Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-03-29
Estimates Of Drowned Be-
lieved to Have Been Ex-
's's 's,s r,gerated; Property Loss
!. Lessened Also.
FIRE DAMAGE Is
ABOUT 81, 500, ,OO0
Other Damage to Various
Property Placed at $15,-
100000 to $4,000, ,OOOa
Plenty Of Food on Hand.

Dayton. o., March 28.-The hooo
Isituation in Dayton today 10 this:
Previous estimates Of the number
drowned are greatly exaggerated.
The property loss from fire will noo
exceed more than q million and =
half dollars.
| The damage caused to mercantilS
houses, factories and residences viii,
run anywhere from $15.000,00O to
$40 ,00O, 900.
The water has receded from the
business section of the city and from
q large portion OF the residence pore
tion.
Residents In portions still inundated
are being taken to sections not affected
by the flood.
There is no lack OF food The tcl0.
phone systems are being restored.
There Is much suffering from cold
but all available fuel has been ap-
lpropriated and there is prospect OF
immediate relief
/ So far there has been no epidemic
OF sickness.
One thousand militiamen arrfyJSx
to-day have the city In rigid control.
bs
seeing that will interfere with rescue
work, and all disorder.
Nine Feet High Stage.
! Touring the business section today.
officials found the high stage OF tho
flood was nine feet at the corner OF
Third and Main streets, which ID In
the very heart of the city. The on
rushing water flooded the first floor
of every store in the business district.
This constitutes the chief financial
loss. The tower of the Steel hiGh
school was leveled and the Leonard
building on Main street was UNDER 4
mined so that 1t collapsed. Many
houses were swept away in River.
dale, West Dayton, North Dayton ana
Edgemont.
| The following buildings withstood
the flood and furnished shelter to
about 1000 people. who were maroon.
ed in them from Tuesday until Thurs.
day:
Conover building, Kuhnz building.
the Arcade. two Cappell buildings, Cal.
lahan Bank building, Schwind build
| ing. Commercial building, MendenhaIl
building. Rice-Kunler building, Rel
bold building, United Brethren Pub
fishing Co.'s building.
Public Buildings Saved.
None of the public buildings were
destroyed. Among the latter we're the
Dayton club, Victoria. National and
Colonial theaters, city hall, court
house. Beckel, Philips, Algonquin and
Atlas hotels, Masonic temple post
Office, Y. M. G. A., and all churches.
The fire loss is positively limited to
the destruction OF the Dayton Gas
Light & Coke Co.'S plant; the row o1
two and three story buildings on both
sides of Third street from JEFFERSON
street to st. Clair avenue; the Troy.
Pearl laundry plant, and two apart
ment house fires on the west side.
A daring robbery was thwarted to-
day when the police arrested q man
who was escaping from the city with
a satchel containing $4,000 in dia-
monds and jewelry which he had
stolen from jewelry stores.
Fatalities Are Less.
Chief Of Police Allaback today told
the Associated Press correspondents
that reports he had received indicated
the number OF fatalities to be far less
| lnAn early COuulllOub luOlCat0u. A0
nearly as can be ascertained. about one
hundred persons were drowned in
Riverdale, the first section Of the city
to be flooded. The rushing waters
overturned several houses there and
rolled them over and over with their
occupants inside In this vicinity. sew.
eral boats laden with refugees over.
turned, both refugees and their would
be rescuers losing their lives. In
West Dayton there was considerable
loss Of life but the latest figures are
relatively unimportant as compared
to the first estimates. In East Day
ton, Dayton View and Oakwood this
loss of life, Chief Allaback said, was
small. In North Dayton where the
Typographical condition Of the land is
more dangerous than any other point,
relief parties penetrated this morning
and found that although there would
be large number OF fatalities, the
number Of drowned was not likely to
be relatively much greater than in
Continued IN pnuo H