The Washington times., 1913-03-26

came calm and began to pray.
"A: ]. Saettle. owner Of the house IN
which the fire started after q gas ex-
plosion, is reported to have been blown
into the air and killed instantly.
Mrs. Skunk, q neighbor, was blown
out of her homo into the food and
after clinging to . telegraph pole for
hal fan hour finally succumbed and was
sucked away under the water, accord.
ing to q report received at rescue head.
quarters.
The explosion blew a stable filled with
hay Into the middle Of the flooded
street and this carried the flames to
the opposite side.
Houses Burn Readily.
The next house to burn was Harry
Lindsay's. Then Mary Kreidlers and
then the home Of Theodore c. Lindsay
Houses that had been carried away
from their foundation f1oated into the
flames and soon were q bonfire.
The fires burned without restraint.
The search for the dead will not be-
gin until all the living have been help
ed.
The most heartrending feature OF the
situation Is the piriabfe terror of the
women and children.
Many Of them sat up and sobbed
through the night. refusing to believe
that their fathers and husbands were
safe. Husbands and fathers who miss
ed wives and children cried their grief
in the nerve-shaking way that strong
men have of voicing sorrow.
There was no one to give consolation
because no one knows nor will know
-hoN r..
lives is ."
Children are lost. having been parted
from their mothers in the turmoil.
DAYTON is completely separated from
almost prtmeval, only one telephone
lne Is working. and that is a private
wire between Dayton and Lebanon.
Government Submerged.
Its city government is completely sub
merged. Nothing has been heard from
1t since the flood descended upon the
CITY. The water came down so quick
ly that no one was prepared.
The only organized relief movement Is
that which is being conducted by the
National Cash Register Company,
whose plant is outside of the flood and
fire zone.
The entire efficient force of this
organization has been thrown into the
relief work. Not a wheel has stirred
in the factories of the cash register
company since Tuesday morning, and
every employe is engaged in relief
work.
The huge plant has been turned into a
rescue mission and hospital. a thousand
persons slept on its straw-covered floors
last night. The dining rooms and rest
rooms of the women employees were
turned into dining room for the suf-
ferers. Nearly all available food was
bought up by the company for the
benefit of the flood victims.
John H. Patterson, head of the cash
register concern, waded footed through
the flood to save the families from
flooded houses. He rowed a boat him
self. He is nearly seventy years old.
He has two children, a son, Frederick,
and daughter, Dorothy.
The son led recue parties, and Miss
Dorothy, dressed In old clothes and her
hair streaming with water, stood in the
rain for hours receiving the refugees
as they were brought IN automobiles
The thirty-one automobiles Of the cash
register company were pressed into
service for rescue work. 1t was founG
that Dayton did not have enough skiffs.
so Patterson forthwith ha dhis carpen-
ters make 100 small boats. They We're
ready by nightfall
Establishes Hospital.
J. c. Hale. head Of the welfare de-
partment of the plant. became head of
the flood welfare work. and the entire
working force has become a charity or
ganizatiOn. A hospital department has
been established with two physicians,
Drs Blackburn and Herman. There are
200 sick persons in this temporary hos
pital. and $50 at the Miami Valley Hos
pital and in the schools of the Brothers
of st. Mary's.
Reports of deaths in the food
continued to come in with the ar
rival of every rescue worker. Most
of the deaths reported were due to
inability on the part of refugees
to fight the flood on RATS in which
they sought to reach places of safe
ty. Others were overwhelmed by
the rush of the waters before they
had a chance to attempt escape.
The disaster hit the mansions OF the
rich as well as the tenements OF the
plant there slept last night the wife of