New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-30

From 4 star Correspondent Of The Tribune
Davton. March 29.-All danger TO lie
and property In the floods here ehdeu
to-day. when the water recedeu from
everything except the Riverdale aho
Edgemont sections OF the city. Day
TONS problem now is that Of relieving
the thousands of poor people VINO los
property i'm the food. fighting of dis
ease and cleaning up the 1our-lnch TO
six-foot covering of Shiny mud LETT by
the receding water.
With its first opportunity 70 set at
that work to-day the city found that
the previous estimates OF the dead had
been greatly exaggerated. and although
there may still be heard guesses oil
ANYTHING from two 20 five hundred, the
general consensus is that the death list
will not exceed. if it reaches, the
smaller figure.
The property damage from The hood
has not been even estimated yet. the
fire damage in the comparatively small
portion of the city consumed by the
flames will be covered by about
100000.
In spite of the far more hopeful tone
given TO the disaster by the investga-
tons. which were made possible only TO-
day. after the water receded from the
business district. Dayton is stricken
tin,n before III
can recover from the catastrophe.
The city is under martial law, and
the streets are unsafe after dark, not
from a preponderance Of numerous
looters. but from the military precau-
tons necessary TO prevent the actlNl-
ties of any such At night the larger
part of the city is in total darkness
There are no sect lights in commits
sion. but in altering few Of the
houses dim lights flicker in the win
dows as the guards patrol the entire
city.
Disaster We'll Screened.
By day, except in the burned area,
which covers only parts of three down
town blocks, and in the low-lying val
lev in and around the central down.
town section. which suffered most from
the flood. il has all the appearances OF
an untroubled city, especially when
viewed from the hills which encircle 1t
on three sides.
The water, which has inundated a
section which is roughly two miles each
way. did wash out the fronts and con-
tents of most Of the city's downtown
stores. and it did destroy practically
the composite ground floor Of this Sec
ton OF the city and of the surrounding
residences. 1t was strong and de-
s.ructiye current when at its height,
but It did not come on the whole city
in q tidal wave fashion, which explains
the fact that the loss Of life was not
so large as first supposed.
II did also maroon people. both IN
tho downtown business section and IN
tho second floors of the surrounding
residence section. and TO that extent
produced privations and misery from
hunger and exposure. The fact that 50
many were thus marooned, and the
fact that those on the edges OF the
flooded district were powerless 10 reach
or communicate with the marooned
people for more than two days, gave
rise 10 the widest guesses Of thousands
dead. which we're at first taken at face
value.
Plenty at Marooned Hotel.
As an instance In point, this morning
Joseph E. Reichman, formerly presi-
dent Of the Carnegie Trust Company
in New York, met The Tribune reporter
In front Of the Algonquin Hotel. Reich
man was taking two friends out for an
automobile ride TO the Platt Iron
Works plant. in which he is now inter
cstcd. All three of the men had been
marooned I'm the hotel during the ioo3
but they had had plenty Of food, and
their only element of discomfort came
from the fact that they had to live
on and above the second floor and were
una Bile to communicate 1recly WIN
friends in other parts of the city.
The fire In the flooded downtown sec
ton. which RACED q score OF business
buildings. but did not touch any Of the
hotels. worried the marooned guests
for several hours, but the people VIII
had been caught and held by the Hood
In the business blocks which were de-
rtroyed by fire were all rescued be-
fore the flames endangered their lives.
The weather showed Improvement as
viewed by refugees, for II was warmer,
put the sanitary experts accepted the
rise in temperature with mixed feel
lnes. for the cold mad retarded the de-
composition OF animal matter and
'efuse.
Secretary Garrison conferred with