southwest of Leslie, Arkansas, killed Mrs. John Couders and seriously injured John Coudersand his son William, and James Trieste, his wife and three children. A tornado that passed over Clarksville, Arkansas, on Tuesday, killedMiss Ida Brazell and blew down many houses. At Rumeley five were killedand several injured. Couriers immediately sought aid, carrying news ofgreat suffering in the mountains. Their tales were heart-moving. Lack of insurance, lack of funds and lackof knowledge of what to do when overtaken by calamity made the situationin small towns and in out-of-the-way places more pathetic than that ofthe unhappy homeless in some of the large cities affected by the tornadoor the flood. To the latter relief was immediately sent--fromneighboring places, from the whole country. The others, suffering noless, did not always even succeed in being heard. CHAPTER XXIII THE TORNADO IN INDIANA THE BRUNT OF THE STORM--MANY BURIED UNDER WRECKAGE--SLEEPERS HURLED FROM BEDS--FREAKS OF THE STORM--INJURED CARRIED TO HOSPITALS--ACUTE SUFFERING--RESCUE WORK--NATIONAL GUARD ON DUTY--TOWN OF PERTH LAID WASTE. The record of disaster by tornado was greater in Terre Haute than in anyother place except Omaha. For two weeks before Easter a dense atmospherehung over the city, which occasional heavy rainfalls did not clear. Thensuddenly on Sunday night, about ten o'clock, the lightning flashed andloud peals of thunder followed. The tornado seemed to spring out of the southwestern part of the city asif it came from the swollen waters of the Wabash River. It first smashedinto Gardentown, a suburb of the city, where a great many working peoplelive, and every building in its path crumpled down before it. Thelightning sped over building after building, setting many of them onfire. Parts of the Root Glass Company's plant were flattened. The end ofthe foundry room of the Gartland Factory, a solid brick wall eightinches thick, was caved in. Brick and stone structures suffered alike. MANY BURIED UNDER WRECKAGE In the streets were tangled masses of twisted electric wires splutteringout warnings of death for those who, careless of the first alarm, hadrushed in to rescue those who had been buried under roofs and walls. Policemen, firemen and a host of volunteers struggled through thedebris, sidestepping the live wires that had been torn from theirfastenings. The heavy downpour of rain extinguished many fires, and the city ofTerre Haute was thereby saved from destruction by fire. The largeGreenwood public school was shattered and torn. The tornado, like a hugeauger, bored into the roof and tore the shingles and rafters away andevery window was hurled from its casing. This building was laterconverted into a hospital and morgue. SLEEPERS HURLED FROM BEDS In many instances death came to those who were asleep in their beds whentheir homes collapsed about them. In other cases the bodies were pickedup as if by giant hands and hurled either to death or to terribleinjury. Some were thrown more than a hundred feet. Above the roar of the wind and the rattle of the rain could be heard thescreams of frantic women and children. The scenes were pitiful. Men andwomen were looking for loved ones, and when a torn and mangled form wastaken from the debris, a woman's shriek would tell the story of a lostone found. [Illustration: Copyright by George Grantham Bain. Hundreds of buildings were demolished by the tornado at Terre Haute, Indiana, and many lives were lost] [Illustration: Photograph by Brown Bros. Scenes such as this could be duplicated hundreds of times to illustratethe demoniacal power of the tornado that laid waste the cities and townsthrough which it passed] [Illustration: THE REAPER] Charles Chadwick, a six-year-old boy, owed his escape to the fact thathe left home, in the absence of his parents, to go to a moving-pictureshow. He was found walking along South Fifth Street after the storm, buthis home could not be found as it had been blown away. Seven houses owned by Fred Housman, including the one he lived in, onthe Lockport road, were swept away completely. Five wrecked autos werefound on that road. Between Hulman and Voorhees Streets, in South Eighth, there was completedevastation. Twenty-five houses were leveled to the ground in thisstretch. On the Lockport road, south of Idaho, at least sixteen houses weredestroyed, but there were no fatalities and few were injured in thisimmediate neighborhood. MOTHER AND CHILD SWEPT AWAY Mrs. Flora Wood was hurled seven feet from her home, her small babyclasped in her arms. They were cared for at the Third United BrethrenChurch. The day-old baby of Mrs. Leonard Sloan was found in one corner of thebedroom of their home, while the mother lay in another corner. Theentire top of the house had been blown away. William Rogers, Superintendent of the United Brethren Sunday-school, wasburied beneath the walls of his home. He died while being carried to theschool house. A large stone boarding house conducted by Mrs. Catherine Louden waswrecked and the aged woman and her son, Ralph Louden, were badlyinjured. Many houses were wrecked between Third and Fifth Streets in VoorheesStreet. FREIGHT CAR USED AS HOSPITAL A freight car was pressed into service as a temporary medical quarter, when the fire wagons with the police and fire departments arrived onthe scene. The live wires and burning debris made it impossible for theambulances to get within two blocks of the scene, and the bodies had tobe carried to safety by the rescuers. Six fires broke out in different parts of the devastated district, whilethe rescue work was being carried on. The strong winds still blowingfanned the flames and drove the rescuers from their work. FAMILY BURIED UNDER HOUSE Fred King, a glass blower at 2146 Dilman Street, was found with his wifeand baby covered by the heavy timbers of their home that had collapsedwhen the storm struck it. King had been hurled from his bed a distanceof ten feet. Two heavy timbers had almost crushed the life out of him. His wife was terribly injured. A few feet away the baby was picked updead. The mother in her death struggles probably tried to save the babyby throwing it away from her. Near the Greenwood school several more were killed and many wereinjured. Mrs. E. J. Edwards, wife of a druggist, was knocked down by aheavy timber that broke her leg and pinned her to the ground. When shewas found the woman was screaming for her child, and later the littlefellow, eight years old, was picked up dead and carried to the Greenwoodschool building. Remarkable escapes were made in the twenty-four hundred block on SouthThird Street, some of the residents of the square being seriouslyinjured. Mr. And Mrs. George Carmichael escaped from their home as itwas blown away by the wind. Many families were separated in the excitement and for two hours afterthe storm had passed anxious husbands, mothers and children weresearching the debris for absent members of their families. Many couldnot find the wrecked remains of their homes, so hopelessly tangled wasthe wreckage in the streets and on the sidewalks, and in several casesit was difficult even to find the place where the home had stood. INJURED CARRIED TO HOSPITALS Ambulances and moving vans were used to carry the injured to hospitalsand as these were soon filled stables and homes were converted intotemporary hospitals. More than two hundred persons were placed under thecare of doctors, but many were only slightly hurt and in some caseswomen were found to be suffering merely from fright. These were soondismissed to make room for those actually suffering. The scenes at the hospitals were pitiful. The agony of the sufferers wasincreased by the uncertainty as to the fate and condition of theirfamilies and friends. Little children, lying in bandages about the hospital, cried out in painand fright. One little fellow with a big gash over his eye cried out forhis mother as he was being taken to the operating room. His father satnear him and tried to lend what comfort was possible. A little girl inone of the large rooms of the hospital played and laughed on her bedwhile three anxious physicians worked with her sister, who had sustaineda compound fracture of the leg and a dislocated shoulder. VICTIMS' FRIENDS CROWD TO FIND THEM Friends and relatives of people living in the storm devastated regionsoon crowded the halls of the hospitals, anxiously inquiring if thosedear to them were among the victims. Many learned of the whereabouts ofrelatives or friends in the rooms of the hospital and crowded in to seethem when this was possible, expressing joy that they had escaped fromdeath beneath the falling walls and timbers of their homes. One man, when lifted on the operating table, was found to be dead. RESCUE WORK The rescue work was carried on rapidly, and Monday night all thehomeless were cared for by charitable institutions and citizens, whilethe more seriously injured were carried to places where they couldreceive medical attention. In many cases private homes were turned intotemporary hospitals. The scenes in the wrecked sections in Terre Haute brought tears to theeyes of the rescuers, whose attention often was called to the dying, trapped in the debris of their homes, by agonizing screams for aid. Somedied before they could be freed from wreckage and others who wereremoved died afterward. NATIONAL GUARD ON DUTY A company of the Indiana National Guard was placed on duty in thedevastated district early Monday morning while the work of searching theruins for dead was still in progress. Over the entire area werescattered all kinds of household furniture, wearing apparel, beds andbedding. Looting began within a few moments and the police were at first too busycaring for the injured and removing the dead from the debris to protectproperty, but the members of the National Guard soon established anefficient patrol and the looters were not in evidence afterward. TOWN OF PERTH LAID WASTE The tornado which visited Terre Haute also struck Perth, in the northernpart of Clay County, about ten o'clock and then vanished in the air. Nolives were lost there and only one person was injured. Nearly every building in the little town of 400 population was wreckedor damaged. A brick store building, five two-story houses and sevencottages, the Congregational church, a school house, a three-storystructure, barns and outhouses were completely demolished. CHAPTER XXIV THE TORNADO IN PENNSYLVANIA STORMS THROUGHOUT THE STATE--ALARM IN ALTOONA--FURIOUS WIND IN WILLIAMSPORT--HEAVY STORM IN SHAMOKIN--COLUMBIA IN DARKNESS--A VERITABLE TORNADO IN SCRANTON. The disturbances in the atmosphere which wrought such havoc in Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana were also at work in Pennsylvania. Altoona, Williamsport, Marietta, Columbia and Scranton were among the townssuffering the greatest damage. The flood situation throughout theKeystone State will be treated in a later chapter. ALARM IN ALTOONA The storm struck Altoona on Tuesday, March 25th. With a crash thatalarmed the entire neighborhood, eighty feet of the 162-foot steel stackat the Pennsylvania Central Light and Power Company's plant was blowndown. The wind tore madly through the city and the rain fell intorrents. Many houses were unroofed and a number of smaller buildingswere entirely demolished. No one was injured, but damage to the extentof at least $2, 000 was reported. FURIOUS WINDS IN WILLIAMSPORT A heavy wind and rainstorm swept through Williamsport on the sameafternoon, following a few hours of clear weather that came in the wakeof twenty-four hours' rain. It unroofed a number of houses in the westend of the city, blew away the roofs of several cars in the NewberryJunction railroad yards, partially demolished a car inspector's office, sent twenty men in a panic from the second story of the New York Centraloffices, which they feared would be blown to pieces; blew in the frontof a store on Grove Street and scattered canned goods for a block downthe street and swept a path through a grove in the same section, prostrating a dozen giant oaks. Train service through Williamsport was seriously deranged all dayTuesday. A landslide that covered both tracks of the PennsylvaniaRailroad for sixty feet, with a mass of mud five feet deep, three mileseast of Renovo, completely upset the train schedule on the SusquehannaDivision. The slide occurred about seven o'clock in the morning, and it was notuntil eleven o'clock that the eastbound track was opened and passengertrains were let through. The westbound track was not cleared until themorning. While the blockade existed special trains were run fromWilliamsport. HEAVY STORM IN SHAMOKIN A terrific wind storm from the northwest swept through Shamokin Valleyand Shamokin, followed by rain, which fell in torrents. This storm alsooccurred on Tuesday. Crops in country districts were torn up and badlydamaged, while lowlands were flooded. Roofs on a number of barns andout-dwellings were blown away, and telephone and telegraph wires wereput out of commission. COLUMBIA IN DARKNESS Columbia was struck by a severe electric storm accompanied by a downpourof rain on Tuesday evening. Lightning struck the local electric plant, doing considerable damage and putting the town in total darkness for thenight. Many residents and storekeepers were compelled to resort tocandles to help them out during the evening. A VERITABLE TORNADO IN SCRANTON In Scranton the storm of March 25th amounted to a veritable tornado. TheRound Woods section of the city suffered most. The Clemons Silk Mill, owned by D. G. Derry, of Catasauqua, was unroofed and a 150-foot sectionof the roof was deposited on the adjacent engine room, partiallydemolishing the structure. The two sixty-foot smokestacks in the rearyard fell on top of the engine house. The roof of the warping departmentalso fell on the engine house. The back walls of the warping departmentfell into the yard, while the upper part of the front walls fell in. Themachines were six feet from the walls. The girls crouched under theirmachines and escaped serious injury. Several fainted and were carriedout by foremen. Amelia Davis, a warper, was hit on the head by a brick as she hurriedfrom the second floor. Tessie Carey, of Minooka, sustained a black eyeand lacerations of the left side of the face by falling bricks. GusMinnick, a repairer, working in the engine room, had just set his dinnerpail where one of the stacks fell. There were altogether one hundred andfifty girls at work, but outside of bruises and scratches they wereuninjured. The property damage was about $20, 000. Much silk on the loomswas ruined. A large tower was blown off a school. Three houses in the neighborhoodwere also badly damaged by the wind. The storm caused destruction in allparts of the city and adjoining places. Trees and fences were blown down in all parts of the city and in theadjoining country. The storm came from the west and its approach was preceded by an inkyblack sky which, coupled with thoughts of the havoc of Sunday's