Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 73, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 March 1913 — THOUSANDS DROWN IN MANY OHIO CITIES [ARTICLE]

THOUSANDS DROWN IN MANY OHIO CITIES

Floods Prevail Throughout State and Disaster is Reported Worst Since ' That of Galveston. ZTZ'T.I.Z''" —~v . .-V-; ■. — l . •~" i : *— f . "—; — mr rt — ; : ; • gt - ~— t —»-——

BRIDGES ARE GONE ’ ! • Meager Reports From Dispatches Indicate That Horrors of Great Magnitude Exist at Miamisburg, Dayton and Other Ohio Cities— Short Telephone Messages Indicate Serious Conditions at Logansport, Lafayette and Other Places.

The worst flood that ever occurred in the United States seems to be the outcome of the great rain storms of Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The extent of the terrible conditions can not be leraned here, owing to the fact that the telegraph wires are working to only a few places and to the further fact that practically all train service has been cut off, thus making it impossible to procure the metropolitan papers. The Republican has been able today to get a few brief dispatches that indicate that conditions arts very deplorable throughout Ohio and Indiana, especially in the southern parts of the states, while messages from Peru, Logansport, Lafayette and Gary add to the horrors told in dispatches from the south. The worst disaster seems to have occurred at Dayton, Ohio, where the great Lewiston reservoir gave way and swept through the city, carrying everything before it and causing a loss of lives estimated as high as 5,000, while from other -places down the Miami river come reports of great disaster. The following brief dispatches were received here: Xenia, Ohio.—A telephone bulletin from Dayton states that the crest of the flood has been reached and that 5,000 people in that city have been drowned. The water is 30 feet deep and is running like mad. No building could stand against it. The town of Miamisburg, with a population of 4,000, 12 miles below Dayton, was wiped out by the flood, according to refugees who have reached this city. They estimated the loss in that town at 2,000. Cleveland, Ohio.—Nine thousand persons are dead in the Ohio flood; 5,000 in Dayton, 2,000 in Miamisburg, 1,000 in Hamilton, 540 in Piqua, 500 in Salina. The worst floods the United States has ever had. . . Middletown, Ohio.—Fifty dead in this city. The remainder of the.city is being destroyed by fire. The $2,000,000 plant of the Champion Coated Paper Co. was destroyed by fire. Columbus, Ohio.—The Broad street bridge went out this morning, cutting the city in halves. The Scioto river is still rising. There are 17 known dead here. Rochester, Ind.—A message from Peru at an early hour this morning called for help, asking that boats be sent as the people were drowning. Gary, Ind.—The Calumet river is swollen to the highest point in years. Scores are homeless. The steel workers were compelled to use boats to reach their homes. Lafayette, Ind.—The Wabash river Is running 30 feet deep and is out of its banks, being 3 miles wide in places. Hundreds have been compelled to abandon their homes. Indianapolis.—Four persons were drowned here. City is without Are protection and *1,500 are homeles*-. Reports received here indicate that 100,000 persons in the state arc homeless and that property damage will reach $20,000,000. At Terre Haute a bad situation exists. The city lost many by the cyclone and is now cut off from supplies by the flood. The militia is guarding the storm devastated section to prevent robbers from entering the houses. Ft. Wayne.—St. Joseph, Miami and St. Mary rivers are on the rampage and the city is without lights. The water is the highest in 20 years. Logansport, Ind.—Houses from Peru floated down the Wabash river today, tearing out the railroad bridges. • »

Marion, Ind.—Four hundred have been compelled to flee from their homes by the flood. Elwood, Ind.—Three hundred are made homeless by floods htere. Superintendent Montgomery, of the local telephone company, has been keeping in touch with tbe flood situation as well as it is possible to do so owing to the cripplci condition of the system. He received a message this morning that the Logansport telephone employes had been forced to leave the second story of the exchange building by boats and tiiat a lineman was drowned in the street right in front of the telephone office. He received through the Monticello exchange a verification of the brief telegram concerning conditions at Peru. It was to the effect that a levy had broken out at 2 a. m. this morning and that there were 250 known dead in that city and 2,000 residences had been destroyed. Four hundred, coffins were ordered from Ft. Wayrre and all the doctors and hospital supplies that Ft. Wayne could spare were called for. People were on the house tops waiting to be rescued. It is also reported that the Monon and Big Four railroad'bridges and the Brown street wagon bridge at Lafayette had been washed out and that the water had flooded all low sections of the city and was over the banks on the east side. Water was three feet deep in the St. Nicholas htftel on Main street, near Third. Two students were drowned while working at the bridge. All train service on the Monon, Big Four and Wabash railroads out of that city had been annulled. It was said that there would not be a train over the Monon north for a week or ten days, nor out of Louisville, Ky., for ten days. The low parts of Delphi are flooded, but direct information eould not be procured from there. A Wa bash railroad bridge over the Wild Cat between Delphi and Lafayette had been washed out. Locally there has been some improvement in conditions, although the water has gone down very slowly in the flooded district in the northeast part of town. The rjver began to fall during the night and at noon today was probably five inches below high mark of yesterday evening. Mrs. Lida G. TMonnett and daughter, Mrs. Ruth Dewey, decided to abandon their home down the river and were brought from their home to town in a motor boat by Jim Hemphill and Cleve Eger. The water had reached the sills of the house before they decided to leave. Their hogs were driven into the corn crib and a platform was built In the barn for the two cows and a young calf. The stock was fed by Cleve Eger and Eph Hickman this morning. Several chickens were drowned. The Monon annulled all of Its train service affecting Rensselaerexcept the milk train, which went south only as far as Monon last night and then backed up to Brookston this morning and went into Chicago. It will make the trip back this evening. The Kankakee river Is thought not to be as high as in some former years and the railroad grade is holding firmly. General Manager A. H. Westfall and other officials of the road went through Rensselaer on a special train this morning at 7:30 o’clock on a tour of inspection. The train went to Battle Ground and the officials are trying to plan the reconstruction of the bridge and thF long fill between the river ahd the Shops. Nothing can be done until the wafers "recede. There will be only one train each way tomorrow, the milk train again making the round trip. - . One Indianapolis Star wandered into Rensselaer yesterday. A traveling man procured one at Lafayette and brought it to Renkselaer, giving it to Warner Bros. As soon as the news-that it was here was scattered about there was a great demand for it and it was worn into shreds almost by this morning. A copy of the Chicago Tribune of this morning reached here this if ternoon. A traveling man got it at Shelby from some one who had come there over the C., I. & 8. railroad. He brought It to Rensselaer on the Ideal which arrived here this afternoon at about 2 o’clock. It (Concluded on Page Four.)