The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-06-25
BOOMS AFTER FLOOD
Dayton, o., Is on Road to Pros
perity Again.
Everybody In One Devastated Town
Working, and Wages Are Higher
Than They Were Ever Known
to Be Before.

Dayton, O.-Dayton is taking care
of herself again. Only few soldiers
are left doing police duty Military
law is theoretically in force, and
Adjt. Gen. George H. Wood Is still
here The curfew has become tech
nicalty, and citizens may 60 abroad
till II o'clock each night. The saloons
are open through the day.
Major Rhoades of the United States
army has gone, leaving the work OF
sanitation and cleaning in the hands
of the city authorities. Relief proc
esses have come to standstill, ex'
cept for the work of the Red Cross,
under DR.. Edward 7. Devine OF New
York.
The factories started running IN an
incredibly short time after the Hood
Their accumulation Of orders In
sures rush work and overtime all sum-
mer With everybody working, wages
higher than ever known, and with 80
900 persons having lost part or all
of their household goods and clothing,
there could be no question about bust
ness. Dayton is already boom town,
and must continue to be the busiest
city in the United States for many
months to come.
Every merchant who has been able
to get new stock has been doing q
volume of business from 40 to 60 per
cent greater than at the correspond
ing time last year-and this with
rough board counters, emergency NIX
lures, and demoralized sales forces.
Treasury department officials sent
here to restore financial operations
told disheartened merchants from the
first that they would turn their stock
more times in the next six months
than they ordinarily did In Ave years.
The first months sales have con.
WINGED most of them that this was q
correct prediction.
Every merchant of good reputation
has received astonishing favors from
houses from which he buys. Many
have Cancelled old accounts; nearly
all have extended their credit. Citi.
zens have been advised not to avail
themselves of the bankruptcy law, and
none so far have done So
Thousands of carpenters, plasterers
and painters are at work. There ID
still much mud and debris In the
streets, though nearly 10000 wagon
loads have been hauled away Mos'
of the boards, broken furniture and
the like was taken to the public
dumps and burned. At Mckinley park
devastated by the food, there was q
huge bonfire covering two city blocks
with fire fighting apparatus surround
ing It.
1t is contended by large element
that the work of cleaning has beer
hampered by the opening of thu
saloons. which opened ten days ago
Four thousand men had been EN-
ployed on the cleaning work, many
imported from Chicago and othel
cities. Hundreds Of them became de
moralized through drinking and lef
the city.
Immediate attention Is to be giver
the broken levees in which only tn,
bad breaks have been stopped. Tn,
government Is giving attention to tn,
improvement of the great Miami from
source to mouth War department
engineers have surveyed the district
Revised estimates of the financia
loss very almost as widely as the!
did at first. A survey by compan!
Of bankers and real estate men re
suited in a total Of $12S,0O0, 900, In
GLIDING $5O.0O0,O00 for depreciation
OF real estate. All the estimates prob
ably are too high. The chamber o
commences estimate of mercantil,
losses Is $l2,OO0,O0O. Not more thai
one-third Of the churches and school
escaped the food Most Of the school
reopened as soon as the waters re
ceded. A few Of the buildings cal
not be used before fall, and pupil
are Doubling up, half time, In nearb!
schools.
The Red Cross has distributed al,
to 5000 families, most of them hav
ing received an average of SIS each
More aid is to be extended In the wa,
Of a start in housekeeping, anc In al
about 100000 will be used In Day
ton. More than 5000 families hav,