The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-03-27

cor it's unfortunate and care for its
| dead. Fearing that in the event the
| flood should subside enough to allow
men and teams to make their way to
| the fire they would prove Intellectual to
| combat such a confia grafton seems
to be raging, Vice Mayor Huber early
| this morning called upon nearby towns
| for fighting apparatus and dynamite
| with which to blow up buildings sur
| rounding the fire.
Story of Levee Breaking.
A story OF the break of the levee
| and the onrush of waters was told by
Edy Vincent, a member of the fire
department
The fire house is located within a
break occurred. The department
watchers sounded the fire call stimuli
taneously with the break in the water
wall.
when the horses reached the
street." he said, I'VE were met by a
wall of water which must have been
ten feet high. The driver was forced
to turn and flee in the opposite direc-
ton to save the team and the ap-
paratus.'
The break occurred on the left side
of the river, just before it is Joined by
the Mad river. The water poured over
the wall into Third street and Is min
utes later Main and all of the principal
streets were under ten feet of water.
Many of the buildings on the right side
of the river were so insecure that they
had left their foundations within an
nour.
City Officials Hemmed In.
Unlike other cities heretofore over
whelmed by flood, Dayton has not
representative citizens to relieve vic
Tins of the flood and fire that swept
the city. 1t was impossible to com
municate with the mayor or other
city officials as they, with more than
half of the population of 1900 were
hemmed in by the water. The relief
work is being done we'll by a small
coterie of citizens in the southeast
part of the city who happened not to
be caught in the business section
when the flood suddenly made egress
from buildings impossible. The re-
lief work is in charge of j. h: Pat
terson, president of the National Cash
ter plant was the only structure of
Importance not seriously affected by
the flood or fire which followed, and
today more than thousand refugees
are receiving medical attention and
food at the plant, which has been
turned into a huge hospital and lodg-
ing house. Today relief measures eA-
ceeded requirements, but only because
it was impossible to rescue the thou
sand of narooned inhabitants. With
the waters receding and the rapidity
of the torrents through the business
sections 1essened the people were
brought out by hundreds today ana
the relief staff was kept busy. Many
doctors and nurses have come here
from nearby cities.
Medicine supplies and food have
been provided for on relief trains.
Absence of motor boats has been
the cause of great suffering Hand
propelled boats could not navigate the
water. With appeals for motorboats
and men to run them Cleveland re-
sponded with several boats which ar
rived this morning. Cincinnati also
sent some. Upon the arrival of these
craft, rescue work went on rapidly
Narrowing tales have been told in
connection with the rescue work al
ready done. A boy pitched by his
mother from his roof to a boatman
who was having difficulty keeping his
craft steady was missed by the ress
cuers and drowned. The mother was
saved. young husband had to re-
strain his wife from throwing herself