Evening star., 1936-03-23
OHIO R|VERF FLOOD
NEAR CREST STAGE
East Streams Subsiding as
Cincinnati, Portsmouth
Prepare for Worst.

Copyright 1885, by the Associated PTessD
Unchecked food waters of the Ohio
River tore through a score OF small
communities in Kentucky and Ohio
today, the last menace OF the 13-State
disaster that took I'll lives and made
thousands homeless.
In New England and Pennsylvania,
swollen waters gradually subsided.
leaving behind a tremendous job OF
relief and rehabilitation.
While Cincinnati and Portsmouth.
Ohio, were battening down against the
imminent approach of the Ohio food
crest, Hartford, Conn, went under
strict military discipline TO prevent
looting of its Wster-torn homes and
stores.
The National Guard, under procis-
nation of a state of emergency, kept
all visitors out Of Hartford until the
Connecticut River, which inundated
large portions Of the city, should re-
turn to its own channel.
5000 Refugees Aided.
The baton and saber armed troops
aided Red Cross and w. P. A. workers
in caring for 5000 refugees. Other
forces set to work to begin repairing
damage estimated at SIS, 900 900.
As in all the inundated communities,
refugees and relief workers in Hart
ford were inoculated against typhoid.
The water supply was pronounced in
pure condition.
About 20 persons were reported to
Hartford police as missing-there has
been only one known death-but off,
Gals were confident most OF them
would be located at relief agencies or
at homes Of friends.
In the East the only bodies Of water
still rising were the Saco River in
Maine and the Finger Lakes in Central
New York. Extensive damage was noe
! anticipated
| Conditions were still bad in Lowell,
Lawrence, Springfield and Northamp-
ton, Mass Damage at Haverhill,
Mass was placed at $3,000,o00.
SusquehsnDs Falling Fast.
/ From Wilkes Barre came word that
the SusQuehanna was dropping
rapidly. Milton and Nescopeck, on
the same river, received needed food
supplies from Philadelphia and Ber-
wick. The provisions were rationed
under wstchful eyes OF National
Guardsmen.
Families in Western Ohio, as their
eastern cousins had done, ran 10 the
hills as the flood approached VIII
lsge after village was submerged, al
though the crest OF about 81 feet was
below that of the e33 Ohio flood.
! The peak was passed at Hunting
Ton, W. Va. end Portsmouth, Ohio,
expected 60-foot reading late today.
That is the height Of its concrete
food wall, but a two-foot sandbag
rampant was looked to as q margin
Of safety.
From Point Pleasant, w Va, to far
below Louisville and into Indiana, the
river burst its banks as the noun
famous waters that snutfed out a
| hundred lives in the upper valley
drove thousands Of additional families
from their homes.
Rise Reduced Greatly.
From Huntington almost TO Ports
mouth, the water became stationary
or dropped slowly this morning. It
rose at a rate OF less than one-tenth
foot an hour toward the 5s-foot
level at Cincinnati.
The stage at Ironton, where the
river overf1ows its banks at SO feet,
held stationary at 581a feet, while at
Ashland, KY, it reached crest Of
629. Cincinnati had stage Of Ell
feet at 9 am.
All no point in the lower valley did
the river give an indication of reach
ing the level TO which it rose in 1888.
Light rains fell in this vicinity
both Saturday and today. but they
were not heavy enough TO cause any
appreciable change in the outlook.