Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-04-01
Big Stream Rising Rapidly
Threatens Heavy Loss
60 City Blocks Under
Water This Morning.
PEOPLE WARNED AND
LITTLE SUFFERING
Packers and Commission
Men Say Supplies are
Plentiful for 10 Days ;
Covington Flooded.

Cincinnati, o., March 29.-Wlth the
Ohio river covering the entire lower
section of this city and with refugees
from the stricken upstate towns com.
ing in by hundreds, Cincinnati today
faced a situation that will require the
combined efforts Of all its relief and
civic organizations to cope with.
Every hotel is crowded to Its capacity
while every moving van, auto-truck
and freight street car has been
pressed into service removing families
from the flood area.
The Ohio river reached the stage of
$50 feet at daybreak and was rising
at rate Of IL tenths of a foot an
hour.
More than sixty city blocks are un-
der water, the depth of which ranges
from half foot to ten feet. ..
Suffering, however, has been at a
minimum, owing to the warning sent
out early that stage Of seventy feet
will probably be reached before the
waters begin to recede. The city was
practically cut off from traffic COM
mun:cation with Covington, KY, last
evening when the approach to the
suspension bridge became covered
with water at a depth that prevents
car or foot service,
A raise of another foot will put the
South Covington and Cincinnati street
car companies lines which operate all
street cars entering from Kentucky,
out >of commission owing to the fact
that the power house will become
swamped at this stage. The central
l. 3nf1 NnDrNrt
abandoned early last evening. The
water reached the second floors OF a
number of business houses along
Front street and was half way up on
the. first floor of several. blocks OF
houses on Second street. Several lines
OF the Cincinnati Traction Co., operat'
ing in the lower district, have been
abandoned. E....
Reassuring word from the packers
commission men and general produce
merchants came early today when II
was estimated by experts that Gin
cinnati had enough food supplies TO
last at least ten days without incor!'
veniencing any one. "T
Sixty Blocks Under Water.
Sixty city blocks in Newport and
Covington are under water and as al
most all of the manufacturing plants
on that side of the Ohio are located
in the lowlands, thousands have been
thrown out of employment
Secretary of War Garrison, accom-
panied by Major General Leonard
Wood, arrived here today en- route to
Dayton.
II was decided that Major General
Wood should stay in this city and
RE st Mayor Hunt and the Red Cross
sse ETY. in clearing the situation here
Accompanying Secretary Garrison to
Dayton via automobile will be Major
General Rhodes and General Mccoy.
Number of Dead Reduced.
DAYTON, O., March <29--Though a
search of the flooded districts here
Indicated that the loss of life In Day
ton will not be more than $50 to 200,
at a meeting of seven-eights of the un'
dertakers, it was announced that a
consensus of their opinions put the TO-
tai dead at S00 Those estimates are
based merely on general conditions,
and Dayton citizens today renewed ef'
forts to explore every recess OF the
city to ascertain If their reckoning
was correct as.
Large rescue parties went out today