Omaha daily bee., 1907-01-18
GREAT FLOOD ALONG THE OHIO
sIxty-Five-FOOt Stage Expected nj
Cincinnati by Sunday.

Cincinnati by sunday.
CINCINNATI, Jan. 17.-Thousands of peo-
pie along the Ohio river are homeless on
account OF the prevailing high water. In
dications point to a stage of at least sixty
five feet for the river in this city, making
this the greatest flood since February, 1884
The city authorities today began to care
for the flood victims. School buildings and
churches have been opened as temporary
homes for the homeless. About 1000 people
on hill known as Turkey Ridge have
been isolated by the flood, which cut them
off from the mainland In Newport KY,
the flood area covers eight blocks and 300
families have been compelled to vacate
their homes. Traffic generally in the river
district has been suspended.
Cincinnati should prepare for one of its
occasional floods"
This was the official announcement made
by Forecast Official Bassler today, based
on the conditions that have maintained for
the last few days and which seem to be
likely to continue. The effect Of the dam
age is already great.
Said Mr.. Bassler: 1.-The river will reach
sixty feet before Friday and will continue
to rise Saturday and Sunday. 1t looks to
me as though the river will reach the stage
of sixty-five feet at Cincinnati OF course,
1t is not my business to be a calamity
bowler, but / am telephoning the various
people affected. every day as developments
arise. 1 do not think the river will pass
the seventy-one-foot mark, which it did in
the great flood of 1884, but a flood beyond
the ordinary is certainly Indicated"
At o'clock this afternoon the river was
81 feet and still rising. This is the high
est water since April "a, 1901 when 59.7 was
recorded.
The Mckinley school in the east end was
vacated by the school children this after
noon and is being used to house thirty-six
houseless families whose homes are under
water. The Highland school In the east end
had to be closed today on account of en-
croaching water and many children in
/ Cumminsville were unable to get from
! their homes to the schools. Water has
put out the fire in the Newport water
works
In Covington the Ludlow car line was
crippled by the flood and on Third street
omnibuses are transferring across a flooded
section.
PlTTSBURG, Jan. H.-Eight dynamite
blasts having failed to break the Allie
gheny river dam at Springdale, where the
current has already swept away ten houses
! Mirror works, one more attempt will be
made tomorrow, and If that fails "a diver
will be employed to undertake the hazard
Gus task of placing a ton of dynamite d.
rectly under the concrete wall of the dam
where its explosion will be effective I'm
less the stream is quickly diverted by
breaking the dam enormous property losses
| will be sustained The value of buildings
and machinery already destroyed is placed
| at $4,000. while ground has been dug out
| to depth OF nearly thirty-five feet
Major Charles Slebert, resident govern
ment engineer who is directing the work
declared tonight that unless a hole is
driven through the center of the dam
within twenty-four hours it would be next
to impossible to save the Heidenkamp Mir
ror company's plant, which is valued at
81, OOO,0O0.
| PORTSMOUTH, o., Jan. 17.-Several
hundred families have been forced from
their homes by the rising river which now
exceeds the fifty-four feet stage.
Mayor Hutchins will probably order the
public schools dismissed tomorrow and the
buildings will be given up to flood suf-
ferers owing to a lack of sufficient shelter