The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1913-01-13
FLOODGA7ES ON
OHIO OP[ LEAVE
2,500 HOMELESS
River Passes go Foot Stage
at Cincinnati, Rising at
Rate of Two Inches
an Hour
PROPERTY LOSS TO
REACH THOUSANDS
Schoolhouses and Churches
in Kentucky Towns Are
Filled With Refugees

CINCINNATI, Jan. 12.-The Ohio
river passed the so foot stage here
today and continued to rise steadily
at the rate of two inches an hour. In
the lower parts OF the city and in Day
ton, Newport and Covfngton. suburbs
across the river IN Kentucky, $500
persons have been made temporarily
homeless by the invading waters.
In the Kentucky towns schoolhouses
and churches have been thrown open
and are filed with refugees. The prop
erty loss will reach into the thousands
HEAVY LOSSES SUFFERED
Cincinnati commission merchants and
warehouse owners whose places of
business are along the rtver front. have
suffered heavy losses. Hundreds of cell
lars have been flooded. and in some
buildings facing the wharyes the water
is up to the second story.
The Panhandle and louisville and
Nashville railroad freight houses are
half buried in water. and all trains
running in the Grand Central station
are to be routed into tho city.
STEAMBOAT TRAFFIC OFF
The flooded streets along the river
on both the Ohio and Kentucky sides
were filled with rovboats. skins and
launches all day, carrying out refugees
and their belongings. Steamboat traf-
fic on the river has been practically 3
abandoned. the water N.ing SO high
that many OF the hos are unatie to
pass under the bridges. The swift cur
rent is a bar to upstream traffic.
The government forecaster predicted
today that the rise would continue for
as hours, assuming a cessation OF rain
The foreeaster's ONCE is kept open day
and night, and frequent bulletins are
issued on the flood situation
Great Levee Weakening
PORTSMOUTH. O., Jan. 12.-It Is
estimated that several hundred families
have been driven from their homes by
the flood here.
Moving vans and all kinds OF wagons
operated busiIy all day long, carrying
families and the belongings to places
of safety. The poorer class found
refuge in the public school buildings.
Flood defenses are holding water out
Of the city proper. but the Broadway
levee, which holds floods out OF the
east end, today gave signs OF yielding
to pressure and is now being strength
ened with sand bags.
Water Surrounds Towns
GALLIPOLIS. O., Jan. 12.--The Ohio
river reached a stage of 523 feet to-
day and is still rising. Every river
town for so miles with the exception
of GallipoHs. which now is surrounded
by water, is Hooded All trains on the
Kanawha and Michigan and Baltimore
and Ohio are out of commission. water
being several feet deep in places on
their tracks. Farmers in the bottoms
have suffered heavy losses.
Louisville Families Flee
LOUISVILLE. Ky, Jan. 12-Between
700 and 500 families have been driven
from their homes along the water
front here in the last "a hours by the
rising waters of the Ohio river. A
stage OF 3S feet is predicted by fon1or-
row morning and of 40 feet by Tues
day evening. This would put the
water over the cutoff embankment
east OF the city by Monday noon and
food an area of several square miles
and make approximately 400 families
homeless.