The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1913-03-28
AN AWFUL HAVOC
IN FLOOD WATERS
REVISED FIGURES DEATHS.
may Be UNDER 1000.
Death List In Dayton 1t Is
Believed Will Not Reach
Over 200 Victims.

Floods almost unprecedented in
area. following the tornado and rains
of the first three days of tho week
swept four states of the Mississippi
valley, causing loss of life that
reaches into the hundreds and damage
to property amounting to many mil
lions Of dollars.
Ohio and Indiana, and in lesser
degree, Illinois and Missouri. felt the
brunt Of the disaster.
The maps of Ohio. Indiana and parts
of Illinois and Missouri are maps Of
desolation. Terre Haute. Indianapolis
and Lafayette, Ind, and Dayton, Del
eware, Columbus and Youngstown,
in Ohio present particularly pitiable
spectacles.
Revised estimates of the loss in Day.
ton, received last night. give ground
for hope that the dead 10 all sections
of Ohio and Indiana affected Ey the
flood will not exceed 1900 and may
60 below that figure.
Daring investigators who penetrated
the food sections revealed hundreds of
persons safe who it was feared were
lost.
Unless swelled by the death list in
the foreign settlement Of the north
side. as yet unreaohed, there may not
be more than 200 dead in the whole
city Of Dayton.
In other points than Dayton the list
grew rapidly yesterday and last night.
EEere was far heavier loss of life in
the west side Of Colum bus than was
thought. One estimate places the
number Of dead at more than 600
at Dayton, Ohio, three rivers. the
Miami. Saltwater and Mad and an
other stream known as Wolf creek,
join. For the most part Of the city lies
on level fiat with the four streams
meeting almost in the heart of the
plain aud is protected by levees25 feet
high. The levee protecting the Miami
river broke about s O'Clock Tuesday
morning and the food, augmented by
| the rapidly rising waters of the other
streams finally was made uncontrolla-
BILE by the breaking of the Laramie
reservoir, 80 miles above Dayton.
Columbus also suffered enormous
damage from the food. The west side
levee broke and a large area of the
western part Of the city was inundat,
ed. Fire in three large factories ragged
for three hours and for time threat
ened the district.
Conditions at Indianapolis, Fort
| Wayne, Kokomo and other places in
central Indiana were the worst in
many years. At Lafayette two spans
of bridge went out, carrying seveTa
persons who where watching the
food. All were rescued however ex-
oept two. Flood conditions through
out Indiana were the worst in 30 years
it was reported from Indianapolis,
where more than 1900 families had
been driven from their homes and
the electric light and power plants
were under water. Tie city is with
out Gre protection.
From lndlanapolle came reports OF
100000 homeless throughout Indiana
and a property loss reaching the enor-
nous figure of $20.000.000 in cities
towns and villages alone. This does
not include the losses to farmers
The loss of life. while not SO high
as in Ohio, has not teen estimated.
| The climax in the flood 10 Ohio wai
reached at Dayton Tuesday nigh
| where it was reported that the watel
was from 20 to 40 feet deep in man,
streets; that bodies were floating pas
windows of office buildings and tha
the catastrophe assumed the proper
tions of tidal wave. A telephone
message TO Chillicothe asserted tina
$4,000 of Dayton's inhabitants wer'
homeless and that relief train hat
been dispatched from Xenia.