Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-08-05
WALL OF WATER
SWEEPS THROUGH
MIDDLE OF ERIE

Continues rrv.n Page one)
persons reported missing was begun by I,
tthe police at noon.
K Erie citizens responded generously TO
tthe call far funds for the suffering and
I homeless issued by Mayor Stems. Mayor
..sterns announced that a thorough in
tVestigation Of the disaster will he made.
calling attention to the fact that warn
sines OF danger from Mili creek had been
Cgiven In 1898 when II overlooked It's banks
and caused some loss OF life.
Mayor Ask. for militia.
2 Mayor Stern has made a request for a
lcOinpany OF the sixteenth regiment OF tho
Pennsylvania National guard to patrol
,-the ruined section OF the city,
4 The entire police and fire forces OF the
-oity worked throughout the night on tho
ruins, recovering tho fourteen bodies from
IAN area that included approximately one
sthaif OF the devastated district The men
worked under the direction Of Mayor w.
~. Stern and the four members of the
city council.
The district swept by the flood extends
3from Twenty-sixth street and French
street In the uptown 6sisiness sector, TO
Il Tenth ana state Streets. a distance OF
3about q milo. The releaee OF the water
held back by the dam sent q huge wave
= five feet high toward the city and by
the time Il reached tho first buildings
on Twenty-slxth street, II was crested
with a mass of debris that acted like
thuse batterins ram on everything In It's
path
4 -Four blocks On either side Of the
stream. including state street the main
fbusiness artery Of the city. were covered
to a depth of from ak inches to five
feet Of water.
Gas supply Cut OFF.
Early today gas mains all over the
city were cut off. and telephone. street
car ana electric lighting service were
g paralyzed
The charitable societies. the Armory.
hotels and hastily organized shelters gave
refuge 20 those who saved only their
Lives and a few meager belongings.
The darkness, the danger OF broken
electric wires. and the twenty-five mile
current Of the flood made the work OF
rescue extremely perilous. and details OF
the drowning of twenty-five. thought
lost IN the flood. were obscure. The life
4saving crew from the Lake Erie shore
front and the members OF the naval
militia have already started the search
for bodies.
Tho narrow escape OF Fire Chief Nc
Mahon. with four firemen in a success
fuI attempt TO rescue three women led 10
ths report OF their death. but they jumped
n To safety from second story windows as
rthe house was washed away from under
tthem.
passenger Trains staIIed.
The washing out OF the main line Of
1.-THE New York Central and the Penn
syivanIa railroads stalled dozen or more
passenger trains here, with no pros
pect Of their departure for a couple Of
days.
one crowded train. bound for New
York. was brought 10 stand on th'
viaduct. forty feet over the path OF MI
eleew. and those on board for hour
watched houses and household goods
swept down the torrent
The rush OF the water down Stat
street flooded nearly every store on TN
thoroughfare and floating wreckage adde'
70 the damage By smashing hundreds o
display windows
Throughout the night the torrent Q
rain continued. with only brief intervals
Only the wide mouth OF the creek al IN
lake shore prevented a much more seri
Gus devastation. piles Of debris on tn
streets interesting the path Of the foo
were heaped up fifteen feet high in som
cases.
A dozen OF the largest plants In IN
city viii be closed down for ten days Q
two weeks. until the machinery on Il
first floors can be repaired and debr
cleared away.
Early today. as the details OF the al
aster began 70 collect the story {
FIremen Sherry and Bates stood o.
among the scores OF heroic acts Takln
a girl from her home on the creek BAN
they started down the telephone 20
which had enabled them TO reach he
when the house tell against the pole "a
All three were swept into tho swift GU
rent A block further down. the trio we
pulled from the stream BY other fireme
All Traffic 90 East Delayed.
BUFFALO. y. r.. Aug. 4.-Traffie b
tween the east and the west over d
Lake Shore and Nickel Plate railroa
waa completely tied up from the an
the cloudhuFtt iet 50 over Erie. la
night until O'Clock this morhlr
washopt were unpreeedented IN dep
ane extent. among The trains recall
To-Day and sent over the Michigan ca
uai candian line 70 Detroit was I