The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-29
COLUMBUS MORGUES
ARE SLOWLY FILLED
WITH FLOOD VICTIMS
Over Half a Hundred Bodies
Recovered From Reed
ing Waters
MANY DEAD WILL
NOT BE RECOVERED
Energies of Rescuers Directed Toward
Liberating Thousands Marooned
in Flooded Houses-The
Survivors Are Fed

Columbus o. March 2S.-The morgues
of Columbus, filled up slowly tonight as
the swollen waters of the scioto slowly
reoeded. The number Of bodies recovered
from the yellow flood tonight reached GO.
Through the sombre temporary morgues
Hundreds of shivering survivors passed;
dreading to find the faces Of missing
loved ones on the hastily. improvised
wooden slabs Twenty-three bodies Jay
in temporary morgue ON the east bank
OF the scioto, and 20 mare were Spiaced IN
a fire engine house onisthe hilltpp. just
west of the flood district 81
In the west side morgue the floodfhad
cut off all electric power and the vollin-
teer undertakers walked BY light of flick
ering candles and oil lamps. Several
bodies lay in small undertaking shops in
various parts of the city,
Bodies Floating in Current
Word reached Columbus tonight that
several bodies had been seen floating N
the current of the river at Ctrclevihe
25 miles below here. The authorities be-
lieve that these We're victims of the Co.
lumbus flood and many of those lost
viii never be recovered While dead
during the day. the energies of the au-
thorities We're directed toward rescuing
the thousands marooned in upper stories,
roofs and in trees throughout the Hood
zone. For miles along the swollen river
there are great drifts of debris, the wreck
age of houses swept away and demolished
The debris had formed greats banks held
together by the thick mud brought doNn
by the river Practically all of the bodies
recovered have been taken from edges
of these drifts. as the waters receded and
the authorities believe that many more
are buried in the debris. No attempt
can be made to search these drifts until
the water subsidies. With this in view
Coroner Benkert tonight estimated that
the total death list would reach 200.
Rush Relief Measures
Relief measures were rushed today and
by night the various relief agencies had
the situation well in hand. AT the state
insane asylum, and the state institution
ter the feeble minded just west of the
flood zone, hundreds of survivors were
fed. clothed and lodged. A large school
building nearby was filled with cots and
supplied and thrown open to the refugees.
Hundreds were brought around the flood
to the business section, where score
OF relief stations were opened.
Great distress among the survivors was
the consequent dread that the missing had
been drowned.
Since the rescue work began nearly
100 children of the flood have been born
Tonight the authorities opened matern-
ity hospital where the new mothers among
the survivors, with their babies, were
taken and cared for. Many of the moth
ersi had suffered terribly from cold and
exposure.
When the motorboat rescuers at work
in the flooded district were forced to sus-
pend their work by darkenss, closing IN
over the swift current, half score OF
blocks in the worst of the flood area
had not been reached at all. In the
upper floors of houses in this district
were many survivors who had been with
cut food since Tuesday An effort VIII
be made at sunrise tomorrow to get to
this section.
The river fell gradually during the day
with no indications of further high water.