Farmers' champion. (Elgin, Okla.) 1912-1922, 1913-04-03
woasr noRaoR At DAYTON
m,ii'sns q Dollars Lees and Unknown
Number Of People Killed.

Number Of People Killed.
Dayton, Ohio.-All but a few Of
those hundreds Of persons who have
been marooned In the downtown sec
tion of flooded Dayton are safe. This
was the news brought out late by an
Associated.P .Prsss star man. the hrst
to succeed In the psrilous task of pen.
etrating 40 far north - the Big Miami
river.
Chief Of Police J. N. Allaback. him.
self marooned, who has been directing
the rescue work. gave the first infor-
nation - to the situation in what
has heretofore been the waterbonnd
district.
Except for possible loss Of life on
the north side of the river there will
not be moro than 200 dead in Dayton.
according to Allaback's estimate after
he had been given information - to
the situation on the south side.
The worst condition found near the
center Of the food was in the work
house. where sixty prisoners had not
had drop OF water nor D bite Of food.
The men revolted and demanded their
liberty and . chance to fght for their
lives. Since then the workhouse has
been q madhouse. according to Super
lntendent Johnson. The prisoners re-
peatedly fought with Johnson and
threatened to kill him and his family.
johnson asked that a detachment
of the national guard be assigned to
help him handle the men He declared
that the men would have to be shot
II they escaped from their cells.
John H.. Patterson. president OF the
National Cash Register company, who
headed the relief work in the south
end of the city, sent out an appeal
for food supplies and for doctors and
medicine. Ten thousand home .ss
were housed In his company's Offices.
In the wood working department OF
the company, boats were being turned
out at the rate Of ten an hour and
these were rushed to where the wa
ters had crossed Main street in a sort
Of gully.
strength Of the current was far too
strong for the crude punts, though they
were the best that could be made In
hurry. Trip after trip was made and
hundreds of the refugees were taken
from this stretch Of houses and the
houses on the other side Then came
the path of the flames starting at Vine
and Main sti 'ets. = jumped Main
street and thN l.ouses on the other side
soon were adame.
In the middle Of the street were q
few frame houses that had been
washed from their foundations. These
were swirled about for time and. a.
though to aid in the passing Of the
section by fire, they were cast Into
the path Of the flames.
Persons hurried from thew roof
tops. where they had been driven by
the food to the roof tops of adjoining
houses.
One man carried his baby to safety
in q pillow slip and the youngster
celebrated his arrival to safe ground
by a lusty yell.
The worst Of the flooded district
includes all Of North and West Day.
ton, all of the downtown section. the
south side az far as Oakwood and all
OF the residence suburb of Glendale
The district has normal population
OF more than $4,000.
Floating Houses pIsIntsorate.
Those In the residences are In
constant danger both by food and
fire. First, the Trailer buildings swept
into the stream, many showing faces
OF women and children peering from
the windows. These were followed
by more substantial brick buildingl
until It became evident that no house
IN the food zone was safe. The
houses as q rule lasted but q few
blocks before disintegrating.
The number of drowned cannot b<
estimated until the flood subsidies.
The flooded district comprises Z
circle with q radius Of q mile and {
half and in no place Ii the water lesi
than six feet deep.
The main levee Of the big Nlian
broke at Webster street at about
O'Clock. An hour later the water wal
thrugh In q dozen places and q wal
Of water ten feet deep swept througi
the main street Just above the juno
ture of the big Miami and made ,
river where the saltwater river pours'
into the Miami. The water reached
and flowed into the business section
q wall twenty feet high. The Daytol
News was soon under twenty feet o