Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-03-29
DIGS
BODIES Of DEAD
FROM DEBRIS
City a Scene of Devastation.
Rescue Work To Be Com
pIete To- day.

I down upon scenes of devastation here.
Torn bodies disfgured almost beyond
recognition were being dug from the
! debris. Whole families marooned for
| four days in the upper stories of
houses, who had escaped as if by mir
acle, were being reached by rescuers
during the morning hours. Many of
those rescued to-day were in critical
condition
Accurate figures of the dead will be
impossible for several days Safety Di-
rector Bargar this morning claimed
that not more than 100 had been
drowned Coroner Benkert asserted
! that the loss of life would reach 200,
while former Mayor Marshall, COM
handing the rescue workers in the
southern end OF the flooded district,
! held that both estimates were too high.
There ere probably more bodies in
the debris, but ! do not think the num-
Der will reach one hundred" said
! Marshall
OF the fifty-six bodies recovered to-
day, twenty seven have been identi-
/ fed.
! Those who fear that the death list
! will grow point out that as yet no
| search of houses or wreckage has been
made. that many homes were swept
away and that many bodies have been
carried down the river and may never
| be recovered. Some basis for this be
| lief existed in the fact that one of the
| recovered bodies was found four miles
down stream.
( Completing Rescue Work.
! II was believed by rescue workers to-
! day that their work would be COM
peted by uightfall
! Big wagons. drawn by horses wad-
| ing knee deep are patrolling hitherto
| UNEMPLOYED sections and rapidly COM
| peting their work of succOring ma
! rooned survivors.
A trip in one of these wagons re-
/ vealed wreckage piled up to the second
| stories, fronts of stores caved in, build
ings collapsed and burned, houses
moved into the streets whole sides of
| structures torn out and places where
rows Of houses had been swept bare
of any marks Of habitation. The loss
will run into the millions.
Estimates place property damage
from s15,OOO,O0O to $20,0O0.000
The city is staggered by the enor-
nous weight Of human suffering.
/ Miitiamen are patrolling the entire
west side district
Soldiers shot and killed Iooter here
before daylight The shooting occurred
just south Of the Baltimore and Ohio
! tracks. near Mound and Center streets,
on the west side. The looter had left
| his boat and was climbing up a tele-
phone pole when the shooting occurred.
| His body dropped into the water and
was not recovered.
| The guardsmen were busy during the
night firing on hooters.
! An element adding TO the difficulty
Of the situation to-day was the refusal
/ Of hundreds to leave their homes in
the submerged district now that the
danger has passed
Refused to Leave Their All.
| We've saved our bedding and furni-
ture. and that's all we have" said enc
of these. we are not going to Ike
any chance of losing that"
! The food waters are falling rapidly,
J but they may continue to run through
| the west side for weeks or until the
/ numerous breaks in the Scioto river
levee are repaired.
City Health Officer. DR. outs Kahl,
has ordered an immediate cleaning up.
Ii was hoped that city water would be
restored to the stricken district some
time to-day. The health authorities
have called attention to the necessity
! -.
] poses 10 avoid a typhoid epidemic.
The Scioto river has cut new chan
mel through the heart of the west side
! residence district and sentiment is
being expressed by prominent citizens
| favoring the retention Of this new
course for the river bed 1t is be-
/ ieved that would make the west side
free from danger Of flood in the future.
Wild reports of people being carried
off when their houses gave way before
, the swollen torrents of water are being
denied to-day The supply of fresh meat
has given out and the city faces a
/ vegetable diet mostly of canned stun.
Relief Plan Changed.
| Governor George NJ. Cox this morn
/ ing issued the following proclama-
ton
In order 10 simplify the situs-
ton growing out Of requests com
ing from every direction with ref
erence to funds and supplies. We
suggest the following arrangement:
That all supplies in the future be
consigned 10 Colonel Edward T
Miller, in charge of general relief
depot. Columbus Ohio: and all
funds to Colonel NJ. L. Wilson.
! trea surer of the commission rep
| resenting the Red Cross. the state
and the citizenship. II is desirable
that there be submitted by wire
statement giving car number and
character Of supplies that are
shipped.
There is every indication that the
Ohio river will reach the highest