storm inNebraska, caused a general consternation. A heavy downpour accompaniedby thunder and lightning followed the tornado. CHAPTER XXV THE FREAK TORNADO IN ALABAMA FREAKS OF THE WIND--PITIABLE CHAOS--THE HERO OF LOWER PEACHTREE--EXTENT OF DAMAGE. Weird tales of horror and misery attended the tornado which swept overthe little town of Lower Peachtree, Alabama, on Friday, March 21st, wrecking the entire village. After the tornado had passed, corpses with hair stripped from heads anddivested of every thread of clothing were picked up. Naked men and womenran screaming in the semi-darkness. Chickens and hogs stripped of feathers and hair wandered in bewildermentamong the ruins. Nailed unerringly into trees cleaned of their bark werepickets from fences that had been swept away. Where once had stood a bigsteamboat warehouse near the river was left the floor of the buildingstanding upon which were the entire contents of the warehouse untouchedby the terrific whirls of the wind. In the backyard of the Bryant home, buried in debris, was a chickencoop, not a splinter awry. Within it was a goose sitting meekly upon adozen eggs which she had not left. The blast wrenched an iron bed from a house and wrapped it around a treetrunk as no human hand could have done. Crossing the river from the town it had desolated it bore away half of asoapstone bluff many feet in height and left the other half standingunmarred. Miss Mary Watson, a visitor in the Stabler home, was crossing a hallwaywhen the tornado struck. She was swept through the hallway and to therear of the house, where she was blown against a tree and her backbroken. PITIABLE CHAOS In the business neighborhood everything was swept away except twogrocery stores. They were thrown open as dispensaries of freeprovisions. No semblance of order could be brought from the pitiable chaos of thewrecked town until Sunday afternoon, when cool heads prevailed and thesurvivors and visitors who offered assistance were regularly organizedinto committees to attend to the needs of the sufferers. Troops from Fort Oglethorpe, with hospital corps and supplies for therelief of the sufferers arrived Sunday night and administered to theneeds of the injured and homeless. THE HERO OF LOWER PEACHTREE Tributes to the bravery of Professor Griffin, a survivor of the tornado, were paid by many who visited the scene. Professor Griffin, after havingbeen blown hundreds of feet from his home, returned bruised and bleedingto the center of the town and worked unceasingly to relieve the injuredand to quiet survivors, insane with grief and excitement. PeterMilledge, whose wife and two children perished when their home wasdestroyed, went mad. EXTENT OF DAMAGE The Red Cross agent who investigated the situation at Lower Peachtree onWednesday, March 26th, reported that sixty-eight were injured in thetornado which swept that section and that two hundred were destitute. CHAPTER XXVI THE FLOOD IN NEW YORK HUNDREDS OF HOMES IN BUFFALO FLOODED--THE PLIGHT OF ROCHESTER--VALLEY OF THE GENESEE PARALYZED--DRIVEN FROM HOMES AT OLEAN--WORST FLOOD IN HISTORY OF HORNELL--LAKE COUNTRY PARALYZED WITH FEAR--WATER COVERS PART OF BINGHAMTON--GLENS FALLS BRIDGE DOWN--DISTRESS IN FORT EDWARD--BIG PAPER COMPANY IN TROUBLE--HOMES ABANDONED IN SCHENECTADY--HIGH WATERS IN TROY--WATERVLIET FLOODED--ALBANY IN THE GRIP OF THE FLOOD. A tremendous downfall of rain, March 24th and 25th, developed some ofthe worst floods known in fifty years. Vast areas of New York were underwater and hundreds of homes were swept away. On the night of March 25th the entire area of South Buffalo was underwater, street car traffic was suspended and rowboats were plying thestreets. The Buffalo River and Cazenovia Creek had both overflowed their bankswith a rush at ten o'clock in the morning, and the dwellers in the SouthPark section of the city had no chance to escape. Hundreds of homes were soon flooded. Firemen were sent out in boats torescue those who desired to leave. Hundreds of workers were marooned indistant parts of the city, unable to reach their homes. Within the city limits of Buffalo big manufacturing plants suffered$150, 000 of damage. Many big oil tanks were overturned and crashedagainst buildings. Train service throughout the city was practically ata standstill, and miles of track east and south of the city were washedaway. The main line of the Erie Railroad, between Buffalo and New YorkCity, was washed out in many places. THE PLIGHT OF ROCHESTER Not since 1865, when Rochester, then a city of 50, 000, suffered immensedamage by floods, has the city faced such a serious situation as it didon the night of Friday, March 28th. Half the business section was underwater, which in some sections was five feet deep. Water commenced to pour into Front, Mill and Andrew Streets earlyThursday evening, and all through the night merchants worked to gettheir goods to higher ground. The big warehouse of the Graves FurnitureCompany in Mill Street was flooded so quickly that thousands of dollarsdamage was done to the goods. The following morning it was impossible toget through these streets except in boats and rafts, and the work ofsalvage was continued in this way. The newspaper offices of the _Post Express and Democrat_ and the_Chronicle_ had their basements flooded and the presses put out ofcommission. The Pennsylvania line into Rochester, which uses the bed ofthe old Genesee Canal, was put out of commission. The Erie and LehighValley lines to villages to the south were blocked by the floods forseveral days. The only fatality of the flood occurred at six o'clock Sunday evening, when a boy who was paddling over the flooded meadow of the GeneseeValley Park was carried out into the river. The canoe was swept over thedam at Court Street. VALLEY OF THE GENESEE PARALYZED The whole valley of the Genesee was more or less paralyzed. As early asWednesday the villages of Mount Morris and Dansville, in the GeneseeRiver Valley, were under several feet of water, and the terrified folkwho lived in the lowlands were hurrying to places of safety, abandoningtheir homes. Commerce was soon at a standstill, and conditions continued to grow moreserious. They were in some localities worse than at any time since 1865. The washing out of bridges and the flooding of roads practically cut thevillages off from the outside world. DRIVEN FROM HOMES AT OLEAN One thousand persons were driven from their homes at Olean by the highwaters of the Canisteo and Hornell. John Cook was drowned whileattempting to rescue others. Four oil tanks were floating about the city of Olean, and the coating ofoil on the water made the danger from fire serious. The water was fromthree to ten feet deep. [Illustration: Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y. Showing what was once the town of Lower Peachtree. The six X's denotethe places where houses stood before the tornado, in the heart of themain residential streets] [Illustration: Copyright by International News Service. One of the victims of the tornado at Omaha was picked up by the tornadoand his corpse left suspended in the broken and twisted limbs of atree] WORST FLOOD IN HISTORY OF HORNELL Following thirty hours of continued rain, Hornell, a small city inSteuben County, suffered the worst flood in its history. It swept downthe Canisteo Valley, completely inundating the greater portion of thecity of Hornell and half a dozen villages within a radius of ten miles. A thousand homes were flooded. The Canisteo Valley for a distance of forty miles was under water, andthe situation was appalling. Roads were washed out, bridges gone andmuch property destroyed. The fire in every furnace in the flood districtwas out, and suffering was acute. LAKE COUNTRY PARALYZED WITH FEAR The lake region in the central western part of the state sufferedheavily from floods. The villages of Marcellus, Camillus and Marietta, west of Syracuse, were threatened with extinction. The earthen bank, which adjoins the huge dam of Otisco Lake, weakened and, it was fearedthat if the flood conditions did not improve the bank would give way. Auburn was seriously threatened by the rising of Owasco Lake. The damfurnishing power to the Dunn and McCarthy shoe shops broke in the centerand it was feared the rest of the structure would go down. Pumps were atwork continuously in the Auburn water works at Owasco Lake to keep theengine and boiler pits free of water. The Lehigh Valley Railroad along Cayuga Lake, between Auburn and Ithaca, was under water for a distance of nine miles south of Kings Ferry. Notrains were running on that branch. A small bridge at Farley's Point, near the lower end of Cayuga Lake, was washed away. An avalanche of mudand stones buried the railroad tracks near Kings Ferry. The incessant rains of two days raised the little creeks in the vicinityof Interlaken to torrents. Many bridges were washed out. Canandaigua Lake reached its highest level in sixteen years. Streets inCanandaigua were flooded. Floods due to breaks and overflows in the Erie Canal at Waterloo, SenecaFalls, Port Bryon and elsewhere, caused thousands of dollars loss. TheSeneca River was over its banks. WATER COVERS PART OF BINGHAMTON At Binghamton, on the Susquehanna River, water covered the entirenorthwestern residence section of the city. All the manufacturingestablishments along the river banks were closed. Boats were forced into use in the residence districts and the FireDepartment, with three steamers, endeavored to keep down the water inthe basements in the business section. GLENS FALLS BRIDGE DOWN But more serious than the conditions anywhere else in New York werethose along the Hudson River Valley. Damage estimated at not less than$300, 000 was caused by high water near Glens Falls, resulting from heavyrains, which fell for nearly a week. The steel suspension bridge, two hundred feet in length, across theHudson between the city and South Glens Falls was destroyed. All recordsfor high water were broken, the bridge being carried out after the steelsupports underneath had been constantly pounded for hours by logs dashedagainst them by the raging waters. At Hadley, one of the plants of the Union Bag and Paper Company wascompletely flooded, and water was pouring from every window. It wasfeared that the structure might be destroyed. All paper mills in thesection were closed down. DISTRESS IN FORT EDWARD At Fort Edward village $50, 000 damage was done. About one hundredfamilies were driven from their homes to seek shelter in higher parts ofthe village. Many parts of the village were submerged and in the mainbusiness section five feet of water filled the cellars on the river sideof the street. The water had reached the windows of the first stories ofmany houses in the lower sections. Trains of loaded coal cars were usedto hold down the monster railroad bridge of the Delaware and HudsonCompany at this village while big jams of logs threatened to carry itout. BIG PAPER COMPANY IN TROUBLE At least 150 feet of the big dam of the International Paper Company atCorinth was carried out and the mill partly flooded. A small part of thesame company's dam at Fort Edward was also carried out. TheInternational was one of the heaviest losers. HOMES ABANDONED IN SCHENECTADY At Schenectady, just west of the Hudson on the Mohawk, houses ontwenty-five streets were abandoned by their occupants. The entire lowersection of the city was submerged. The whole Mohawk Valley was swept by the worst flood in its history. The Groff dam near Herkimer broke and several houses were carried away. A dam at Canajoharie threatened to go out. Three great canal gates atFort Plain were swept away. The Amsterdam reservoir, which covers 680acres, was weakened and a patrol was stationed there. HIGH WATERS IN TROY So great was the flood in Troy, on the Hudson below the entrance of theMohawk, that martial law was practically declared. Members of twomilitary companies patrolled the streets, relieving the tired firemenand police, many of whom had been on continuous duty for forty-eighthours. Mayor Burns did not sleep for two nights, taking charge in personof the Public Safety Department. Fires added to the seriousness of the flood situation and firemen werekept busy all day answering alarms in the flooded district. Damageestimated at thousands of dollars was done by the fire. For the first time in the history of Troy the newspapers, with oneexception, were unable to go to press. One publication printed afour-page pamphlet on a hand press. Another was printed in Albany. Hundreds of families were rendered homeless, and relief stations invarious parts of the city were filled with refugees. The city faced anepidemic of typhoid, and every effort was made to guard against it. WATERVLIET FLOODED In Watervliet the water in many places measured ten feet deep and thepolice station and post-office were flooded. One-third of Green Islandwas submerged. In Rensselaer, across the river from Albany, much damageand suffering were caused. The losses of logs in the regions to the north amounted to manythousands of dollars and the damage in the lumber district of Albany washeavy. ALBANY IN THE GRIP OF THE FLOOD On March 27th the river at Albany was seventeen feet above normal andwas still rising. The power plants were put out of commission, streetcar traffic practically suspended and schools and factories closed. Thecity's filtration plant was threatened. The south end of the city wasunder water. Railroad service was crippled, mails delayed and telegraph and telephoneservice hampered. There was much damage to property, but no loss oflife. The damage in Albany was estimated at $1, 000, 000. Governor Sulzer wasinformed that about $3, 500, 000 will be necessary to repair theembankments along the old and the new barge canal locks and dams. CHAPTER XXVII THE FLOOD IN PENNSYLVANIA TRAINS IN NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA TIED UP--MEADVILLE SUBMERGED--SHENANGO VALLEY IN DISTRESS--PANIC IN NEW CASTLE--BEAVER RIVER AT FLOOD--THE RISING ALLEGHENY AT WARREN--FEARS OF OIL CITY--GRAVE SITUATION OF PITTSBURGH. Many dead, hundreds ill, thousands homeless, and many millions ofdollars' worth of property destroyed--such was the record of the floodin the Keystone State. By Tuesday, March 25th, railroad travel in northwestern Pennsylvania wasseriously tied up on account of washouts, due to recent rains. Corrybecame the western terminal of the Erie Railroad, trains west of Corrybeing abandoned. Between Corry and Titusville were four washouts, tyingup the Pennsylvania Railroad. MEADVILLE SUBMERGED In Meadville the situation was even worse. Once again Mill Run andNeason's Run, combined with the floods of French and Cussewago Creeks, overflowed the city. With the exception of a few of the high sections, the entire city wasunder water, which in some sections reached to the second story ofhomes. Business places on lower Chestnut, Water, Market and South MainStreets and Park Avenue were submerged, water running through the mainrooms of the hotels and other business