Arizona republican., 1913-03-27
ASSOCIATED PRESS DIsPATcH1

 through half of the submerged busi- ness district of Dayton late tonight, destroyed the Beckel House where were supposed to be more than two hundred flood refugees is the concen- sus of opinion of scores of watchers from the top of the National Cash Re- gister building nearly two miles from the scene of the flames
 Investigation of the fire from close range is an impossibility More than mile of flood water intervenes be- tween the point where the staunchest boats dared to venture and the area of the flames.
 Traced by the aid of maps it appear ed that the Beckel house was destroy ed sometime after 10 o'clock. Whether the scores of refugees supposed to have been there escaped is only a matter of conjecture
 At midnight residents watching the course of the flames from across the stretch of flood waters believed the fire had got a new start this afternoon in the store of the Patterson Tool Supply Company at Third street. just east of Jefferson street. whence it ate it's way apparently aided by the escap ing gas and exploding chemicals from two wholesale drug establishments.
 Flames which destroyed eight build ings in Dayton's submerged business section tonight case a red. weird glow over the flood-stricken city that added to the fears of thousands of refugees and marooned persons, and led to an apprehension that many who were saved from the waters per ished in the burning buildings. Soon afterward a notice was posted in the headquarters of the emergency com rnittee announcing that the city was under martial law. several companies of soldiers arrived from neighboring Ohio cities Soldiers are employed to patrol the edges of the burned dis trict. to prevent further -tooting of the houses freed from the floods s grasp Up to d late hour tonight there was no material disorder. Res cue squads worked frantically. Late tonight the arrival of motor boats gave hope that by tomorrow the northern section of the city, now cut off by the Big Miami which is an impa ssable barrier might be pene-
 
 prisoned by the torrent which poured down from the broken reservoir may soon be learned When the rescuers worked their way into the partially submerged dwellings on Fifth and Engle streets late tonight they found numbers of flood prisoners weak from freight and hunger. Already the over burdened victims of the waters wrath are compelled to suffer again today from a cold rain. Fire appeared to threaten the business section and was tonight confined to a block bounded by Second Third, Jefferson and St Clair streets. In the block are the Fourth National bank, the Lattiman Drug company, the Evans Wholesale Drug company and several commis- sion houses. It is impossible to get within two miles of the fire; from that distance the explosions prob ably of drugs, made the fire seem of larger proportions than it actually was. II is impossible to ascertan even approXmately the number of persons who might be marOoned in this sec ton and who died after being trapped by the flood and fire. Nevertheless the rescue work went steadily on and about three thousand were housed ir places of refuge tonight-the majority of them in buildings of the Nationa Cash Register company. At least sixty-five thousand have been i'm prisoned two days in the residences and business buildings.
 While the flood steadily recedet this afternoon the terrific current re tdrded the rescue work and the cold smartinG rain added to the diseom- forts of the already oVerburdeneC storm victims Expert oarsmen Wht braVed the tide in the business sec tion of the submerged city came bacl nerve tracked to relate narratives 0 pitiable appeals made by the hun dreds of marooned on the upper floor! Of the tall buildings. about whose low CT stories swirIed a flood whici threatened the foundations. The darl colors of the narrative were lighted here and there by stories of bravery
 A woman with three children ma rooned on the upper floor of a hom on the edge of the business distric called to the oarsmen:
 70. l know you can't get me off but for the love of humanity, talk this loaf of bread and jug of mo lasses to Sarah Pruyn down tn street. l know she is starving"
 Twice the Oarsmen attempted t take the food. but the waves eddie about the submerged house and hurl ed them back. Further on, in the ex elusive residence district they wer offered fabulous sums by many of tn flood prisoners
 The rescue work was efficient managed in which John Patterson president of the National Cash Regis ter company, was the leading spir and proceeded smoothly throughol the day. Missing members of familie