The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-03-29

sons living In upper stories and prac
tically without food or water sine,
Tuesday morning. refused to leav,
their homes, believing they would hav,
a better chance for safety there tina,
elsewhere. Water and food were sup
plid them. Hundreds of others hat
left their houses In some instance.
effecting exits by chopping hole.
through the roofs. Very few of thes,
have been accounted for. Most q
those rescued in the district which /.
known as North Dayton, made theil
way to a Catholic college farther tt
the northeast, which stands on higt
ground. Here they are. being cared
for:
Tragic Deaths.
A central morgue has been estab-
dished at the probate building or
Main street and as fast as possible
! Identification will be made. Many OF
the bodies thus far recovered, however,
presented difficulties in the way of
identification. One woman was re-
covered from the west side with the
light clothing she had worn practically
torn from her body and her face dis
figured. She was clasping in her
arms a six-months-old baby. Another
woman was found lying across a
picket fence with the face so badly
lacerated that her Identification IS
almost impossible She wore only
night clothing and apparently was not
yet out of bed when the levee broke.
Sickness.
A report was circulated today to the
fever and pneumonia had developed in
Riverda1e and West Dayton. IT was
ascertained, however, that not a single
Well-develop+d case of either disease
was known in the sections mentioned.
although there was considerable sick
ness among the refugees, particularly
amongs the women and children, due
to privation. Three deaths from
diphtheria were reported in other sec
tons by Secretary Miller of the board
of health.
Representatives of the Associated
Press made their way in row boats
through nearly all of Riverdale.
North Dayton and West Dayton. This
was the first time that it was pos
sible actually to penetrate the dis
trict.
No Dead Bodies.
While conditions are deplorable the
people remaining in their houses were
not actually suffering to any consid-
cradle degree and no dead bodies were
to be seen anywhere. For the most
part the residents have beer taken
out. In several places throughout the
city camps nave been established and
have set up housekeeping in
tents, cooking over open fires.
Periious Escapes.
Perilous trips around the coping of
burning buildings with the yawning
of the flood below them, marked
the escape Of "a men, women and chill
dren from the flames that DESTROYED
the structures on the north side of
street from jefferson to st. Clair
Tuesday night.
When h alarm of fire was raised,
in the buildings rushed to the
W1ndow to seek aid in the streets
below None was available and,
by the flames, the refugees re-
treated from the east and west to-
ward the Cooper building in the CEN
ter of the. square, forcing their way
through the attic ~hatchWays and
climbing over roofs and around cop
ings. Hemmed in on both sides, a.
out was sought across Third
Harvey Kirkbride organized
the men. Under his direction, one of
the party was let down with a rope to
the water. He swan to the opposite
side, fastened a rope cable in a stair
case opening on the side and them
signalled his comrades.
Supporting the women and children,
the men let themselves down from the
cooper building and struggled through
the to~rrent-swept street to the other
side. The stairs led to safety on the
upper floors. Thence the entire "a
made their way to an alley and across
it to a place of safety. There they
until Thursday, when when
were rescued.