The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-21
OHIO REsHETs
DRIVE OUT 70. 600
At Cincinnati Buildings Collapse
Business Section Under
Water.
WORST is YET TO COME
Thousands Are Homeless and in
Want-Portsmouth Is in
Total Darkness.

CINCINNATI, o., January ae.--Coldor
weather and a gale OF wind Increased the
! suffering of those thousands who had
I been rnade homeless by TIE hooded Ohio
| and number of buildings that had beeu
weakened by the water went down before
! the wind last night and to-day The frs,
| and probably most serious loss by col-
| iapsins of walls was during the night,
! when several floors In the buildings on
| Walnut Street occupied by A. JANSEN,
wholesale grocery company, and the
Ohio Butterine Company, went down with
crash that could be heard for several
blocks.
Both buildings were heavily loaded
with merchandise in the upper stories,
goods having been moved from the cell
lars, and the collapse occurred just as
the high wind, coming along the river,
began To shake the high buildings. The
loss cannot yet be estimated. but will
probably be heavy. The area of flooded
section increased considerably during
the day, each inch of rise spreading over
wide territory. Fer several hours the
river was stationary at 64S feet, but the
weather bureau officials could find only
temporary consolation In this fact, an
nouncing during the afternoon that the
news from up the river Indicated that
the river here would go up to at least
sx,y-six and, perhaps. sixty-seven feet
within the next tllirtysix hours.
River Up Sixty-Seven Feet.
The rise OF last night and to-day cut
off approach to the foot bridges across
the Ohio. isoating most of the people
on the Kentuckv side of the river. Some
of those in Covington were still able to
cross over the railroad bridges, but New
port was almost wholly cut Off. and sec
tions of Covington, Bellevue, Ludlow and
Bromley were suffering from the back
waters. Strenuous efforts We're made to
avoid serious Interruption to street rail-
way traffic. but the isolation of the
bridges prevented n continuance of the
car lines to Cincinnati. and there We're
long stretches along the kentucky side
OF the river where the cars We're unable
to pass. In the east end Of Cincinnati
the car service was so badly crippled
that half a dozen transfers We're necessary
to go n few blocks.
Systematic efforts to relieve the suffer-
ers, who are estimated at nearly twenty
thousand, in Cincinnati and the nearby
cities on both sides of the river. We're
under way all day, the special appropria-
tion by the City Council being supple
mented by special funds to which all the
churches contributed to-day.
Five Thousand Homeless.
Reports from up the river to-day varied
little from those of last night. The lower
end of Parkersburg was under water and
the railroads were in trouble. Almost
the entire business section OF Portsmouth
was under water, and the entire north
and west end bloodhound, while five thou
sand people, driven from their homes
were sheltered in schools and churches
and the city was without gas or water
service.
At Madison, md, several hundred
homes by the water which has grad
ually encroached on the business and
residence section. While the low lying
sections of Huntingdon. W. Va, arc un-
der water, it is not believed that the
damage there will be very heavy.
MANY bridges in that section have been
carried out. by the floods,
The flood in Cincinnati this afternoon
hampered the efforts OF the fire de-
partment in attempting to fight a fire
in the foundry OF William Resor and
Company, the water cutting Off access
to the burning buildings, The estab-
lishment burned to the watere's edge.
causing n loss OF several hundred thou
sand dollars.
Aurora an Island.
.ANROFaA. IND, January M.-rhis city
was last night entirely cut off from rail-
road or traction connection with the out
side world. though the telephone and
telegraph wires We're still working. TheN
people can only get in or out of the city
by boat !
About 1900 in all We're rendered home-
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