places. The waters had a clearsweep of nearly half of the city, and never before had the four streamscombined for such a gambol. SHENANGO VALLEY IN DISTRESS Throughout the Shenango Valley hundreds of families were imprisoned intheir homes and frantic efforts were made to rescue the marooned personsfrom their dangerous positions. At Sharon the greatest flood in thehistory of the city was experienced. Thousands of persons were thrownout of employment and the property loss was enormous. The entire townwas inundated and a dozen or more bridges were wrecked. The loss of theUnited States Steel Corporation at Farrel, a suburb, was estimated at$200, 000. The torrent swept swiftly upon Sharon. The crest reached a height offifty feet. The released wall of water, gathering buildings, stacks oflumber, hundreds of logs and a mass of debris in its van as a giantbattering ram, rolled like a giant hoop into the center of the thrivingmilling town. It followed the course of the Shenango, which bisects thecity. After the flood unsuccessfully rammed the double line of steel buildingsthe torrent passed further to the center of the city. One pier of aconcrete bridge, erected two years before, which spans Silver andPorter Streets, cracked off like a matchstick. The impact carried theblock of concrete, weighing several tons, for a distance of a quarter ofa mile. Fire added to the terror of the flood when Wishart's planing mill, onRailroad Street, was discovered to be in flames Tuesday afternoon. Thesteamers of the fire companies could not be taken close enough to pumpwater from the swollen Shenango. There was only one recourse--to takethe supply of drinking water in the city's reservoir or permit the fireto burn and possibly jeopardize all the wooden buildings within a radiusof a mile. Sharonites actually cheered the firemen as they saw theirdrinking water vanish. PANIC IN NEW CASTLE The flood waters of the Shenango caused great distress in New Castle andnear-by places. The water put the lighting plants and the city waterstation out of commission. Fifteen hundred homes were submerged. Thousands had to flee. BEAVER RIVER AT FLOOD The Beaver River rose high and the entire valley from the Ohio Rivernorth was flooded. The towns of New Brighton, Fallston and Beaver Fallssuffered most, and there was some damage at Rochester. Traffic on therailroads was suspended at daybreak, and not a trolley car was runningin the valley. THE RISING ALLEGHENY AT WARREN At Warren and points all down the length of the Allegheny River toPittsburgh, flood conditions were still more serious. For Warren itself the worst was feared. Hourly the flood situation grewworse. On Wednesday the water was rising at the rate of four inches anhour. The river threatened to cut a new channel through the south sideof the city and scores of men were piling up sandbags to prevent this. [Illustration: MAP SHOWING SOME OF THE PRINCIPAL CITIES AND TOWNS INWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA THAT WERE FLOODED] Captain U. G. Lyons assumed charge of the situation, and under hisdirection a life raft composed of barrels was made and launched in theAllegheny River. Thanks to the raft, not one life was lost from amongthe many who floated down the stream on debris. FEARS OF OIL CITY Oil City, on Oil Creek near its entrance to the Allegheny River, was ina serious plight. Oil Creek overflowed its banks and covered the portionof town that was devastated by the great fire and flood of 1892. The town was in a condition bordering on panic and business wassuspended. More than seventy-five persons were removed from their homesin wagons, the water being from five to six feet deep. Railroadssuffered heavily. Newspapers and industrial plants at Oil City were shut down because offlooded power rooms. Fires were prohibited and railroad locomotives wereordered to extinguish their fires to avoid any danger of igniting theoil. GIRL DROWNED AT FRANKLIN One death and extensive property damage were caused in the vicinity ofFranklin by the flooded condition of the Allegheny River and FrenchCreek. Every one in the flooded district was ordered to extinguish all fires, as benzine from the Titusville refineries was floating on the risingwaters. GRAVE SITUATION OF PITTSBURGH In Pittsburgh the flood situation became serious by the evening of March26th, and continued to grow rapidly worse. The gauge at Point Bridgeshewed twenty-six feet at eight o'clock, four feet above the dangerpoint, and the rivers were rising steadily. Rain was falling throughoutthe western watershed, and every stream in western Pennsylvania assumedthe proportions of a raging torrent. In the Pittsburgh district 100, 000 were idle, the workmen having beendriven from the manufacturing plants by high waters. Ten miles ofstreets were converted into canals. In parts of the North Side thestreets were under twelve feet of water. The policeboats patrolled theflooded district, carrying coal and food to families marooned in theupper floors of their homes. Pittsburgh's suburbs down the Ohio were all partly inundated. Ambridge, Woodlawn, Sewickley, Coraopolis and McKees Rocks residents were forcedto desert their homes or take to the upper floors. Downtown the pumps were working in most of the hotels, theatres andoffice buildings. Business was nearly at a standstill. Hundreds ofthousands of dollars worth of store goods was ruined. The ExpositionMusic Hall was holding four feet of water. No trains were running to the flooded regions. At least a score ofrailroad bridges had been destroyed, and miles of tracks carried away. The railroad damage contributed largely to the estimated total damage of$50, 000, 000. TOLL OF THE FLOOD AT SHAMOKIN In Central Pennsylvania, especially along the Susquehanna, the floodgripped many towns. At Shamokin mountain streams overflowed their banks, and in some instances water flowed down mine breaches and found its wayto the lower levels of collieries. Mine pumps were run to theirgreatest capacity to prevent inundations. The Shamokin Creek, inShamokin Valley, overflowed its banks in the lowlands and spread overacres of ground on either side of the creek channel. COLUMBIA AND MARIETTA FLOODED More than three inches of water fell at Columbia in a period oftwenty-four hours. All the streams overflowed and much damage was done. Trains on the Columbia branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad ran througheighteen inches of water. The storm was accompanied by high winds, whichunroofed scores of buildings. At Marietta, after a storm reported as the worst in many years, theflood situation was grave. The river rose high, fields were flooded andresidents on Front Street were obliged to move to second stories. Twomen upset in a boat along the York County shore while after ducks weredrowned. DESTRUCTION AND DAMAGE IN MINING TOWNS Many of the mining towns in Pennsylvania were distressed byunprecedented floods. At Scranton the Lackawanna River overflowed itsbanks in various places. Richmond No. 1 and No. 2 collieries and theDelaware and Hudson "slope" colliery in North Scranton were compelled toshut down by reason of the water flooding the engine rooms. The Ontarioand Western tracks at Providence and the Delaware and Hudson tracks atDickson City were washed out. Water surrounded the Frisbie and the Blisssilk mills in Dickson City and the girls were marooned for the night. Six hundred people living on "Hungarian Flats, " in the northern end ofthe city, became panic-stricken when water broke through the streets, and, taking their cattle and household goods, they fled to the hills atThroop. At Wilkes-Barre the Susquehanna reached the flood stage. The water wentover the lowlands on the west side and Wilkes-Barre was cut off frommany of its suburban towns, all traffic being stopped. The towns ofEdwardsville, Kingston, Westmoor and West Nanticoke were partly underwater. Five hundred families were driven from their homes and forced toseek safety. The water rose so rapidly that it was necessary to rescuewomen and children in rowboats. Considerable damage was done toproperty, but there was no loss of life. In Westmoor, Edwardsville and West Nanticoke the water reached the firstfloors of the buildings. Families were compelled to depart and leavetheir furnishings to be damaged by the water. As a result of heavy rains the water rose high in many of the mines ofthe Hazleton region. Railroad men were warned to be on guard forwashouts. The Beaver Brook and Hazle Mountain mines closed on account of highwater. The mules were removed from the Ebervale, Harleigh and BeaverBrook workings. At Shenandoah the storm that raged for two days did untold damage to themines. At Kehley Run Colliery the water main that supplies the boilerswith water was washed away and the colliery was compelled to shut down. The fires were hurriedly drawn, thereby preventing an explosion. AtBast Colliery, near Girardville, the water rushed into a mine breach andflooded the workers. It was with difficulty the miners escaped. Electric-light, telephone and telegraph wires were down in Shenandoah, and many homes in the lowlands were flooded. The trolley and steam roadswere hampered by the heavy rains, and in many places tracks were washedout. Heavy floods caused the entombment of six men at the Buck Run Colliery, at Mount Pleasant, and a rescuing party worked up to their necks inwater to get the men out alive. The softness of the earth caused thesagging of a breast, which was followed by a sudden rush of water, cutting off the escape of the entombed men. CHAPTER XXVIII THE FLOOD IN THE OHIO VALLEY PERIL IN THE OHIO VALLEY--DISTRESS AT WHEELING--PARKERSBURG UNDER WATER--KENTUCKY TOWNS SUBMERGED--IMPERILED TOWNS IN INDIANA--SHAWNEETOWN SUBMERGED--CAIRO FACING CRISIS--SITUATION HOURLY WORSE. While Dayton, Columbus and other cities of the Middle West were passingthrough the worst floods in their history, the Ohio River was preparingnew perils. All along its course it carried destruction. DISTRESS AT WHEELING At Wheeling, as early as March 26th, several persons were drowned andmany narrowly escaped death when a freshet swept down Wheeling Creekthrough Barton, Ohio. Two days later, with the crest of the flood past, Wheeling turned totake up in earnest the task of caring for her thousands of destitute andhomeless. Although the loss in money ran into millions, few of those able to aidseemed to think of anything but the alleviation of want and suffering. Before noon Mayor Kirk had raised more than $6, 000 for the relief fund, and most of the wealthy men and women of Wheeling had contributed. Churches, schools, clubs, auditorium, public halls and hundreds ofprivate residences were thrown open to those driven from the lowerquarters. PARKERSBURG UNDER WATER More than half the business district of Parkersburg and part of theresidence section were under water on March 28th, with the Ohio Riverstill rising. The gas, electric and water plants went out of commissionsoon after noon, and street cars stopped operations. All the newspaperplants were flooded out except that of the Parkersburg _Sentinel_, whoseeditorial force was taken to the building in boats, and worked on thesecond story while water was flowing through the rooms below them. Asingle page, printed on a proof press and containing the flood news ofthe Associated Press report, was delivered to newsboys in boats, whosold each copy at a fancy price, as the printing of the edition waslimited to two a minute. KENTUCKY TOWNS SUBMERGED The crest of the Ohio river flood reached Louisville April 1st, with astage of about forty-five feet. The railroad situation in Louisville became acute. The Louisville, Henderson and St. Louis suspended traffic entirely. The Louisville andNashville from Cincinnati could reach the city only by detouring throughJeffersonville, Indiana, crossing the swollen Ohio on the Big Fourbridge and returning via the Pennsylvania bridge to reach the Louisvilleand Nashville station, which was used also by the Pennsylvania trains. [Illustration: Copyright by American Press Association. Scene showing a section of Omaha entirely wrecked. On the left is allthat remains of Idlewild Hall. At this spot a large number of peoplewere killed] [Illustration: Copyright by the International News Service. A typical scene at one of the relief stations. Here men, who a few hoursbefore had been millionaires, stood in line with their fellow citizens, quite as much dependent on these relief stations for sustenance aspaupers. Orville Wright, the famous aviator, was one of the men in thebread line] Western Kentucky points continued to report rising water. Owensboro, Henderson and Wickliffe were centers of refuge for inhabitants of thelowlands, who fled before the flood. There were more than four thousandrefugees at Wickliffe. At Paducah on April 3d the flood situation was rendered doubly grave bythe fact that smallpox had broken out in the camp of colored refugees onGregory Heights. Five hundred on the hill had been quarantined. IMPERILED TOWNS IN INDIANA The government relief boat "Scioto, " in command of Lieutenant Hight, U. S. A. , towed a barge load of provisions into Lawrenceburg, Indiana, onMarch 31st, to find but forty of the five thousand homes there not underwater. When the boat proceeded to Aurora conditions were found almost asbad, with but five hundred homes free from the reach of theall-engulfing waters. The south levee at Lawrenceburg broke at 2. 