The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-03-27
The Governor Saws
1000 IRE Dead.
$4,000 ARE HOMELESS
Peru and LOgansport, Ind,
Also Under Water.
PROPERTY LOSS MILLIONS

Persons Who Escaped Rushing Wa
ters In Dayton Reported to Be Burn
Ing to Death. With No Means at
Hand to Save Them-Death List In
Other Cities Will Reach Appalling
Figures.
Columbus, O., March 27.-The busi-
ness district of Dayton. O.. is burning,
according to the latest bulletins from
the isolated. flood stricken city. and
Governor Cox has appealed to the nat
ural gas companies to reduce the pres
sure, as it is said the gas is feeding
the flames.
Marooned survivors of the flood are
reported to be leaping from roof to
roof to escape death by burning. There
according to Governor Cox's secretary,
who has arrived In the city. but these
estimates are based largely on conjec-
ture.
Reports from cities in other parts OF
Ohio show conditions to be much
worse than they were on Tuesday.
GAINESVILLE, on the Muskegum river, is
reported entirely under water, and it
is feared there will be heavy loss of
life there and farther down the val
ley.
The LeWistown reservoir Is report
ed to be weakening and great alarm 10
felt.
Tiffin. in the northwestern part OF
the state, reports fifty dead. Mount
Vernon, in the eastern part. Is sub
merged. with 100 dead. and an uncon-
firmed report says Miamisburg. with
a population Of 1000. south Of Dayton.
has been swept away.
In Indiana the heaviest sufferer Is
Peru, with 300 dead, property loss OF
$2,50O,OOO. and thousands homeless.
Railroad traffic in both states Is en-
tirely suspended. except on the Lake
Shore line in the north and the Balu-
more & Ohio in the south.
With 250.000 persons homeless tn
Ohio and many thousands more in
Indiana, ready response from federal
agencies met the appeal Of President
Wilson for assistance for the food suf-
ferers. Secretary Of War Garrison Or
dered the immediate dispatch to Co
lumbus and other points In Ohio OF
tents for 10000 persons. 100 hospital
tents and food sufficient to feed 100.-
900 persons for ten days. Medical sup
plies were rushed to flood points. in
cluding vaccine points and large
number Of doses Of anti-typhoid vac
cine as precaution against the out
break Of the pestilence.
Fire Adds Horrors to Flood.
Fire Is adding its horrors to the
devastation wrought by the flood at
Dayton, and word received from that
city was that a disastrous conf1agra-
tion is raging in the center OF the city.
Thousands Of persons are marooned
in buildings in that region, unable to
escape because the streets are still
flames quickly burn out an appalling
calamity will occur.
The fire has attacked the Beekel
house, where ESQ guests have been
marooned since Tuesday morning. 1t
is impossible to combat the flames and
the hotel seems doomed. with all its
inmates.
Governor Cox received word from
Dayton that the entire business sec
tion of the city in on fire and that in
dications are that 1t will be entirely
destroyed
People are reported to be jumping
from roof to roof Of buildings keeping
out of the way Of the flames.
The fire destroyed buildings be-
tween ST. Clair and Jefferson streets
on the north side of East Main street
and threatened to destroy a big por-
ton Of the business section.
A message from the Western Union
operator at Wolf Creek. which Is only
a few miles from Dayton. says:
There has been an explosion In
the middle of Dayton and the town is
on fire and the loss Of life has been
increased. People are burning up and
we have no way to get to them or the
fire either. now"
A further message from Wolf Creek
says: Every hour or so explosions oc-
cur in Dayton due to fires. The condl-
tions are simply trightful and inde-
scribable."
The fire is reported to have started
from the explosion of an oil tank con-
tanning hundreds of gallons and which
bumped into a submerged building