New-York tribune., 1921-06-07
Clearing Up of Debris to
Guard Against Fire and
Disease Is Begun I'm
der Military Orders
Red Cross i'm Full
Control of Relief
Governor Asks u. S. for
S2O,0OO,O0O; Only So
Bodies SoFar Recovered

PUEBLO, June (By The Asso-
ciated Press) mountain
torrents were returning to their beds
tonight, leaving a known dead toll
here of fifty-two, and in outlying
districts of many more. Relief work,
placed completely in the hands of tha
Red Cross by Governor Oliver H.
Shoup, was pressed throughout the
city.
Systematic and drastic action to
ascertain the number of dead and TO
clean the city was begun this after
noon. Acting under military author
ity, Lieutenant Colonel Paul P. New
lon ordered every able bodied man to
apply himself to the task Of remov-
ing debris from the streets as
measure to prevent danger from fire
and pestilence. The order bars
sightseers from the city and makes
work compulsory, either for the
stipulated pay or under military
guard without pay.
Governor Asks $2O,O0O,0O0
Governor Shoup telegraphed the
Colorado Senators in Washington,
asking me United States government
to place $20,000,00O at the command
of the state for use ID food relief.
Transportation into Pueblo from
North and East is greatest present
need" the telegram read. Fedora,
government has large emergency fund
available, which is urgently required
for construction of twenty-five large
steel and concrete bridges in Valley
of Arkansas and tributaries, on main
east and west highways, through most
populous section all of which nov In
Twenty millions needed now
Please take necessary steps to place
funds at command of state"
Although tifty-two bodies have been
recovered, many more probably never
will be found, as they were carried
downstream below Pueblo by the force
of the food.
No estimate can be made accurately
of the number of persons missing. An
Pueblo Chieftain. and this newspaper
had list of approximately twenty-five
persons. This had to be revised fre-
Search Impeded by Mud
The recovery of bodies, which was
by the renewal of the flood
yesterday, progressed slowly to-day,
but under a systematic organization.
The heavy coating of mud over almost
everything in the city seriously im-
peded the work. Hundreds of men
under the direction of patrol leaders
appointed by Sheriff Thomas wades
knee deep in water and slime, pokins
into the piles of driftwood and wreck
age with billiard cues.
Bodies here and there rewarded their
search, One was found between tive
telephone poles. The body of a mal,
was found beneath fire escape. That
of woman was found ia garage. Tbs
bodies of woman and girl wers
found near the Colorado Southern
have failed thus far. Many other
bodies were found so tightly held in
the ruins that their recovery seems inn
possible until the water has entirely
receded In a few cases where bodies
are known to have been found 1t was
to learn where they had
been taken.
The city has been divided into eight
wards for a sanitary survey, and to
each ward has been assigned two doc
tors and four nurses. The people are
combat disease and Infection. Three
isolation hospitals have been estab-
lished, and Dr. John C.. Cornell, of the
United States Public Health Service, at
Denver, who is assisting DR.. w. f.
Buck, city Health Officer, declared the
situation was well in hand. He said
there was not now any epidemic of
diseases, and that only five
cases of chickenpox had been reported
to the authorities since the aood. Vol
doctors from Colorado Springs
and sixteen from the Public Health
Service at Denver are aiding the Pueblo
Extent of Damage Appears
With the recession of the waters
from the inundated district P-eblo citi.
zenS were able to make some estimate
of the damage that had been done in
their city by the angry waters OF tha
Arkansas and Fountain rivers.
Stretching in an irregular far-hung
oval thirty blocks long and of g maxi
mum width of twelve blocks, compris-
ing about $50 city blocks, the damaged
area, after the curtain of water had
been Withdrawn, presented an aspect OF
desolation that forced many observers
TO revise the early estimate of $4,000
900 to one nearer s15, ,o00, 900.
A number of large and importans
business buildings on each side Of tbs
area We're destroyed and many Others
were seriously damaged.
In Z proclamation Issued at Colorado
Springs Governor Shoup said:
The havoc wrought by the recens
foods III Colorado is appalling. Many
parts OF the state have been affected.
put the greatest damage apparently
has been done in the Arkansas Yaliey.
The Hood probably reaped its largest
harvest of human lives and destruetior
OF property in and about the City o.
Pueblo. Il is impossible at this time