50 P. M. On March 29th. Awall of water poured through the opening and went raging through thecenter of the town, tearing up all before it. Houses were crushed likeeggshells and the wreckage was carried four miles along the Miami to thefill on the main line of the Big Four. The break came when it was leastexpected, but the residents were warned to leave town, and no lives werelost. Water stood six feet deep in the streets. JEFFERSONVILLE AND EVANSVILLE FLOODED At Jeffersonville two hundred convicts from the Indiana Reformatoryworked for nearly two days on the levee during the flood week, andthrough their work it was possible to save the town from the Ohio River. A committee of citizens of Jeffersonville perfected arrangements for abanquet to be given in honor of the gray-garbed men who saved theirhomes. The entertainment was planned for April 13th, at a cost of$1, 000. Evansville citizens were alarmed at the continued rise of the Ohio, andall movables were carried to places of certain safety. On April 1st, theGovernment took charge of the flood situation. Captain W. K. Naylorhastened to commandeer steamboats and patrol the river to pick up floodsufferers. Mayor Charles Heilman left for Mount Vernon to take charge ofrescue work in that section. Thirty thousand persons within a radius of ninety miles around MountVernon were calling for help on April 4th. The Howell levee, protecting two hundred families in Ingleside, betweenEvansville and Howell, gave way and the Ingleside district was inundatedwith depths of from six to ten feet. Minutemen had been posted all longthe dangerous dike, and when the water began to pour over the top analarm was sounded and all escaped. SHAWNEETOWN SUBMERGED Shawneetown, Illinois, was entirely cut off from the outside world. Onthe night of April 1st, the water in the streets was twelve feet deep. After another twenty-four hours, all that was left of Shawneetown werethe few substantial brick and stone buildings behind the main levee, andthey were considered unsafe. Less than one hundred persons remained inthe former town of three thousand, and they were perched in the secondand third stories of Main Street buildings, structures on the higheststreet in the town. A strong wind completed the destruction begun by theopening of the levee. CAIRO FACING CRISIS As usual, Cairo feared the worst from the on-sweeping flood of the OhioRiver. The Cairo executive flood committee late on March 30th sent anappeal to President Wilson asking for aid for Cairo and towns nearby: "The worst flood ever known in the Ohio Valley and the Mississippi isnow expected. All previous records at Cairo and south may be broken in afew days. We are making every effort in our power to take care of localsituation, but the river communities near us should have assistance. Boats, sacks, food and other supplies are needed. May we not have thehelp of your great office for this district?" The Big Four levee, which protected the "drainage district, " went out onApril 1st. It was about five miles north of the city. Accordingly, asworkmen were able to battle no longer with the levee situation in thedrainage district, they were brought into Cairo and set to work alongthe river front. The state troops were sent in squads of five, eachaccompanied by a policeman, to visit the rendezvous of men who wereunwilling to or had refused to work. All places of business which did not handle goods needed for the comfortand necessities of the people were closed in order to give opportunityto get out the strongest working force possible. Employees of closedconcerns responded willingly for duty and reinforced to a great extentthe work along the river front. The Rev. M. M. Love, of the Methodist Church, who has had charge ofrelief work in former years, was again at the head of the reliefcommittee. He was given about twenty assistants and a temporaryhospital, which was arranged on a large wharf boat in the river. The Seventh Regiment, which had headquarters in St. Mary's Park, movedits equipment into another large wharf boat. This placed all thequarters of troops on boats. About one half of the population had leftthe city. They were chiefly women and children. SITUATION HOURLY WORSE On the evening of April 2d, the city was in a state of anxiety neverbefore experienced. The river gauge at 6. 30 o'clock stood at 54. 4, astage three-tenths of an inch higher than any previous record. The inundation of the drainage district north of Cairo was complete. Theflood waters were on a level with those in the Ohio River, and wereprevented from flooding into the Mississippi only by the Mobile and Ohiolevee. There were from 7, 000 to 9, 000 acres from seven to twenty feetunder water. The greater number of industrial plants in the section weresubmerged up to the second-story windows, and many houses werecompletely under water. For more than a mile beyond the Illinois Centraltracks and for several miles to the north from the big levee surroundingthe district from Cairo there was nothing which was not touched by thevast field of water. Offers of relief, which were made by the Chicago Association of Commerceand the city of Peoria to Cairo, on April 5th, were accepted. TheChicago organization offered eight boats and sixty men to man them. FromPeoria came word that a steamboat equipped for life-saving purposes waswaiting for a call to Cairo. CHAPTER XXIX THE FLOOD IN THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY FLOOD OF THE MISSISSIPPI INEVITABLE--SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI THREATENED--BAD BREAK IN LEVEE AT HICKMAN--STRENGTHENING THE LEVEES--MEMPHIS IN PERIL--DANGER ALL ALONG THE LINE--RIVER AT RECORD STAGE--RISING HOPE--A NATIONAL PROBLEM. On March 30th the Mississippi Valley was facing one of the worst floodsin its history, and the steady advance of the river threatened a largesection of country. The breaking of the levees along the Mississippiitself, an inevitable result of the great floods in tributary streams, had already begun. The district below St. Louis was a foot or more abovethe flood stage, although the big rise had not arrived. Preparationswere being made to withstand a flood equal to that of 1912. Although thelevees had been made higher in some places, it was not to be expectedthat they would be strong enough all along the river from St. Louis tothe sea. In the lower sections of the Mississippi Valley it was fearedthere might be a repetition of the recent disasters in Ohio. At Charleston, Missouri, on March 30th, the flood conditions weregrowing more acute every hour. The city was filled with refugees fromall directions. Belmont and Crosno, on the Mississippi River, south ofCharleston, were submerged, and the residents fleeing to places ofsafety. East Prairie, Anniston and Wyatt, on the Cotton Belt Railroad, were shutoff from the world and obliged to receive mail through the Charlestonpost-office. SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI THREATENED The St. Louis and San Francisco embankment between Kilbourne andKewanee, in the extreme southeastern part of Missouri, was cut early onApril 5th at the direction of the railway officials to prevent theflooding of a large section of the track if the levee should break at aweak spot. The gap permitted the drainage of a large volume of overflow. One of the most thrilling of the stories was brought by Captain S. A. Martin and Captain H. A. Jamieson, of the Sixth Missouri National Guard. They were rescued in a launch from a section of levee which broke awayat Bird Point, Missouri. Thirty-six of their men, they said, were on the levee section, which wastwo hundred yards long and ten feet wide, and was floating down theMississippi. Commander McMunn, of the Naval Reserves, at once arranged for a steamlaunch and started out to rescue the Missouri soldiers. There was aswift current in the river, and the safety of the men caused theircommanding officer much anxiety. BAD BREAK IN LEVEE AT HICKMAN The levee at Hickman, Kentucky, broke shortly after midday on April 4th, after a night of continuous rain, followed by a driving up-stream wind, flooding the factory district but causing no loss of life. The break, however, did not relieve the river situation at other points, because the water running through the break there was turned back to themain stream by the Government or Reelfoot levee, two miles below thetown. The section flooded was occupied by several factories and thehomes of hundreds of workmen. STRENGTHENING THE LEVEES All along the Mississippi men were at work strengthening the levees. TheGovernment on March 29th prepared to rush 20, 000 empty sacks to Modocand other weak points in the St. Francis levee district. They wereloaded on barges belonging to the Tennessee Construction Company ofMemphis. The boats, which were from one hundred and forty to one hundredand sixty feet in length, were used to house Arkansas convicts sent fromLittle Rock to do levee work. This trouble was felt in many places when the rising tide threatenedlife and property. Industrial anarchy and chaos reigned, andoverwhelming, paralyzing fear seized the people. MEMPHIS IN PERIL On April 5th the protection levee along Bayou Gayoso gave way, floodinga small residence section in the northern portion of Memphis. The break occurred at a point just west of the St. Joseph Hospital, andwithin an hour several blocks of houses in the poorer section of thecity had been flooded. Before night a section of the city three blocks wide and six to nineblocks long was covered with from three to six feet of water. DANGER ALL ALONG THE LINE The banks at Hopefield Point early began to cave in. More than an acreslid into the water just south of the point. The main shore line beganto crumble, indicating that the oncoming high water would wash more thanhalf the old point away. Gangs of men were busy working the north levee in Helena, Arkansas. Major T. C. Dabney, of the upper Mississippi levee district, sent outcrews to raise the lowest places. Major Dabney did not anticipate greattrouble, but said he believes in being prepared. A break in the levee in Holly Bush and Mounds, Arkansas, in April, 1912, put all the west bank lines out of commission for ten days. Miles oftrack were washed away. Fearing a repetition of this, the railroads andshippers agreed to operate a daily boat between Memphis and Helena. The first break in the main Mississippi River levee occurred on April8th on the Arkansas side, just south of Memphis. Three counties wereflooded by water which poured through a big cut in the wall. No loss oflife was reported, the inhabitants having been warned in time that thelevee was weakening. RIVER AT RECORD STAGE It was predicted that the Mississippi River from Vicksburg, Mississippi, to the Gulf would go two feet higher than the highest stage reported in1912, according to a flood warning issued by Captain C. O. Sherrill, United States Army Engineer, on April 2d. In 1912 the maximum of the river gauge at New Orleans showed nearlytwenty-two feet. At that height, and even with the tide reduced byseveral immense crevasses, waters came over the New Orleans levees at anumber of places, despite the fact that they were topped with severalrows of sandbags. Captain Sherrill ascribed the unprecedented flood entirely to the rainsin the river bed caused by last year's crevasses. He issued orders tohave the levees from Vicksburg to Fort Jackson on both sides raisedabove the flood stage of 1912, and men and material were sent to allpoints along the river to combat the expected high water in the lowerMississippi. Colonel Townsend, head of the Mississippi River Commission, ten dayspreviously predicted a stage as high as that of 1912, and sent outwarnings to all engineers in the valley. It was acting upon his advicethat Captain Sherrill began to assemble barges, quarter boats, bags, material and tools to be sent to points between Vicksburg and NewOrleans for possible emergencies. In explaining why the river from Vicksburg to the mouth of the riverwould be higher than last year, Captain Sherrill pointed to the factthat crevasses both below and above the stretch in 1912 lowered theriver there, whereas upon the present rise, with levees expected toconfine the water, the crest naturally would be higher. Because of thisfact the brunt of the high water was expected to strike that stretch, and any possible trouble to be looked for could be expected there, although the levees between Old River and Baton Rouge might also be indanger. RISING HOPE The hopes of the people began to rise as they learned that the entireMississippi levee system was to be made two feet higher than the recordof the flood last year. It was expected the work would be completedbefore the crest of the Ohio River flood reached the lower MississippiValley. On receipt of reports that two hundred families had been driven fromtheir homes in the lowlands of the Atchafalaya River, near BreauxBridge, Louisiana, owing to high water, and were in a destitutecondition, local relief committees from New Orleans rushed a largequantity of supplies to that section. The appeal said if immediate aid was not received it was feared manywould die of starvation. Inhabitants of the district were principallyforeigners, who had reclaimed a part of their truck farms, which weredestroyed by last year's flood. Their newly planted crops wereabandoned. A NATIONAL PROBLEM It is a curious fact that the Mississippi has done as much to kill theold doctrine of states' rights as any other influence. For instance, Louisiana, after spending thirty millions of dollars on river problems, was quite willing to concede that the Mississippi was a national affairand that Federal aid was altogether desirable. But it is plain that theresources of the individual states as well as of the nation must beutilized for the prevention of floods. This is a task so vast that aunited effort is required. CHAPTER XXX DAMAGE TO TRANSPORTATION, MAIL AND TELEGRAPH FACILITIES GREAT DAMAGE AND WASHOUTS--TICKETS SOLD SUBJECT TO DELAY--REPORTS OF TRACKS GONE--PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD A HEAVY SUFFERER--HEAVY LOSS ON BALTIMORE AND OHIO--ESTIMATED DAMAGE--FLOOD PLAYED HAVOC WITH MAILS--GENERAL PROSTRATION OF TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE WIRES. Only one railroad was working between New York and Chicago on the nightof Wednesday, March 26th. That was the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern. Over the line were speeding the trains of the New York Central andallied lines, the Pennsylvania, the Baltimore and Ohio, and the Erie, passenger and freight service combined. Many trains were derailed inflooded territories. The following bulletin was given out at the office of W. C. Brown, president of the New York Central Railroad: "The main line of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway toChicago is not affected to any extent by the heavy rains, and trains aredeparting practically on schedule between New York and Chicago. "The situation south of the Lake Shore line, however, is serious and notrains are being started out of Cleveland for Indianapolis, St. Louis, Dayton, Cincinnati and intermediate points. Through passengers forColumbus are being transferred at New London, Ohio, and handled throughto destination. " TICKETS SOLD SUBJECT TO DELAY Trains went out of the Grand Central Station of New York just the same, but no through western ticket was sold unless the purchaser was informedthat it must be accepted subject to delay. When the Southwestern Limitedleft at four o'clock its ordinary Cincinnati sleeper had been renamedthe Columbus sleeper and the Cincinnati man had to take a chance. Whenits other western expresses went forth the other Ohio, St. Louis andsouthern sleepers were all running on conditions. REPORTS OF TRACKS GONE The Erie Railroad west of Olean, the main line, was out of commission. According to reports received, there were at least one hundred andtwenty washouts along that line farther west, with many bridges gone. Some of the washouts were a mile in length and with the tracks had gonethe roadbed. Twenty trains bound west were stalled at various points, but all were in big towns, so the passengers did not suffer. PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD A HEAVY SUFFERER The Pennsylvania Railroad suffered more damage than any other. Theservice west of Pittsburgh was badly crippled. All through trains fromthe East to points on the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. LouisRailway west of Pittsburgh were temporarily discontinued. [Illustration: RAILROAD MAP OF THE FLOODED