The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1913-03-27

er. was one of the problems confront
ing the rescuers.
One of the rescue party, who made
the trip in the first boat that entered
the city. said: we learned from the
survivors that the flood rushed in up
on the city at about 10 o'clock Mon
day night The river rose six feet In
three hours. Warning had been given
some of the residents. but many failed
to heed it.
The cry to be saved from those who
the first boat was heart-rending.
Some of them threatened to jump into
the water if we did not take them
aboard But it was impossible with
the scanty boat supply to take all away
at once"
HOMELESS FILL INDIANAPOLIS.
Indianapolis March 27.-Night fell
on the stricken west section of Indi-
annapolis with the rescue work far
from complete and nothing done as yet
to recover the bodies of the dead. Many
persons are known to have been drown
ed in their little one story dwellings
beside the broken levee, and the num-
Der OF deaths cannot be estimated until
the water has receded.
Most of the suffering is, OF course.
among the poor. and there the death
toll is heaviest. But some sections of
the residence district have been swept.
| wealthy families driven out for refuge.
boulevards ruined and some of the
parks swept clean of surface soil. The
| city is in a state of semi-panic.
| Some women were taken from tree
| tops and housetops in West Indianapo-
| lis unconscious. Others collapsed when
| fet nd VIII
| physician in the city working sleep1ess
| and almost foodless the relief works is
short of what it should be.
STREET CARS STAND IDLE.
| Street cars in the streets where their
| crews were compelled to abandon them
| when power was shut off. Poles and
| wires are down and tracks washed out
| Late yesterday afternoon the east
| span of the West Washington street
| bridge fell into the river and a lit
tie later the wreckage was swept down
| with a crash against the pier of the
| Kentucky avenue bridge. a mile below.
| That structure is in danger of giving
| away. This will leave only the Oliver
| avenue traffic bridge and the two rail-
| road bridge. both of which are cut off
at the terminals and useless for rescue
work until the flood subsidies.
across White river, went out last night.
and with it large amount of debris
| was swept down the river and lodged
against the Big Four railroad bridge
a few blocks below, which puts the
latter in great danger. The bridge OF
the vandalia railroad is only one block
below the Big Four structure. and
would likely be carried away if the
| bridge above IL goes out.
WATER WORKS SHUT DOWN.
The city found itself crippled in re-
spect to waterworks and without fire
protection Drinking water sold at a
| premium and water from the mains fol
bathing was unattainable.
The sudden crash of the Morris street
levee at West Indianapolis caught the
hundreds of people near it entirely un-
| prepared. The families in one story
houses were at the mercy of the flood
| 1t is believed many were trapped anc
unable even to get out of doors. The
bodies of these unfortunates will moi
be found until the waters recede. anc
this circumstance battles attempts Il
| estimate the extent of the casualties
There is unverified rumor that {
| large number of refugees sought shell
ter in Wolfe's hall. Under the extra
ordinary weight the crowded floor col
lapsed and many probably were crush
ed or drowned in the water below.
DAWN STARTS RESCUE WORK.
At dawn the armies of rsscuers re
sumed the work they had been forced
to abandon a midnight. At the edg'
of the food and along temporary land
ing places they hastily threw togethe
scows and RATS, lined them with ia
paper and padded their way about tn
flooded streets to persons in the great
| est danger.
There were some of the rescuers WIN
| in spite of fatigue worked all through
the night. Police Sergeant Charlie.
| Reed and Albert Harris made score o
| trips to marooned houses.
I'VE saw three drowned" Reed said
"a man, a woman. and child. Peop
| across the street from them yelled at u
] and pointed to the house We rowe