The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-03-26
Rising Rivers Turn City Streets Into Rushing
Torrents Burdened With Human Freiqht
dayton, OHIO, CENTER OF AFFLICTED DISTRICT
School Houses With Their Children, Hospitals With
Their Patients, Manufacturing Buildings and
Homes Submerged Washed Away
By Steadily Increasing Flood

Columbus, O., March 26.-The lat
est estimate of the loss of life in the
Dayton flood places the number at
500. BY many this estimate is con-
sidered too low. One estimate OF
the property damage is between five
and ten millions.
Dayton, O., March 25.-Dayton is
a seething river tonight from 10 TO
80 feet deep extending a mile and a
half on each side Of Main street, its
principal ,noI oughfare, while it is
estimated that from 1000 to 5000
people have persisted.
Gloom reigns supreme. The AL
| gonquin hotel is submerged in water
>up to its third story and above this
| level downtown district, Office build
| ings, hotels and business houses are
places of refuge
A school building that was known
| to have housed no less than 400
school children shortly before the
waters rushed in that direction is en-
tirely submerged and as far as can
be ascertained all of the little ones
met a watery grave.
The st. Elizabeths hospital with
| 500 patients, was reported TO have
been washed away.
The electric light plants were put
out of business early in the day and
| total darkness, coupled with a torren
tial downpour added to the horrors
of the night.
Famine became immediate posi-
bility. AT midnight it was said there
was not enough bread to last the sur
vivors another day.
John H. Patterson, president of
the National Cash Register company
who headed the relief work in the
south end of the city, sent out an APP
peal for food supplies and for doc
tors and medicine. Tonight. 5000
homeless were housed in the cash
Register offices.
A fire which started from an ex-
plosion in the Meyers Ice Cream
company near Wyoming street,
spread and burned the block on
South Park a block from Wyoming.
<AHOAAlNl bA6 nv 40 ANPOANt " A0fN
burned a down town block.
The breaking of the Tarleton reser
voir, which supplies the drinking
water, left the city without drinking
water and physicians declared there
was great danger of typhoid
There are no boats in Dayton
which can breast the current.
How many houses have been
swept away and how many oocu-
pants were carried to their deaths
cannot be learned until the waters
| recede.
At Wyoming street on the south
side, where the National Cash Regis
ter company centered it's efforts at
rescue, many saved their lives by
creeping on a telephone cable,
hundred feet above the food.
Leaving death and destruction in
its wake what is said to be the big
gest food in the history of the state
swept Ohio yesterday, taking toll
of the lives of probably more than
100 persons, entailing a loss that
probably will mount into the mill
Al0liC vi NOAidAS anu NAANAAS Oh 0RAuhA
bus and more than a half-dozen 9th
er towns from the rest of the world.
the capital of the state was practi-
cally isolated because of the destruc-
ton of telegraph and telephone wires
and the washing out of bridges which
makes impossible operation of rail
way trains. The city was partly in
undated. in darkness and without
gas, because of the stage of swollen
Scioto river which has caused a wall
of water TO separate the east and
west parts. There were numerous
fires and about 10000 we're rendered
homeless.
Meantime the rain which began
Sunday night continues, at times
moderate and at other times in tor
rents. The fact that the water al
ready had destroyed several bridges
and broken a levee gives cause for
the alarm that other levees may
break and further damage result
Throughout the state probably over
$4,000 are homeless.
AT Dayton probably the worst con-
ditiOn in the state prevails. Esti-
mates of the number of dead from
the food there range from 25 to 75.
The principal streets Of that city
are inundated by from 10 to IA feet
Of water The Miami river given
impetus by the breaking OF the Lor-
annie dam in Shelby county continues
on its rampage flooding the business
section of the city and sweeping
dwellings before IT, Because Of the
proportions Of the food it is impos-
sible to enter Dayton and efforts TO
relieve the suffering are almost
wholly confined to those Of the handi
capped populace.
At Delaware. Is miles north OF
Columbus, from 1910 so persons are
reported drowned as a result Of the
Olentangy river breaking out Of its
banks yesterday morning This
town also is isolated with the ex-
ception Of intermittent telegraph
service. one part Of Delaware is cut
on from the other because the river
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