DISTRICT IN INDIANA, OHIO ANDWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA] On the lines East, in the vicinity of Pittsburgh, Oil City, Erie andBuffalo, serious washouts developed, aggregating in length on theAllegheny Division, about two thousand five hundred feet of main track. Benjamin McKeen, general manager of the Pennsylvania Railroad's lines, west of Pittsburgh, informed Broad Street Station, Philadelphia, onThursday, that all lines were blocked on both passenger and freightservice, except between Pittsburgh and Cleveland by way of Alliance. "We are gradually getting our lines of communication established so thatour information seems a little more definite, although the lines areworking very unsatisfactorily yet at many points. "We have now gotten the Fort Wayne road open from Chicago to Mansfieldwith single track over the points where the breaks were, and we areactively at work, both east and west, for a distance of about seventymiles between Canton and Mansfield, where there are four bridges goneand quite a number of washouts, and the best figures we have now arethat we will probably get the Fort Wayne line open by Monday morning. "We have found out definitely that our bridge at Piqua is stillstanding, although there are vast washouts at each side of it. We alsoknow definitely that our bridge at Dayton is gone; also the four-spanbridge over the Muskingum River at Zanesville is gone and there is somequestion as to whether our bridge over the Scioto River at Circlevilleis gone or not, as we have no definite information on this. "We have men and material all assembled and starting actively at workhere and there wherever the water has receded sufficiently to permitus. " On the Pennsylvania Railroad alone the loss amounted to millions ofdollars. There was not only the tremendous loss due to the loss oftracks, roadbed and bridges, but also the loss of passenger and freightrevenues. Everywhere it was conceded that the tie-up was the mostserious and extensive in the history of the road. [Illustration: Photograph by Brown Bros. Hundreds of substantial buildings were lifted from their foundations andpiled up like broken cigar boxes simply by the awful sweep of the wind] [Illustration: Photograph by Underwood & Underwood. Some of the most prominent society women and girls in Dayton shoulderedhoes and shovels in the work of cleaning up the city] HEAVY LOSS ON BALTIMORE AND OHIO The financial loss to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad aggregatedmillions of dollars in the destruction of property alone. President Willard was asked on Thursday for an estimate of the damagewrought by the floods. His reply was: "I cannot tell. I haven't an idea. I wish I could say that it would be$2, 000, 000, but I cannot. "I know that half a dozen bridges on the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Daytonhave been destroyed and bridges on the Baltimore and Ohio have beenwashed away. We have lost one of our largest bridges on the main road toChicago, at Zanesville, Ohio, and it will probably be six months beforewe will have another completed bridge there, although we will have somebridge there soon. We hope to have our main line to Chicago open intwenty-four hours, and our main line to Cincinnati open in the sametime. We cannot tell when we will have our line to St. Louis open. " ESTIMATED DAMAGE Conservative estimates of the damage to railroad property in the floodedMiddle West, plus the loss entailed by the suspension of traffic, rangedfrom $10, 000, 000 to $15, 000, 000. The entire railway system of Ohio and Indiana was practically put out ofbusiness for five days by the floods in the Middle West. To repair andreplace the railways affected by this disaster, railway officialsstated, would practically wipe out the surplus earnings of manyrailroads. In other cases dividends were threatened. The reason was, they said, that all such damage must be retrieved out of currentearnings and could not be charged to capital. As an illustration of how the railroads spend money in such anemergency, it may be said that the Pennsylvania sent one hundred andfifty expert bridge builders out West from New York in one day soonafter the flood. These men received record wages; they traveled insleepers, with special dining cars. The company was sendingsteam-shovels and pile-drivers on limited trains and a first-classlaborer could get a private compartment quicker than could a financier. "There will be improvements in railroading through all the districtsevery day from now on, but there will not be anything like a restorationof former conditions for months, " said one railroad official. "It takestime to rebuild steel bridges, especially as the big steel plants havebeen experiencing a little trouble of their own. " FLOOD PLAYED HAVOC WITH MAILS Storm, flood and fire in the Middle West played havoc with the UnitedStates mails. Postmaster-General Burleson announced on March 26th thatthe destruction wrought by the floods in Ohio and Indiana was so seriousthat it would be ten or twelve days before a regular mail service couldbe resumed with the remote districts. Reports showed that never before in the history of the service had therebeen such a serious interruption to the mails on account of floods. There was practically no local service on the railroads in theterritory bounded by Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Terre Haute and the Ohio River. Mails to New York from points in Kentucky and Tennessee, from Pittsburghand Cincinnati, Ohio, and all points south of the Ohio River came by wayof Washington and were from five to seven hours late. The Arkansas andOklahoma mails traveled by way of Chattanooga and Memphis. The representatives in the field were directed to be in constantcommunication with the department at Washington and to make every effortto supply the people in the flood districts with mail as rapidly asarrangements could be completed. Mails for distant points whichregularly passed through the flooded sections were detoured north andsouth, resulting in unavoidable delay. GENERAL PROSTRATION OF TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE WIRES Never before in the history of the United States was there such ageneral prostration of telegraph and telephone wires as during the greatflood. Chicago was "lost" to the East for part of a day, and it wasfound impossible to reach that city via the South. Throughout easternOhio service was paralyzed, and such few wires as could be obtained wereflickering and often going down. The Western Union and Postal Telegraph Companies in New York announcedon March 26th that they did not have a wire working in the thousands ofsquare miles roughly marked by Indianapolis on the west, Pittsburgh onthe east, Cleveland on the north and the Ohio River on the south. ThePostal had but two wires working between New York and Chicago and thesewere routed by way of Buffalo. None of its wires south of Washington wasworking. An army of 10, 000 men was sent into the region to repair the wires, buttheir work was almost impossible because of the inability of therailroads to transport their equipment. The American Telephone and Telegraph Company had the only facilities inthe stricken sections and turned them over without reserve to the pressassociations, believing that in this manner the public could best beserved. At the offices of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company and theUnion Telegraph Company in New York, on March 28th, joint announcementwas made as follows: "In the use of the necessarily limited wire facilities reaching theflooded districts of Ohio and neighboring states due importance is beinggiven to messages to and from public officials, relief associations, thepress and to such urgent messages as have to do with measures of relief, believing that thus the public will be best served until full servicecan be restored. "There has been no time during the past week when the combinedfacilities of the two companies have not afforded communication with thelarger cities and towns, but local conditions render it impossible inmany cases to deliver telegrams or to make local connections bytelephone. " CHAPTER XXXI THE WORK OF RELIEF PRESIDENT WILSON PROMPTLY IN DIRECTION--WASHINGTON ASTIR AS IN TIME OF WAR--BACKING OF CONGRESS PLEDGED--AMERICAN RED CROSS TO THE RESCUE--RAILROADS BRAVELY HELPING--RELIEF FROM STATES AND INDIVIDUALS--AN ARMY OF PEACE. The sympathetic response of the American people never fails to measureup to the summons of any calamity. Relief is plentiful and prompt. Theawful story of the flood and tornado was no sooner told than themachinery of government, the organized forces of the Red Cross andindividual efforts in every city within reach were co-operating toprovide succor and supplies to the sufferers. Tents for shelter, cots, food by the trainload, hospital and medical supplies, were almostimmediately on their way to the stricken district. WASHINGTON ASTIR AS IN TIME OF WAR The Federal Government was alive to the needs of the flooded districtsof the Middle West with activity that almost surpassed the hustle andbustle of war times. Every department from the White House down, directed its energies toward the relief of distress and suffering inOhio and Indiana. As the result of appeals from Governor Cox, theAmerican Red Cross and others, President Wilson issued an appeal to thenation at large to help the sufferers. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - President Wilson's Messages For the Relief of the Stricken States To Mayor Dahlman, of Omaha: "I am deeply distressed at the news received from Nebraska. Can we help you in any way? "WOODROW WILSON. " To Governor Ralston, of Indiana, and Governor Cox, of Ohio: "I deeply sympathize with the people of your state in the terrible disaster that has come upon them. Can the Federal Government assist in any way? "WOODROW WILSON. " To the Nation: "The terrible floods in Ohio and Indiana have assumed the proportions of a national calamity. The loss of life and the infinite suffering involved prompt me to issue an earnest appeal to all who are able in however small a way to assist the labors of the American Red Cross to send contributions at once to the Red Cross at Washington or to the local treasurers of the society. "We should make this a common cause. The needs of those upon whom this sudden and overwhelming disaster has come should quicken everyone capable of sympathy and compassion to give immediate aid to those who are laboring to rescue and relieve. "WOODROW WILSON. " - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Indicating the gravity of the situation in Ohio, a telegram fromGovernor Cox was received by Secretary of War Garrison asking for foodand medical supplies and tents for the sufferers. Secretary Garrison promptly took steps to meet the emergency, and thesupplies requested were sent by express to Columbus. The two experiencedofficers who handled the Mississippi flood situation, Majors Normoyleand Logan, were also ordered to proceed to Columbus to aid Governor Cox. All troops in Western New York and all available troops in the CentralDepartment were ordered to hold themselves in readiness to proceed torelief work in Ohio and Indiana, if needed. President Wilson issued his appeal for funds for the Red Cross followinga conference with Miss Mabel Boardman, chairman of the relief board ofthe organization. The Secretary of the Treasury enlisted promptly in the relief movement, and the public health service and the life-saving service and marinehospital surgeons available were placed at the command of the stateauthorities. The public health hospitals at Detroit, Cleveland, Louisville, Cairo, Evansville and St. Louis were thrown open for thecare of the flood victims. Surgeons P. W. Wille, of the Marine Hospitalat Cleveland, was instructed to go to Columbus to co-operate with thestate board of health. Dr. J. O. Cobb, of the Chicago Marine Hospital, was ordered to Indianapolis. BACKING OF CONGRESS PLEDGED The President was in his office all day Wednesday, March 26th, in closetouch with the situation. He apprised the chairmen of the Senate andHouse appropriations committees that the government was going ahead withemergency expenditures on the assumption that Congress would back up theadministration later. Both promised hearty support, and orders went outon every side for a gigantic work of relief. Major P. C. Fauntleroy was sent to Columbus to handle the medicalsupplies. Nine medical officers and fifty-four hospital corps men wentfrom the Department of the East carrying a big supply of surgicaldressings, anti-typhoid prophylactics and the complete "reserve medicalsupply" comprising hundreds of drugs sufficient to treat 20, 000 patientsfor one month. Precautions against the spread of disease were to behandled by sanitation experts. Life-saving crews were ordered from Louisville to Dayton and fromLorain, Ohio, to Delaware, Ohio, and the public health servicedistributed its agents over the afflicted districts. SUPPLIES ON THE WAY By Friday more than double the apparently necessary medical supplies forthe flood sufferers were on their way to Ohio and Indiana, a full quotaof supplies having been started from the army supply warehouses at St. Louis and a second consignment from Washington. From the naval stores a huge consignment of wearing apparel and beddingfor the sufferers was sent to Columbus. These supplies were started fromthe naval stores at New York. Paymaster-General Cowie made thearrangements under orders from Secretary of the Navy Daniels. Theshipment included 12, 000 blankets, 7, 000 watch caps, 50, 000 pairs oflight weight drawers, 80, 000 light weight undershirts, 30, 000 heavyweight drawers, 30, 000 heavy weight shirts, 4, 200 navy jerseys, 15, 000khaki jumpers, 24, 000 pairs of dungaree trousers, 8, 000 overcoats, 24, 000 pairs of shoes and 15, 000 pairs of woolen socks. In addition to the clothing supply the Navy sent also 300, 000 rations onthe way to Columbus and Dayton. Paymaster Nesbit and Paymaster's ClerkConell were in charge of the distribution. Assistant Secretary Rooseveltsupplied them with $25, 000 in currency with full authority to expend itfor such supplies and services as they might find necessary. For a time President Wilson considered going himself to the flooddistricts; but reports from Secretary Garrison and others were soencouraging that he decided it was unnecessary. "Refreshed by the tears of the American people, Ohio stands ready fromtoday to meet the crisis alone, " wrote Governor Cox of Ohio on March31st. After seeing the situation well in hand in Dayton, Secretary Garrisonreturned to Cincinnati and then proceeded to Columbus. By April 2d hewas able to return to Washington. AMERICAN RED CROSS TO THE RESCUE From the first day when Miss Mabel T. Boardman conferred with PresidentWilson, the American Red Cross and the government worked hand in hand. At headquarters of the National Red Cross funds from all quarters of theUnion