Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-11
81 DEAD AND MISSING
IS STORMS HEAVY TOLL
Property Damage in Southern States
Will Amount to Millions
OF Dollars.
MANY THOUSANDS HOMELESS
Federal Government Takes Official
Notice Of Serious Conditions and
Orders Engineer to Investigate
Plight of Stricken People.

With thousands OF persons homeless
and destitute, and with Il growing list
of dead. the Federal government has
conditions that have followed the
tropical hurricane in the Southern
states. AT tho request OF Senator
Underwood. tho War Department has
ditions III the Cahaba and Alabama
River Valleys. where 300 families are
reported without food or shelter
The hoods have extended into East
crn North Carolina. and rivers, creeks
and branches In six Southern States
arc out of their banks. and flooding
thousands Of acres. as :; result Of an
preccdentcd rainfall since last Wcdncs-
dav. Nine deaths reported yesterday
brought the storms toll to sixty-onc
lost and missing
The damage will total millions Of
dollars
CONTINUED RAINFALL FOR
MORE THAN 100 HOURS
In Alabama conditions have assumed
the most serious aspect Continued
rainfall for moro than 100 hours a,
some places has crippled wire and rail
communications. and dcmoralizcd bust
ness. Railroad yards and manufacture
inE plants in Montgomery arc threat
ened by the rising waters Of the Ala
bama River, and backwater has over
flown the greater portion of North
Montgomery. Selma citizens have or
ganized relief parties for work among
the food victims along the Cahaba and
Alabama River Valleys. where 1000
families have been driven from their
homes
Prattvillc. Ala. a town OF 5000 in
habitants. is mostly covered by the
waters OF Autauga Creek. noininally
stream q dozen feet wide, hut now
a miniature Mississippi
More than 100 couvicts are marooned
at the state convict camp near Mont
gomcry The waters OF the Tallapoosa
River have backed UP more than a
mile covering tho entire State farm
MANY HOUSES SURROUNDED
ny THE OCMULGEE RIVER
The Ocmulgce River. at East Macon
many houses. intcrruptins the opera
ton Of manufacturing plants. and rem
dering many families homeless
Al Columbus. Ca. IN. Chattahoochce
River is threatening industrial plants
Moultrie. Ga. is entirely cut on from
telegraphic communication and re-
ports from throughout Southern
Georgia tell of serious crop damage
and loss OF live stock.
Reports last night from pauphin
Island near Mobile. added eight per
sons 10 the death list from the Cult
hurricane.
Railroad ,ra,uc ,hroushou, The
flooded district Is badly delayed
Moss Point, Miss. experienced a RAIN
fall OF twelve inches in the twenty
four hours following the Gulf storm.
and every residence and business house
in the town WAS damaged Stree, cars
and lighting plants were put out OF
commission
y mumhcr OF sawmills were Gcmol-
ish"d a. rascagoula. Miss. aud vir-
tually every structure in tho place was
damaged
Extensive damage was done To TIM
her. sawmills and crops near Hatrtes-
burg
ONLY DOZEN or 400 HOUSES
IN LAUREL ESCAPE DAMAGE:
Not moro than a dozen OF the 1900
houses in Laurel. Miss. escaped dam.
age. Tho corn crop in that section j.
reported ,5 per cent destroyed.
Four hundred persons are homeless
in the Dayton, Tenn. distric, on
account Of tho overflow of the Ten
nesscc River y -ycnr-old boy
ha
covered alive on a drift. but cannot
he rescued until the waters subside.
Railway traffic is badly crippled.