The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-30

Efforts were directed for several hours
| in an attempt to get at those bodies,
| but none had been taken out when
night fell.
Rescue Work Continues
| The work of extending succor to the
marooned inhabitants of the districts
which are still flooded continued dur
| ing the day. In many sections were
10 be seen rowboats, skiffs and canoes
making their way with extreme diff
Guilty among the heaps of wreckage and
overturned houses among tangled
meshes of telegraph. telephone and
electric light wires, seeking out posi-
BILE victims.
Among the organizations engaged in
rescue work is the company of naval
reserves from the United States ship
Essex at Toledo, under command of
Capt A. Il. Nicklett. The company
reached Dayton on a special relief train
from Toledo Thursday and immediately
launched a number of boats in the rag
ing torrents which were sweeping the
city from end to end. Up to o'clock
tonight the sailors had been constant
" on duty and had to their credit OF
979 lives saved, and they were not
thinking of sleep when darkness fell.
One crew in command of Ensign
Diebeeld, with two boats, rescued 3T5
persons from the business section and
that district Immediately east of Main
street and west of eagle street Many
of the people were taken from their
homes only after the sailors had
mounted to the tops of partially over
turned houses and chopped their way
through the attics where the inmates
We're huddled together waiting for
death to enter.
Another crew under Junior Lieutenant
Rose Willoh, succeeded in saving 500.
While three boats in command of Senior
Lieutenant Theodore Schmidt rescued 244
persons. The majority of these latter
were taken from box cars. warehouses,
fruit sheds and grain elevators in the
railroad yards. 1t was here that the water
attained its greatest violence. rushing
in whirlpools between the irregular build
ings on either side of the tracks. Navi-
cation was extremely perlous on account
and overturned sheds.
Several times the sailors were capsized
but managed to keep with their boats
and right them again. Not a single life
was lost either among the reserves or
among the hundreds whom they attempt
cd to rescue
Establish Supply Stations
While sailors worked incessantiy to
save lives Lieutenant Walter Gayhart
also of the slips company, succeeded in
establishing supply station in East Fifth
street where many refugees congregated
and issued rations to the suffering. He
slept tonight after n hours of continuous
labor
Only those doing relief work or having
official business were allowed out of doors
after o'cioclS tonight. With the addi-
tional military forces which arrived the
city was thoroughly polced The city
was in darkness again tonight. Even
with the carefal policing during the last
few nights some robbing has been done.
IL has been impossible to do much relief
work at night and the curfew order was
due in part to the advisablity of keeping
the men where they can protect their own
households if necessary.
Angered at Undertakers
Fronts of stores have been broken down
and merchandise is exposed. Some of this
has been stolen One thief gathered a
quantity of jewelry and was making away
with it ina travelling bag when arrested.
Major Dupuy is angered at certain I'M
dertalSers and expressed it in the fol-
lowing statement:
These body snatching ehouls who
operate as updertakers will be treated
as they deserve if it takes the entire
military power at the command of the
medical department of the Ohio Ma
tional Guard. There are a number OF
have complied strictly with the order
to report the recovery of all bodies
but there have been reports received
hero of numerous instances of under
takers grabbing bodies and rushing
them to their own establishments Then
they either prey upon the grief strick-
en- relatives or the public, who will
have to pay for the burial of the uni
Identified dead
"All medical and military officers
have received orders TO promptly ar
rest any undertaken or other person
who RECEIVERS a body and does not inn
mediately report it to this department.
1t was said at military headquarters
that total of only As bodies was re-
ported to this evening although it was
known that no less than III bodies
had been taken to different morgues
and to private homes. This was ascer
tanned by a computation of the returns
made by different rescuing squads en-
gagged in the flooded districts
Major Dupuy stated that he fears an
epidemic of some kind unless the most
rigid sanitary rules are enforced.
There are thousands and thousands
of dead horses and other animals
strewn about the city, said the sur
geon. "and while we are pressing int
service large numbers of men, it win
require many days TO dispose of the
beneath great heaps of heavy wreck
age which it viii be necessary to re-
move before the bodies can be taken
to the incinerating plants
"'ro add to the menace of the situ-
alton we found that with one or two
exceptions every stock of drugs in Day
ton was destroyed by the flood. Many
of our Officers are without medical OF
surgical supplies lieutenant doctor
came to me today begging for supplies.
He said he had several obstetrical
cases 10 care for besides several ur-
/ gent surgical cases, but had nothing
to work with. Medical knowledge does
not do man much good II he has
no drugs and instruments.
There already are considerable
number of sick here but we are maxi
! ing every effort possible 10 care for
these patients. A maternity hospital has
been esta tablished in Daytonview an
emergency hospital is being operated,
under extreme difficulties however. in
the courthouse and hospital for con-
| tagious diseases already is treating
several cases of chickenpox, mumps
and measles.
There are innumerable cases OF la
/ grippe. pneumonia, acute rheumatism,
! - 4 tad