rained in on the officials. Friday night the Red Crossheadquarters had received more than $190, 000 in cash and drafts, andbasing their estimates on telegraphic advices from other points, theywere assured that their total already exceeded $350, 000. Boston sent in$32, 000, Cleveland $33, 000 subject to call. Baltimore notified MissBoardman to draw on the local chapter of the order for $7, 000. New Yorkreported $75, 000 in hand and the District of Columbia chapter had morethan $25, 000 ready for instant use. Henry C. Frick sent a check for$10, 000 and John D. Rockefeller $5, 000, with the suggestion that morewas ready when needed. With Miss Boardman at the head of the party the Red Cross relief trainleft Washington Friday over the Chesapeake and Ohio, bound for Columbus. The train comprised six express coaches, two of which were loaded withsteel cots for use of the homeless. Two others were loaded with beddingand clothing supplies and two with foodstuffs of all sorts. Hurrying to Omaha to assist in relief work in that city, Ernest P. Bicknell, of the American National Red Cross, halted in Chicago. Informed of the serious situation in Indiana and Ohio, he telegraphed toOmaha and received word that the relief work was well in hand. He thendecided to go to the flood-stricken districts in Indiana and Ohio. Reaching Columbus, Mr. Bicknell had soon established Red Crossheadquarters and the corps under his direction was working in closestharmony with the state flood relief committee, the Governor of Ohio andthe United States army and navy relief officials. The disaster in the Middle West was the greatest the Red Cross Societywas ever called upon to deal with. The amount of suffering entailed bythe flood far exceeded that of the San Francisco earthquake and fire. RAILROADS BRAVELY HELPING Bravely the railroads worked their way into the stricken territory. While a blizzard raged in Ohio from Cleveland to Cincinnati, with thetemperature down to twenty-eight degrees above zero, therailroads--which means all the railroads in every section, the New YorkCentral, the Pennsylvania, the Erie, the Baltimore and Ohio, and theirallied lines--threw into the battle thousands upon thousands of men, trainload after trainload of machinery, and money rewards as a stimulusfor the repair of miles of washed-out tracks and shattered bridges. Every division superintendent of every line in the district, hisassistants, usually with some high executive officer of the system incontrol; every man and boy able to handle a pick or shovel or crowbar, to carry his end of a girder or drag a coil of rope, was out on the job. It was not for any selfish purpose that the roads threw this immensepower into the work. Their object was to open up rail communicationwith the desolated cities, towns and villages and send relief trainswith bread, with blankets, with medicines, doctors and nurses. It wasnot a race for money. "We will carry every pound of supplies for the devastated district freeover any lines" announced the Pennsylvania, and it added free passagefor doctors, nurses and every other good Samaritan. "No charge, " was the echo of the New York Central, and that order wentto every freight and passenger agent of the big system everywhere. TheBaltimore and Ohio, the Erie, and every other line followed in aninstant. The railroads helped all they could. RELIEF FROM STATES AND INDIVIDUALS If the nation was generous and prompt in its relief, neighboring statesand individuals were not less so. Governors in many states and mayors ofmany cities, following the noble example of the President, issuedappeals for help. Mayor Dahlman of Omaha and Governor Morehead ofNebraska bravely declined the help offered by President Wilson andothers for sufferers from the tornado; but the flood-stricken districts, for whom recovery was far less easy, in many cases were obliged toappeal for aid. From towns throughout Ohio and Indiana came desperatecries for help, and to all of them a sympathetic nation listened andresponded. AN ARMY OF PEACE If the great calamity stirred the hearts of the nation with pity, so didthe prompt and splendid relief inspire enthusiasm. Even though thedespatch of United States troops to the scene of devastation in the Westlacked legal sanction the whole country unanimously approved themovement which thus itself becomes a signal to all nations, and acorroboration of the truth that the American is not hidebound byfantastic traditions when some serious achievement is to be done. Oursoldiers in this case for the nonce became missionaries. Under theleadership of the Secretary of War, the troops carried clothes, food, medicaments, tents, blankets, and in short all the paraphernalianecessary to succor the distressed, assuage the pangs of suffering andrestore normal conditions within the wide areas battered by thedestructive elements. This peaceful use of our fighting men brings into realization the visionso strongly cherished by John Ruskin--the vision of the time whensoldiership should develop into a form of modern knight-errantry, andthe "passion to bless and save" should inspire those who were formerlydrilled only in the exercises of conquest and slaughter. Americans maywell be proud to reflect that this era, which a few decades ago seemedbut the chimerical dream of a doctrinaire, has found its pledge andpromise in the generous endeavors of our standing army. "Peace hath her victories no less renowned than war. " In narrowing the dimension of suffering, and lending a strong hand tothose overwhelmed by calamity, our soldiers raised up the defeated fromthe sore battle of life. CHAPTER XXXII PREVIOUS GREAT FLOODS AND TORNADOES THE JOHNSTOWN HORROR--THE GALVESTON TRAGEDY--THE MISSISSIPPI ON A RAMPAGE--DESTRUCTION IN LOUISVILLE--THE ST. LOUIS TORNADO. Floods are not usually so dramatic and awe-inspiring as tornadoes, butthey are even more destructive of life. The Johnstown flood of 1889, however, was dramatic and even spectacular--so swiftly did it come andso certainly could it have been avoided. It destroyed 2, 235 lives, sweptaway ten millions of dollars worth of property, and carried unutterablegrief into countless happy homes. Lying in a narrow valley were eight villages, aggregating 50, 000 to80, 000 inhabitants, the largest of the eight being situated at the lowerend, with about 25, 000 inhabitants. Far up in the mountain, 300 feet above the chief village of the valley, hung a huge body of water. As nature had designed it, this had been asmall lake with natural outlets, which prevented it from being a menaceto the valley below. But the hand of man sought to improve the work ofnature. An immense dam, 110 feet in height, held back the water till thelake was more than quadrupled in size. THE SWOLLEN WATERS These were the conditions on May 31, 1889. There had been heavy rainsfor several days. The artificially enlarged lake was really a receivingreservoir of the water-shed of the Alleghany Mountains. Every littlestream running into it was swollen to a torrent. The lake, which inordinary times was three and a half miles long, with an average width ofover a mile, and a depth in some portions of 100 feet, was swollen intoa volume of water of enormous proportions. Between it and the valleybelow there was a dam nearly 1, 000 feet wide, 100 feet high, ninety feetthick at the base and twenty at the top. This barrier gave way and thewater rushed into the valley in a solid wave with a perpendicular frontof forty feet. It swept away the seven smaller villages like straw, hurled them, together with uncounted thousands of their inhabitants, upon the largervillage, and then, with the accumulated ruin of the whole eight, dashedupon the stone bridge at the bottom of the valley. The bridge withstoodthe shock, and a new dam, as fateful with horror as the first had been, was formed. It held back the water so that the whole valley was a lakefrom twenty to forty feet in depth, with the remains of its villagesbeneath its surface. The wreckage of the ruined villages, piled fromforty to sixty feet high, against the bridge, spread over a vast area, with countless bodies of the living and the dead crushed within it andstruggling for life upon it, caught fire, and burned to the water'sedge. When the flood came--a terrific punishment for the carelessness of thepast--the doubters saw their homes washed away, their dear onesdrowned; in some cases they did not even live to see the extent of thehavoc wrought. Whole families were drowned like rats; houses wereshattered to pieces or floated about on the water like wrecked ships. Intolerable was the suffering that followed--grief for the loss of dearones, actual physical hurt, hunger and want. The problem for many in theeight towns was to begin life all over--and that without hope. Immediatesuffering was in some measure prevented by the speedy help rendered byneighboring towns, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the entire nation. But nothing could undo the fearful damage of the past. THE GALVESTON TRAGEDY Great as was the Johnstown flood, it shrinks into insignificance beforethe appalling hurricane-brought flood of Galveston, which devastated thecity and swept thousands of its inhabitants to their death. There islittle in the new city which arose to remind one of the awfultragedy--unless it be the strong sea-walls constructed to keep outfuture floods. The storm came over the bay from the gulf before daylight Saturdaymorning, September 8, 1900. At 10 A. M. The inundation from the baybegan, but even then no alarm was felt. The wind took on new strengthand the waters were carried four blocks through the business sectioninto Market Street. Ocean freighters dragged anchors in the channel andwere soon crashing against the wharves. The wind reached the hurricanestage, blowing at something like one hundred and twenty miles an hour, and buildings began to crumble. By this time the bay water had reacheda high point on Tremont Street. The gulf, however, was quiet. Then a remarkable thing happened. The wind suddenly shifted from thenorth to the southeast, the hurricane increased in fury, and, picking upthe waters of the gulf, hurled them with crushing force against the fourmiles of residences stretched along the beach. There was nothing in theway of protection, and houses were knocked over like so many toystructures. By three o'clock the gulf had spread over the city and mingled in thestreets with the waters of the bay. The violence of the wind continued. Higher and higher rose the water. Buildings began to collapse. Shrieksof agony were heard. One family of five took refuge in four differenthouses, abandoning each in turn just in time to save themselves. Hundreds, struck by the flying wreckage, fell unconscious in the water. SCENES OF HORROR When night settled down over the city the whole bay side was in processof destruction. Wreckage was thrown with the force of a catapult againsthouses which still offered resistance. Electric light and gas plantswere flooded and the city was in darkness. In the cemeteries the dead of years were washed from their graves andcarried across to the mainland. A tramp steamer was carried over toVirginia Point, then sent like a shot through three bridges. Thesteamers "Alamo" and "Red Cross" were dropped upon Pelican Flats, andwhen the waves retreated were left high and dry upon the sand. Yachtsand sailboats were driven over the mainland and could be seen in thegrass far beyond Texas City. Railroad cars loaded and empty were carriedinto the bay, and miles of track torn up and washed away. THE RECEDING WATERS Between ten and eleven the wind fell and the water began to recede, almost as rapidly as it had come. Before daylight the streets were clearof water, but covered with slime and choked with wreckage. It was notnecessary to go to the beach to find the dead. They lay thick along thestreets. A Committee of Public Safety was organized, and all men, white andblack, were asked to assist in the removal of the dead. Thesuperstitious negroes refused, but were finally compelled at the muzzleof guns to gather in the bodies. It was suggested that the burials bemade at sea. Society men, clubmen, millionaires, longshoremen andnegroes took up the work, loading the bodies on drays and conveying themto barges. The dreadful procession lasted all of Sunday and Monday. Three barge loads of dead were taken out to sea and given back to thewaves. The weights, however, were not properly attached, and soon thecorpses were back in the surf, washing on the beach. After the storm the weather turned milder. By Monday the city reekedwith the smell of a charnel house and pestilence was in the air. Thebodies of dead animals lay in the streets; the waters of the bay andgulf were thick with the dead. All the disinfectants in the city werequickly consumed. An earnest appeal for more was sent to Houston andother places. Tuesday a general cremation of the dead began. Trencheswere dug and lined with wood. The corpses were tossed in, covered withmore wood, saturated with oil, and set on fire. Later, bodies werecollected and placed in piles of wreckage, and the whole then given tothe flames. Men engaged in this horrible task frequently found relativesand friends among the dead. The men wore camphor bags under their noses, but frequently became so nauseated that they were forced to stop work. The fire purified the air, however, and disinfectants began to come inin answer to the appeal. The streets were covered with a solution oflime, and carbolic acid was showered everywhere. GALVESTON NOT THE ONLY SUFFERER And not only Galveston was a sufferer in this storm. For fifty milesalong the coast, on both sides of the city, the storm found victims. Thewaters of the sea were carried inland ten miles all along the coast. Thetotal loss of life in Galveston and near-by places amounted to 9, 000;the property damage to $30, 000, 000. THE MISSISSIPPI ON A RAMPAGE "The Mississippi River in flood, " says a recent writer, "takeseverything with it. To watch the endless procession which the swiftcurrent carries by is to see all the properties of tragedies. TheMississippi in flood is the despoiler of homes. Houses come floatingdown the stream, outbuildings, furniture and myriads of smaller things, tossed by waves in the 'runs' or sailing on serenely in the broaderstretches. Great trees go by. They are evidence that the Mississippi hasasserted its majesty somewhere and has cut a new channel to pleaseitself, eating away bank, growth, and all. Carcasses of cows and horsesand dogs float down the stream, carrying a pair of buzzards, thosescavengers who have so much work to do after the floods have receded. Itis a terrible and a melancholy sight. " THE FLOOD OF 1912 In April and May, 1912, the Mississippi reached a height never beforeequaled, and the great river went tearing through levee after levee onits resolute course to the sea. The river reached a maximum width ofsixty miles, killed 1, 000 persons, rendered 30, 000 homeless, and causeddamage to the amount of $50, 000, 000. By April 2d, Columbus, Missouri, was buried under fifteen feet of water, and in some parts of the town residences were wholly submerged. NewMadrid was not much better off, and Hickman, Kentucky, looked like asmall city of Venice. President Taft sent a hurry call to Congress forhalf a million dollars, and within fifteen minutes after his message wasread, the lower house had passed an appropriation bill and sent it tothe Senate, which laid everything else aside to give it right of way. ByApril 5th, the Reelfoot Lake district, covering 150 square miles ofKentucky farm land, was an inland lake and the river at Cairo, Illinois, had risen to nearly fifty-four feet, the average depth from St. Louis toNew Orleans being ordinarily but nine feet. Cairo was for dayssurrounded by the torrents from the Ohio and the Mississippi beating atthe levees, while to the north of the city factory buildings wereimmersed to their roofs or even entirely covered. By April 7th, thelevee in Arkansas, seven miles south of Memphis, had a gap a mile longand Lake County, Tennessee, had no ground above water but a strip sixmiles long by four wide. By the middle of the month, the levees atPanther Forest, Arkansas; Alsatia, Louisiana; and Roosevelt, Louisiana, had succumbed, and a thousand square miles of fertile plantations werefrom five to seven feet under water. FARMS AND PLANTATIONS SUBMERGED Rain-storm after rain-storm caused the stream to swell, undermineddikes, and broke new crevasses all the way from Vicksburg to NewOrleans. Hundred of farmers and their families, a majority of themnegroes, were cut off and overwhelmed by the flood. For several weeksthe people of New Orleans were under the fear that a large part of thecity might be submerged and ruined. Near by vast sugar plantations wereunder water, while the prosperous town of Moreauville was inundated. Refugees' camps were established and relief work began. Many vesselsassisted the army. Pitiful stories of famished and suffering victims ofthe flood were told, and the miles and miles of desolated country struckhorror to the heart. They have a pregnant saying down there: "Come helland high water. " Some day, it is to be hoped, we are going to take theforce out of that expression. DESTRUCTION IN LOUISVILLE Disaster by tornado is not so easy to avoid as disaster by flood. One ofthe most destructive storms of recent years was that which swept overLouisville, Kentucky, in the evening of March 27, 1890, killing 113persons, injuring 200, and destroying property to the amount of$2, 500, 000. The storm came from the southwest and cut a path through theheart of the city three miles long and nearly a half mile wide. Nearlyevery building in its course was leveled to the ground or otherwisedamaged. Outlying towns were also devastated by the storm, and floodcalamities occurred simultaneously along the Mississippi. About eight o'clock the storm was raging with tremendous force. The rainfell in sheets, the lightning was constant and vivid, the wind blewominously. The streets were soon miniature rivers, and telegraph andtelephone poles began to snap. By 8. 30 there was alarm all over thecity, but before any measure of safety could be adopted the body of themighty tempest dashed itself on the houses along Fifteenth Street andtore itself diagonally across the city, leaping the river at FrontStreet to Jeffersonville. The passage across the city was not continuous and in uniform direction, but the storm lifted itself up, fell with furious force on a block, thenrolled over into adjacent blocks, when it rested a moment, then dashedfuriously up and forward again, launching to the right and left withdemoniacal whimsicality. Everything it touched suffered. Church steeples fell, crushing beneaththeir weight the buildings over which they had stood guard. Wrenchingwarehouses to fragments the tornado passed to the river front, leaving abroad swath of wreckage and dead bodies. The belt of destructionextended from the west side of Seventh Street as far as Ninth and MainStreets, and an equal width across to the point where the city was firsttouched. Along this path were demolished homes and wrecked businesshouses--the annihilated work of years. On the river the storm found fullsway. The tawny water of the swollen Ohio became a lake of seethingfoam. Steamboat after steamboat was driven from its moorings and tossedlike a drop of spray in the boiling stream. CITIZENS MADDENED WITH GRIEF Almost immediately after the storm had passed thousands crowded into thedistressed district; maddened men and women fought and struggled throughthe debris trying to find some loved relative or friend. From every sidearose the groans of the wounded and dying. About the Falls City Hotelgroups thronged waiting for news. Fires burning in several places added to the horror, though no greatdamage was done by these. Crushed and blackened ruins marked the spot ofthe Union Depot, which collapsed during the storm, crushing a trainwhich was just ready to depart. Every building, tree and telegraph polein the district struck was leveled, and almost all the railroadsentering the city were obliged to suspend all passenger and freighttraffic. RESCUE, RELIEF AND RECONSTRUCTION The work of rescuing the mangled dead was bravely carried on thefollowing day and before many hours the American genius fororganization, order and action had met the demands of the overwhelmingdisaster. While the dead were still lying awaiting burial, plans weremade to rebuild and resume again the work of life. The local police and militia kept order. The city authorities and boardof trade organized relief corps. The brave spirit of self-reliancetriumphed over the appalling calamity. Money for relief was sent to thecity from many sources, and it is interesting to note that the citizensof Johnstown, who had suffered from the great catastrophe of theprevious year, were among the first to offer help. They knew whatdesolation meant. THE ST. LOUIS TORNADO A far more terrible story of death and destruction is that of the St. Louis tornado of May 27, 1896, which lasted but half an hour, killed 306persons and destroyed property to the amount of $12, 000, 000. The same tornado visited many places in Missouri and Illinois, causingan additional property loss of $1, 000, 000. The sky grew black at 4 P. M. , the sun was eclipsed in the whirl ofdriving dust and dirt, mingled with the branches and leaves of trees, the boards of buildings and other loose material torn off by the wind. At times the wind blew eighty miles an hour. In that mad half hour, while property was crumbling and hundreds of human lives being snuffedout, thousands of maimed and bleeding persons were added to the awfulharvest of devastation. FREAK DESTRUCTION Over in East St. Louis, where the houses were all frail structures, thedestruction was greatest. The great Eads Bridge was twisted all out ofshape, and freight cars were tossed to and fro, tumbled into ditches anddriven sometimes into the fields many yards from where they had stood. The great Vandalia freight house fell in a heap of utter ruin, buryingbeneath it thirty-five men who had there sought refuge. The swath cut was three blocks wide and four miles long. The top of thebridge was knocked off as well as the big abutment. The Martell Housewas blown into the Cokokia Creek and many were buried in the ruins. To add to the horrors of the night the electric-light plants wererendered incapable of service, and the gas lamps were also shut off, leaving the city in utter darkness. Fire broke out in several portionsof the city, and the fire department was unable to make an effectivefight because of the choked condition of the streets and the largenumber of firemen who were engaged in the imperative work of rescuingthe dead and wounded. ANNIHILATION The City Hospital, which fortunately survived the storm, was filled tooverflowing with the injured. In addition to those who were killed intheir houses and in the streets, scores of dead were carried away by thewaters of the Mississippi River. Many steamers on the levee went downin the storm. From the "Great Republic, " one of the largest steamers onthe lower river, not a man escaped. The word "annihilation" is perhapsthe only one that can adequately describe the awful work of the tornado. The rising of the sun in the morning revealed a scene of indescribablehorror. The work of carrying out the maimed and dead immediately began, but it was a task of big proportions, as many bodies were totally buriedunder the debris. Hundreds of families were rendered homeless, and thebusiness portion of the community was almost in absolute ruin. Lack of food added to the misery. Bread sold for fifteen cents a loaf. Alarge number of military tents were shipped into the city and manyfamilies found shelter in freight yards. The Ohio and Mississippirailroad companies issued permits for the use of their empty cars. Contributions to aid in the work of rebuilding and relief were receivedand the city council voted $100, 000. It was several weeks before the city began to resume a normal existence. The presence of armed men and endless piles of debris, the suspension oftraffic, the grief for departed dear ones, and the sight of the manyinjured, all contributed to a condition of solemnity and sorrow. "Thememory of the strange and awful scenes that have been presented by EastSt. Louis for the past three days, " said one clergyman of the city, "will live in the minds of its inhabitants for years. But our people aretoo courageous and energetic to be deterred from repairing the physicalhavoc wrought. " - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PREVIOUS GREAT DISASTERS FLOODS Johnstown, Pa. , breaking of the Conemaugh dam, May 31, 1889; 2, 235 killed. Galveston, Tex. , tidal wave, September 8, 1900; 9, 000 killed. Mississippi Valley, May, 1912; 1, 000 killed. WIND STORMS Adams County, Miss. , May 7, 1840; 317 killed. Same county, June, 1842; 500 killed. Louisville, Ky. , March 27, 1890; 113 killed, 200 injured; property loss, $2, 500, 000. Cherokee, Buena Vista and Pocahontas Counties, Iowa, July 6, 1893, 89 killed; property loss, $250, 000. Little Rock, Ark. , October 2, 1894; 4 killed; property loss, $500, 000. Denton and Grayson Counties, Tex. , May 15, 1896; 78 killed and 150 injured; property loss, $165, 000. St. Louis and East St. Louis, Mo. , May 27, 1896; 306 identified killed; property loss, $12, 000, 000. Same tornado visited many places in Missouri and Illinois, causing an additional property loss of $1, 000, 000. West India hurricane, September 29 and 30, 1896, covering Florida, Georgia, South and North Carolina, Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York; 114 killed; property loss, $7, 000, 000. Eastern Michigan, May 25, 1897; 47 killed, 100 injured; property loss, $400, 000. Galveston hurricane, September 8, 1900; 9, 000 killed; property loss, $30, 000, 000; estimated wind velocity, 120 miles an hour. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII LESSONS OF THE CATACLYSM AND PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES NOT A VISITATION OF PUNISHMENT--THE HELPLESSNESS OF MAN BEFORE NATURE--THE KINSHIP OF HUMANITY--INCENTIVE TO ENTERPRISE--THE GREATEST LESSON--MEASURES AGAINST REPETITION OF DISASTER--UTILIZING NATURAL RESERVOIRS--PROMOTION OF FORESTRY--CONSTRUCTION OF DAMS--SECRETARY LANE'S PLAN--A PROBLEM FOR THE PANAMA ENGINEERS. With each succeeding dispatch from the districts stricken by flood andtornado it became clearer that the first impressions of the disaster, shocking as they were, fell not far beneath the dreadful reality. Hundreds overwhelmed in the rushing floods, hundreds of thousands sparedfrom sudden death only to suffer hunger and thirst and hardship and theperils of fire, cities submerged, villages swept away, countless homesand vast industries destroyed, miles upon miles of populous land drownedunder turbulent waters, and over all the grim shadows of starvation anddisease--this catastrophe defies picture and parallel to express itsdesolating horror. The widespread calamity, which smote with its cruelest force thebeautiful city of Dayton, is one of those for which no personalresponsibility can be placed. Like the tidal flood which devastatedGalveston and the earth upheaval which laid San Francisco in ruins, itis a convulsion which could not have been foreseen or stayed. NOT A VISITATION OF PUNISHMENT In the presence of such a fearful disaster there are few persons whowill say, but there are some who will think, that this is in some mannera visitation decreed upon the communities which suffer. The verymagnitude and superhuman force of it will suggest to many minds thethought of an ordered punishment and warning for offenses against ahigher power. Such a concept, happily more rarely held than in earlier times, is, ofcourse, revolting to sober judgment and to the instincts of religiousreverence. For it would imply that multitudes of the innocent shouldsuffer indescribable cruelty; it would attempt the impossible feat ofjustifying the smiting of Dayton, where the inhabitants lived lives ofpeaceful, helpful industry, and the sparing of communities where menserve the gods of dishonest wealth and vicious idleness. This was no vengeance decreed for human shortcomings. It was superhuman, but not supernatural. It was but a manifestation of the unchangeable, irresistible forces of nature, governed by physical laws which areinexorable. Nature knows neither revenge nor pity. She does not selecther victims, nor does she turn aside to save the good who may be in herpath. As her concern is not with individuals, but with the race, so sheis moved not by mercy, but by law. To the limited vision of man, with his brief life, nature seemsincredibly cruel and wasteful. Her teachings must be learned at fearfulcost. Men will ask themselves what lessons are taught by thisoverwhelming sacrifice. THE HELPLESSNESS OF MAN BEFORE NATURE There is made plain, first, the utter powerlessness of man when he pitshis strength against the full demonstration of the laws of nature. It isrevealed, again, that there are forces which before all the might ofhuman intellect remain unconquerable. The same grim lesson confronts thescientist whose babe is snatched from him by death; it confronts themillionaire who feels the chill of age creeping upon the frame that hasupheld the finances of a nation and has made and unmade panics with thecrooking of a finger. THE KINSHIP OF HUMANITY But there flows from such a catastrophe a brighter and better influencethan this. With all its horror and shock, there comes inevitably a greatjoining of minds and hearts. The whole world feels the thrill of kinshipand a common humanity. For the time being all conceptions of socialcaste and class distinction, the most unworthy thoughts of beingsfashioned all in the image of their Maker, are leveled and forgotten. Indifference and selfishness disappear. Throughout the nation, throughout the world, there thrills the uplifting current ofbrotherhood, the consciousness that "we be of one blood. " Wherever civilization has exercised its beneficent influence upon theminds of men there is felt, for a little time at least, the sense thatall humanity is one; that the strife of man against man and nationagainst nation is but a pitiful thing, and that we may better concernourselves with trying to make the common lot brighter and so soften therigors of the existence we all must face. