The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-03-21

 was 37 feet, but this morning 1t was close to 70 feet, and still tapping it's way farther and farther into business and residential areas.
 Some Impressions
 Here are some impressions of Hartford as she was during the long night:
 Hartford tonight is really ghost city. From an occasional window a candle fiickers, and one can see faces pressed to window panes, the faces of those wondering just how much longer they must live in fear and worry. These people have no lights, they have no power for electric stoves, refrigerators and other equipment; their radios aren't working, they can't get in contact with the outside world by telephone. And all they can do is worry. Down. town an occasional automobile goes by, its headlights only serving to emphasize the emptiness and deso- 1ation of the streets. There are no street lights, of course, and most of the rescue wOrkerS are using flash lights to guide their stops as they perform their respective tasks.
 No Movie Shows
 There are no movie shows in Hartford tonight; public gatherings and entertainment programs have all been cancelled. Most of the refu- gees from East Hartford have been ferried across the river, and are be- fxre fAN frYtR tt1 schools and other public buildings. It's been impossible to make an ac- curate check-up in view of the con- ditions, but don't believe it's ex- aggerating at all to say that at least several thousand persons are being cared for tonight by various relief agencies. Many of them need food, clothing and other necessities, and though the various agencies are do- ing everything that's humanly pos- sible, it's obvious that more money is needed is relief work is to prevent more suffering and more privation
 Streets Under Water
 Streets near the Connecticut river in Hartford are completely under water, some of them for many feet. The water has completely buried Front street, climbing halfway up some buildings. The water rose to Arch and Sheldon streets, past Prospect street. Up State street, the river has been surging; dozens of other streets in downtown Hartford are under water; every street along the Hartford side of the river is under water, and those whose homes are located near 1t have been forced to flee. On the other side of the river, in East Hartford and down in South Hartford, it's even much worse. The meadows and residential areas are deep under water; some homes have been swept away, fur niture has ben destroyed; water has climbed above the roofs of homes in East Hartford, and this afternoon I could see an occasional chimney top marking the location of some sub- merged homestead.
 Homeless ROwed to Safety
 The many hundreds of homeless in East Hartford have been brought across the swirling river by row. boat, by motorboat, and even by coast guard cutters, the first time, believe, that coastguardsmen have engaged in flood relief work 50 far inland.
 Park River Got Ugly
 But it's not only the Connecticut which is on rampage. The small Park river, litle stream that flows alongside the state capitol, has roar ed beyond its banks. Streets near the railroad station are covered with water; there is water on the grounds of the capitol, but the capitol itself is safe. thanks to its high location. The Bond Hotel has been fighting floodwaters all day; sand bags were employed to keep water from the Bond lobby. The basement of the Bond Is flooded, so are the base ments of many other buildings near by. Several conventions scheduled for the Bond have been cancelled
 Hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage has been done to Hart lords beautiful park system. Ath- letic fields have been badly damaged in some cases, 1t seems, almost be- yond repair. Public buildings on park property have felt the floods ravages, too, and have been serious ly damaged. Brainard field, one of the states aviation centers, has suffered serious washouts. A Hart ford paper, in delivering bundles to newsboys across the river in East Hartford, sent the papers by truck to Meriden, from where they were flown by plane to East Hartford and dropped for East Hartford.
 And tonight in this ghogtly city of Hartford, an airplane scars over head every moment or two, with it's lights glowing brightly in the night sky.
 Fearful of Disease
 And while Hartford waits for the flood waters to recede, health au- thorities are fearful lest the menace of disease and pestilence come into this city of 5000, with a metro- politan population of more than 250.0O0. The city water supply is still safe, but warning against other dangers was issued tonight by Robert V. Boyce, president of the Hartford board of health. Dr. Boyce declared that fioodwaters bring dangers of many diseases, and urged that children be kept from playing in pools of water left by the flood. He warns residents of Hartford not to eat raw fruit or vegetables that might have come in contact in any, way with the waters, or in contact with persons touched by the flood.
 Dr. Boyce predicts that large amount of foodstuffs in Hartford warehouses and stores will have to be condemned, entailing another tremendous financial loss. All houses and buildings in the flood area, pr. Boyce warns, cannot be lived in again, until complete sanitary pre- cautions have been taken. All res- taurants in Hartford will be inspect cd as soon as possible. More than 2.000 WPA workers are ready to go