The Washington times., 1936-03-19
ALL BUSINESS
HALTS, WATER
10 Fl. DEEP
Continued from Page II


HPittsburahers breathed easier.
They felt the worst had passed,
but death and devastation still
was visible in the stricken area:
At least seven persons lay dead
in Pittsburgh alone. Hundreds
still were marooned and homeless,
while some were unaccounted for
and countless numbers suffered
from exposure.
: AS emergency crews pumped out
flooded conduits, telephone service
: was restored in several sections OF
( the city, greatly facilitating the
work of the Red Cross which has
assumed command of relief work.
AS the day wore on with elec-
trical service still out because the
city's three major power stations
were flooded, threats of an i'm
pending water and milk shortage
grew.
City council appropriated one
million dollars for relief work in
an emergency session and the Red
Cross issued a call for three mil
lion dollars.
Only persons with police passes
or valid excuses were allowed past
National GuardSmen into the
Golden Triangle" the city'S bus
mess section, where department
stores, hotels. office buildings and
restaurants were under 10 feet Of
water.
Despite the plea Of Safety Di-
rector Thomas A. Dunn, crowds
of curious disregarded his orders
and flocked as near to the
Guardsmen as possible, adding to
the difficulties of police in con-
trolling traffic.
Prisoners Face Starvation
Although flood waters receded
slowly in the Allegheny and Mon
gahela, the rivers were still above
the 40-feet stage, is feet above
flood stage.
Prisoners at the Western peni-
tentiary and the county work
house faced starvation. They
were fed uncooked food from
cans served in cells. Gates at the
penitentiary were under IA feet
of water. Food was rowed to the
penitentiary wall and hoisted
over to be picked up in boats in
the prison yard. First-floor prison
cells we're flooded and prisoners
were transferred to the second
and third floor tiers. The inStitu-
tion was in total darkness.
A crew of 100 Boy scouts
acted as runners between the be-
sieged Red Cross headquarters
and cooperating agencies. Tele-
phone company employees sped
: the setting up of public emerg-
ency stations.
Motorists found themselves in
difficulty because most modern
gasoline pumps are operated by
electricity and there was no
power. Although filling stations
had plenty of gas, none could
be pumped.
!. 400 MaroOned On Island
, More than 400 women and
>. children were marooned on the
: oCCO11O 4IOOE O4 GWO DU4ANAAAS0 OA
=, Neville Island in the Ohio River.
The buildings were reported in
no immediate danger.
q Many other flood victims were
: rescued and taken across the back
channel of the river to Coraopolis,
itself flooded.
The marooned victims were re-
ported in need of food and medi-
cal attention.
E. McKees Rocks and its lowlands
became a sea Of murky flood
waters where many thrilling
rescues took place.
News Presses Silenced
Editorial staffs of the city's
three newspapers worked in one
office all night by candle light.
All presses were inoperable and
two papers, the Press and the
Post Gazette, were both flooded
out Of their offices. They were
given space at the Sun Telegraph
offices.
Plans for printing the news
papers out of the city and then
rushing them here by truck were
made.