The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-03-27

lor street, where the break occurred.
The department watched, fearing
being flood bound, and sounded the
fire call simultaneously with the
break in the water wall.
When the horse which in record
time reached the street. he said, I'VE
were met by a wall Of water which
must nave been 10 feet high. The
driver was forced to turn in the OPP
posite direction to save the team and
apparatus
The break occurred on the left side
of the river and just before it is
joined by Mad river. The water
poured over the wall into Third street
and Is minutes later Main street, in
Guiding all 'of the principal streets
which had heretofore never been
thought in danger, was under 10 feet
of water. Many of the buildings on
the right side of the river We're so in
secure that they had left their foun-
dations within an hour.
What had been blocks of thickly-
populated n and two story houses,
occupied mostly by emigrants from
southern Europe. were packed into
heavy masses. The heaps of torn and
shattered lumber are known to con-
tain many bodies.
Motor Boats Needed.
"Our greatest need is a dozen motor
boats and men to run them,' a SEN
tence in an appeal sent out by John
II. Patterson, president of the Ma
= tional Cash Register company and
, chairman of the relief committee gives
a good insight into the flood situation.
Skiffs and rowboats cannot live in
the torrents rushing through the
r city's principal streets.
e In the big plant Of the National
e Cash Register company in the south
d western part of the city, a portion
least affected has been made relief
headquarters, insuring a quick and
accurate identification of refugees
AS persons are rescued they are taken
e to one of several sub-relief stations
where their names are recorded and
they receive first aid. At frequent
O intervals these lists were sent to re-
lief headquarters and announced tC
crowds who waited in the rain fol
h hours.
Thousands of persons are marooneC
" in their homes without food, water OF
heat. Dawn came with a cold wine
that became more penetrating before
noon, when rain began to fall and CON
$ tinued throughout the day.
2 Rescuers Reach Main Street.
Two expert oarsmen, Fred Patterson
g and Nelson Talbot, conquered the
current for a short distance on MAR
street late this afternoon.
W. penetrated to almost the cen
t-, - .L, ,s.., D,+4. --t1
every person cried out to us tc
4 rescue them. but it wa impossible
d for we were barely able to keep afloat
Large sums Of money were offered us
to take persons from pcrilous posi-
10 tons. The windows OF the Algonquin
y hotel seemed filled with faces. and the
same conditions prevailed at almost
all of the buildings we passed. w,
re did not see any bodies"
~ 1t is feared the loss of life on the
,r north side of the Great Miami river
Of will be large. Slowly rising overflow
~ water stood seven feet deep in {
: large section of the city lying across
al that river chen the rush from the
break in the Laramie levee came
Opinions as to whether persons living
a there knew the lcVcc had let go be,
~ TORE lne water DNerWntllncu tlell
l. homes differ.
a The new facts obtainahle indicat,
that they were warned in time t,
t. prevent loss of life. All of the large
provisions houses in the city ar.
3 flooded and late this afternoon tn,
ID smaller stores in the outskirts an.
nounced they had sold everythin.
', they had.
he The relief committee, anticipating
al this, ordered supplies from Cincin.
y natl, which, it is expected, will arriv,
tomorrow.