The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-03-28
Keller TELLS
CONDITION or
FLOODED CITY
Continued from Page One)
les visited by calamities in late
years for the reason that there
was practically no property in

was practically no property In
surance against loss by water. In
some ways property owners
whose buildings burned are bet
ter off than without the fire. The
buildings were already ruined by
the flood, and the fire making
complete the destruction, gave
to the owner some insurance mo-
ney with which to rebuild. 1t was
reported that some had fired
their buildings when they saw
they were to be ruined by the
flood.
UTILITIES BROKEN DOWN.
Every public service corpora
ton is completely disabled. Not
a street car has moved since the
flood set it, not a telephone has
been used, no electric lights have
been turned on, and gas has been
cut off since Wednesday night.
The equipment of all these COM
panies has been wrecked and it
will be a long time before Dayton
will have anything like adequate
service from it's public utilities.
The great power plant of the
Ohio Electric Traction company,
which operates electric interur-
ban cars on all lines out of Day.
ton except one, is under water,
its fine machinery and dynamos
water soaked beyond use.
II Dayton RECEIVERS sufficient
ly to think of amusement next
summer even in this the city will
be handicapped. White City, the
big amusement park, which Dor
dered on the river, has been en-
tirely destroyed.
Many are no doubt asking the
question how could it all happen
in a modern city like Dayton.
Not only, how did the water
spread as never in the city's his
tory, but how did so many fall
victims before it.
An abnormal rainfall-almost
a cloudburst of hours duration,
coupled with the breaking of the
levee along the Miami river ac-
counts for the volume of water.
The topography of the city's bus
mess and residence district, the
same being a low level river val
ley, accounts for the breadth of
the water.
DID NOT HEED WARNING
While the loss of life is the
same old story of all such disas-
ters-people would not heed the
warning given. A general alarm
was sounded by proclamation,
bells and whistles of the danger
ahead, but those endangered put
off moving until the last minute,
and thousands when it was too
late. Thousands, however, were
affected by the water who had
never been threatened before
and this made them feel safe in
places which later were devast-
ated by boiling currents. Street
cars stranded on the Third street
bridge for two days without fuel
or provisions. They caught
such driftwood as they could,
and used it for fire, while their
only food was such as could be
tossed them from boats. This
pwas q hazardous feat as, the
,wt,if1ing of the muddy water
about the abutments and grid
ers.of the bridge drove the wav-
ee INTO white caps, and the cur
reuts threatened to draw down
fhose who ventured on rescue
woek.
! 10 seeu thai there~neyer is a
calamity but that It might have
been wuEsa, and Dayton il thank
6sl that The rush Of wsters came
leqEly in the morning, and after
an up This made Il possible
foe, families n most instances to
Amain together, for al to be
4afbasapd dzassed, and With suf-
4icfept hight By which TO see.
Had y an occurred late IN the
n1gl1f, sEtsndad hy tho destruc-
tim AZ the ekectt1c hrhtane sys-
tim the loes Of liz would have
baHn riak1y t1massnhat g il now.
POOR Arb VICTIMS.