Abilene weekly reflector., 1913-03-27
.FIOOD IN OHIO SWEEPS
THOUSANDS TO DEATH

forty feet deep in the streets. Bod
les OF unknown dead-men ana wo-
men-are seen in the wreckage that
Is whirled along by the swift cur
rent.
II "a almost impossible to assem-
BILE the details of connected story
such is the frenzied condition OF q
people whose loved ones have been
carried away by the merciless wat
ers. Exaggerated accounts OF the
loss of life are NATURAL under such
conditions, but that the disaster Is
one to appall the human MIND is
apparent. Dwellings, business
buildings, great factories and mer-
camille establishments are reported
as having been destroyed by the
fIood. The monetary loss Is bound
to aggregate many millions OF dol
lars.
The hand of destruction fell with
terrible swiftness on Dayton wnen
the Lewiston dam gave away be-
meath the strain Of the impoundeu
waters which rushed from their con-
fines with a roar as Of reverberat-
ing guns Almost in the space OF
second the city seemed in the midst
of a vast river, whose undermining
Icurrent began eating at the founda-
tions of the homes of the people.
Men. women and children, caught
like animals in a trap, watched the
irhaang waters, hoping. pleading
praying for rescue. When house
crumbled the occupants fell into
the stream and we're carried away
IN their doom. It was almost I'M
nossible for any human being TO
live IN the terrific current.
Heroic efforts were made by the
authorities to rescue victims OF the
food who had been caught up IN
the deadly current, but rescue boats
have been unable to get any farther
from the shore than the tow line
will permit. They cannot live IN
the current. Two soldiers, Jonn
Hadkins and James Hosay, priVatei
of the Ohio national guard, were
drowned while attempting to rescue
the body of an elderly woman tna'
floated near them on Wyoming
street.
Unconfirmed reports say sixt!
persons we're drowned along tn'
leyees of North Dayton.
Practically half of the town
under water, the greatest depth De
ing estimated at forty feet. Tn'
lowest estimate Of lives lost Is 2OO
the highest is 5000. The city Is with
out electric lights, street car serVlc'
or water service.
The water is stfIl rising ana rail
is falling. About the roar OF tn
waters the cries Of people can o.
heard. but there is no way to rescu
them.
indianapolis. March 26.--A state
wide flood appalling in its immen
a. sity and terrifying in its swiftness
a. claimed more than two hundred live
a according to fragmentary Reports
q oimade nearly 100000 homeless An'
u has done property damage OF NOR
than 20 million dollars in Indian
--F II nk VnfmNk
,A The rush OF waters caught tn
NJ state unprepared and the followin
r. desp&ate fight to save Hfe an
10 property seemed futile.
~ From Peru came q message rns
The town was overwhelmed an
:. hundreds drowned before they kne'
ne their full peril.
- The White River and sewers
~ creeks. which surround the bus
~ ness district of Indianapolis, ordii
ha ar,Iv dry in summer, today are raj
n ing torrents, sweeping everything
eir their path.
- when the street car service WI
stopped it trapped thousands In u
IN business district. Some bridges a
an unsafe and closed to traffic and Il
ITO waters sweeping over others deti'
ed vehicles and pedestrians.
clio The White River levee at MorI
"a street went out last night, submer
~ inc hundreds of homes, adding tN
vn thousand to the seven thousa'
to homeless here.