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF WEALTH Specifically does not such an appalling event serve to awakenresponsibility among the wealthy and powerful toward the poor and theweak? When all goes well, when there are no thunderous warnings such asthis of the helplessness of man against the forces arrayed against him, the fortunate do not realize that for millions mere existence is apoignant struggle; that hunger and cold and disease prevail even whenthere are no ghastly floods to make them vivid and picturesque. We donot doubt that there are many who will be stirred by the shock of thisdreadful story to a deeper and more sympathetic understanding with theconditions that surround them on every side. INCENTIVE TO ENTERPRISE If any further good can come from a catastrophe so cruel, it may be inthe stimulating pride of race which it engenders. Such experiences havea unique effect upon the American nature. The greater the calamity whichfalls upon a community the greater seems to be the rebound. Destructionand hardship seem to open great reservoirs of latent energy, inventiveness and enterprise. Galveston, suddenly overwhelmed by a convulsion of nature, apparentlywas doomed to molder away in forgotten ruins; but her people cleared thewreck and built a greater city than before. Before the ashes of the oldSan Francisco had cooled the vision of a better community rose beforeher inhabitants, and they made it real. Calamity sets free such a flow of creative power that destruction itselfmakes for progress. These disasters concentrate upon constructiveenterprise stories of emotional energy that in other times are expendedin the fierce struggle of competitive existence. THE GREATEST LESSON But the great hidden teaching of disaster is that the laws of nature areeternal and inexorable; that they move with unerring precision andresistless force. And this truth applies not only to the tremendouspowers of the hurricane, the flood and the earthquake, but to economicprinciples, which are simply a translation into human terms of the lawsmanifested in inanimate nature. The woman whose health is wrecked by overwork, the child whose body andmind are stunted by early labor, the tenement dweller who falls victimto disease because of unwholesome conditions of living--these aresacrifices to natural laws as much as are the thousands swept away inthe floods. But, while the flood deaths are due to an outburst of theelements which man cannot control, these others are the result of hisdefiance of the laws of nature. There is another difference: The victims of economic wrongs due tocupidity and indifference outnumber a thousand to one the victims ofnatural causes beyond control. All the deaths in these fearful floodsare less than those caused every year in a single large city byconditions that might be remedied. Nature decrees that those who do not have certain amounts of fresh airand food and rest shall die; the law is inexorable. But it iscivilization which defies it and brings down the penalty. THE AWAKENING TO OTHER LAWS OF NATURE A stranger thought is that many whose hearts are melted by this disasterand whose checkbooks open to the suffering survivors are habituallyindifferent to the more deadly conditions existing on all sides of theirhomes. Men contribute generously to the relief funds who, if asked tosurrender a fractional part of their dividends in order to make worksafer and more healthful and more humane for employees, would berate thesuggestion as anarchistic. This is not due to hardness of heart; it is due to faults of vision. Mendisplay such sympathy in one case and such ruthlessness in anothersimply because civilization has not yet advanced far enough to creategenerally the sense of responsibility which is called socialconsciousness. There are those who believe that the good impulses aroused by suchevents as now appeal to us tend to awaken this consciousness; on theother hand, a $5, 000 contribution to a flood relief fund may, by salvingthe conscience of the giver, close his mind to the need for changingindustrial conditions or expending some of his tenement rents for decentsanitation. Our own belief is that each calamity brings the minds of the nation intocloser sympathy and hastens the day when all men will understand thatthe society they have builded is guilty of causing miseries just asgreat as those we are now witnessing, the defying the laws of naturebecause of indifference and greed. THE NEED FOR ACTION This country has suffered from many great floods in past years, but noneso awful in its scope and terrible consequences. The present calamitymust bring the country to its sober senses and make us see the positivenecessity--the inevitable MUST--of taking immediate and adequatemeasures to guard against the repetition of such a disaster. "Strikewhile the iron is hot, " has been the battle-cry of men of actionthroughout the world! And today, while the iron of adversity is hot inthe bosom of the Republic, is the time to strike upon the ideas that areto make the heroic surgery of healing. What is the remedy for these mighty floods that are sweeping and ruiningthe interior country? Beyond the supreme consideration of the loss oflife they are the financial tragedies of the century. They occur at rareintervals in Ohio and Indiana and in New York. But in the valley of theMississippi and in the Ohio Valley they are almost an annual orbi-annual scourge of waters, terrific in suffering and appalling incost. NOT A QUESTION OF COST No expenditure of public money is too great that will strengthen thedefenses of the people against the giant forces of destruction in theMississippi and Ohio Rivers. No cost in national expenditure forpermanent defense against such catastrophes would approximate the costin a single decade to the pockets of the people, not to speak of theuncountable value of human life. Governor Cox, of Ohio, estimated thatthe damage in Ohio alone by the recent floods was more than$300, 000, 000--nearly as much as the cost of the Panama Canal. The totalcost of the recent flood is vastly greater than that of the PanamaCanal! The American Government can no longer stop to consider money in dealingwith the problems of internal economy and of elemental humanity. Thefloods create an emergency as definite and imperative as war. It is timenow to start some movement for the preservation of life and propertyagainst such occurrences. MEASURES AGAINST REPETITION OF DISASTER It is not the mission of this book to prescribe plans for meeting thesituation. That must be the work of a corps of trained engineers whoshall study the whole problem comprehensively and in detail. Rather itis our purpose here to bring home the overwhelming need for promptaction. We may be permitted, however, to point in a general way, and onhigh authority, the general lines that the necessary remedies must take. The river problems in the great central valleys present certaindifficulties which engineers have been unable to overcome. If levees areconstructed, it is found that the bed of the stream rises also, so thatthe situation is not materially changed. If channels are deepened, thefury of the floods is increased. If the construction of reservoirs isproposed, there are very important questions of location and danger. UTILIZING NATURAL RESERVOIRS In many places the Mississippi River, closely diked, flows high abovethe lands adjacent. Even at New Orleans, 107 miles from the Gulf, it isduring high water ten to fifteen feet above the level of the city. Obviously the levee system, while useful everywhere and in somelocalities adequate, is not a universal remedy. Reservoirs properlyconstructed should be of service in storing the waters of many suchrivers as those that have caused the havoc in Ohio and Indiana, but tomeet the requirements they would have to be of enormous size, verynumerous and costly, as Professor Willis S. Moore, chief of the WeatherBureau, points out. Nature itself has provided in lowlands throughout all of these valleysreceptacles which, before men came, took up the surplus waters. We havereclaimed millions of acres of these lands on the theory that we couldconfine the rivers which once overflowed them, but thus far we havefailed to establish the theory. It is probable that any successful national work for the control ofrivers will have to start with the idea of utilizing some of thesenatural reservoirs. The lands would not be habitable of course, but foragriculture they would be enriched instead of, as now, devastated. Todepopulate some such tracts would not be as costly or as terrible as toleave them to the sweep of irresistible torrents, repeated year afteryear. PROMOTION OF FORESTRY Despite Professor Moore's very positive denial of the value ofreforestation as a preventive of floods, it is claimed by manyauthorities that much of the destruction is due to the fact that thestates of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois have been almost denuded of suchforests as originally stood there. No impediment is offered to the flowof water and disastrous results follow. But in any event there wouldhave been great floods because of the location of the rainstorms asnoted. CONSTRUCTION OF DAMS The topography of the country must be taken into account. Both valleys, the Miami particularly, are veined with streams tributary to the rivers, and in times of flood the water rises with amazing rapidity and spreadsfar and wide over the valley floor. The level character of the region inwhich Dayton itself lies and the fact that there is not enough pitch tothe land below to carry off the water accounts for the depth and extentof the floods. Dayton has had many of them. What Congress can do toprevent or minimize them in future by putting the army engineers at workto construct dams for the collection and restraint of waters in thevalleys north of the threatened cities must be done, whatever the cost. SECRETARY LANE'S PLAN Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, has outlined a plan forpreventing such floods as devastated Ohio and Indiana. The plan hingeson the deepening and widening of the channels of all streams that areliable to flood conditions. Mr. Lane hopes to see the idea carried outthrough the cooperation of the Federal Government, with the aid of thestates immediately endangered. Aside from the perpetual protection against flood, which he believes hisplan would give to settlers in low regions, there are widespreaddistricts along the Mississippi and many other rivers that would bethrown open to settlement. The land thus reclaimed from the swamps mightgo a long way, in Mr. Lane's opinion, to reimburse the states for theappropriations they would be called upon to make. Mr. Lane says: "The rainstorm, I know, was phenomenal, and even with the system I havesuggested would have doubtless resulted in material damage and the lossof some lives. But flood conditions reappear every spring in somenoticeable way, and my plan would obviate most of the resulting damage. "It will not do for Ohio or Indiana or even the two states together tospend their money generously in clearing the beds of the streams withintheir boundaries. That would merely carry the flood more swiftly to thestate lines to the south, and the water would back more angrily thanever into what would quickly be great lakes. The thing is too large forthe states alone. A harmonious, scientific system must be worked out bythe federal authorities, and the states must then make theircontributions in the way that will do the most good to the whole valleyaffected. " SENATOR NEWLAND'S PLAN Senator Francis G. Newlands, of Nevada, who has made a long study of thewhole subject of reclamation and conservation, and who speaks withauthority on the subject says: "The appalling disasters in Ohio and Indiana bring home more forciblythan ever the conviction that our present method of dredging, levees andbank revetment in limited districts is fundamentally inadequate. Thesethings will not protect dwellers on the lower reaches of our rivers solong as there is no control of the headwaters. "We must adopt an adequate system for the control of the run-off at theheadwaters of the tributaries of the Mississippi. The people ofPittsburgh and Dayton are entitled to this, no less than the people oflower Mississippi are entitled to levees. I trust these floods willrouse the American conscience in these matters. " Senator Newlands has urged that $50, 000, 000 a year be used for the nextten years to develop a comprehensive scheme of storing the excess floodwaters at the heads of rivers. The Democratic platform contained a plank which promised the support ofthe party to a national scheme of river control. This has already beenbrought to the attention of President Wilson. With the horrible scenesof the inundated towns of Ohio and Indiana before them, this pledge islikely to become a living promise to the party in power. A PROBLEM FOR THE PANAMA ENGINEERS There is one thing to remember. Our stupendous enterprise of the PanamaCanal will soon be completed. Its vast equipment of the world's newestand best machinery for digging and filling will be unemployed. Theworld's greatest engineer, Colonel Goethals, will also be at leisure. Why not then provide for the transfer of all the wonderful machinery atPanama, under personal charge and direction of Colonel Goethals, to thesupreme necessities of the Mississippi and Ohio valleys? The wholeAmerican people would applaud and approve this disposition of our greatengineer and his great equipment. This new national necessity is as vital and even more pressing than thePanama Canal. It is worthy of the great Republic and of the greatengineer--an achievement if successful which would twin with Panama andmake Colonel Goethals immortal and our country's beneficence andenterprise famous through all time. We have no force and no leader in this tragic emergency more potent forthe defense of the Mississippi and Ohio valleys than Colonel Goethalsand his Panama machinery. Let us send cheer to the flood-ravaged regionsof our country by the assurance that this great man and thisincomparable equipment will soon be consecrated to their relief. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [Transcriber's Note: The following statement was a footnote against thepage number, page 352, on this, the last page. The page number on thepreceeding page was 319, requiring the following edxplanation. ] The 32 pages of illustrations contained in this book are not includedin the paging. Adding these 32 pages to the 320 pages of text makes atotal of 352 pages.