Evening star., 1924-03-31
SIX FLOOD DEATHS
KNOWN AS WATERS
REACH CREST HERE
One Victim Claimed by Poto-
mac at Dempsey's Boat
house on River Front.
GUARDSMEN ORDERED
TO MARYLAND CITIES
Family of Five Cling to Tree for
Hours Until It Topples
and All Are Lost.

With dogged reluctance the muddy
waters of the unleashed Potomac
were slowly giving up today the story
OF their devastation in western
Maryland and West Virginia. tragic
tale of death, destroyed farms, ruined
homes, scattered families and shat
tered fortunes
Six persons arc known to be dead,
others are reported to have lost their
lives, hundreds are homeless and
many more are shivering in water
soaked homes just released by the
flood, while a singing northwester
is sweeping the wake of the tor
rent with freezing temperatures
Guardsmen Called Ont.
Snow added to the suffering of the
survivors in the district around Cum
herland this morning. Although the
waters have completely subsidized
west of that city, the mercury is
falling steadily and the snowfall is
severe in the mountain regions Ma
tion Guard companies have been
ordered to active service in both
conditions are desperate, to police
the cities and prevent looting Loot
ers arc to be shot on sight
Although. the crest of the flood was
rushing seaward past Washington
today, brief messages from the heart
of the stricken districts up the Po-
tomac valley brought news of whole
cities still isolated, completely sur
rounded by angry, swirling waters,
with half of their homes and busi-
ness houses submerged as high as the
second stories.
Washington escaped little property
damage along the Potomac river but
the waves claimed a human life as
Thrifton, Va, was thrown into the
river from the float at Dempsey's
boa thouse when he attempted to stop
2 log from crashing into the plat
form shortly before s o'clock last
night. His body was never seen after
it plunged into the waters and has
not been recovered.
Whole Family Drowned.
The other known fatalities oc-
CURED at kitzmiller. Md, near Cum
beriand, when the family of Samuel
Beeman was wiped out. Mr.. Bee
man, his wife, two children, an
aged father, David Beeman, were
trapped by the food while fleeing
from their rapidly submerging home
to the mountains. With every means
of escape cut off. fall five climbed a
Tree and clung to it's branches for
hours.
Pounded incessantly by the ever
rising waters, the tree held firmly
until about dusk Saturday evening
when it suddenly careened and a
moment later went swirling down the
valley with it's human cargo. The
tragedy was witnessed by a. score of
persons marooned on nearby house
tops. The bodies of the two children
YER. wsrs 81 rgo9oeged' io3o They had been
been found of the bodies of Mr.. and
Mrs Samuel Beeman or David Bee
man, however.
Report Five Others Lost.
A semi official report to police head
quarters in Cumberland today said
five persons had been drowned at
Piedmont, w. Va, where two bridges
were swept away Saturday. 1t was
one of the hardest-hit cities in the
flood area, The names Of the victims
were not known. however, and con-
firmation from Piedmont could not
be obtained because lines of com
Tnunication to that place are still
closed.
Heroic sacrifices were made by
scores of men to rescue families MA
rooned on the tops of houses that
were fast giving way under the
merciless pounding of the maddened
waters The family of John Devil
bliss was trapped at McCoole, Md,
and spent the night on the roof Of
their home. AS darkness fell a re-
port was sent out that all had per
ished, but dawn found them still
-ciutching frantically to their water
swept perch. -
A group of young men manned a
boat, dared the loaming food and
managed to steer their craft to safety
to the fainting victims After taking
the family of six aboard they again
plunged into the current and managed
TO get into a backwaSh and landed
without the loss of a soul. Similar
acts of heroism were recorded
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