The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1937-01-28
More Cities Periled
AS Levees Weaken
Whole Towns Swamped - Troops
Rule Louisville Whore 1900
Wait Rescue

Fear-StrHCken tens OF thousands
covered behind weakening levees
or fled to higher levels Tuesday as
the monstrous yellow tide Of the
Ohio river swelled to record-break-
ing flood heights on its sweep to
the Mississippi.
Eddying in muddy, slow-rising
torrents. the waters spread over an
area Of more than a million acres,
taking toll Of at beast 400 known
dead, driving over 100000 from
their homes and leaving many
thousands more marooned in pre-
carious straits. Whole towns and
villages showed only rooftops.
Possible evacuation of hun
dreds of thousands embracing all
persons living within so miles on
both sides Of the Mississippi river
along a 1000 mile stretch from
Cairo, Ill, to New Orleans-was or
dered Wednesday by the United
States army high command as the
mighty, flood-gorged waters Of the
Ohio river swept on to threatened
new heights of disaster.
I IC 6l " pC SNdSudlCo, 1OO,
600 square miles, is nearly twice as
large as the combined areas of
England and Belgium).
Property damage was estimated
far in excess of $500, OO0-and
on every side, from city officials
and army engineers, came the
warning:
se xvAk kn
Wholesale excavations Of flood
sieged towns in Tennessee, western
Kentucky, southeastern Missouri,
Arkansas, and Mississippi signall-
ed the greatest mass flood exodus
in history.
From Pittsburgh in the north,
where anxious crowds watched
the flood relentlessly spread over
the edge of the billion-dollar bus
mess district, to the crest Of the
deluge sweeping into the Missis-
sippi river beyond Cairo, Ill.,, a
panorama Of watery desolation
extended mile on mile.
In the lower Mississippi valley,
where 100000 were made homeless
in 1927, authorities awaited the big
test Of the great system Of bikes
and levees built along q 300-mile
stretch of the Mississippi after the
1927 disaster.
Super Flood Forecast
"a super flood is on the way
came the grim warning from Lieut.
enant Colonel Eugene Reybold,
district chief of U. s. army engin-
GERS, at Memphis, Tenn.
Reybold predicted flood stages
along the Mississippi at least 10
feet higher than records set in the
tragedies of 1913 and 1927.
President Roosevelt, anxiously
watching the progress of the tidal
sweep through II states, sent out
the crisp command to legislators
debating a s790,OO0,OO0 relief re-
quest:
"Step on it,"
The President sent out word that
the fund, originally intended to care
for work relief, should be appropria-
ted for flood sufferers in the emer-
gency.
Red Cross officials renewed their
urgent appeal for contributions to
100000 relief fund. The first
days receipts at national headquar-
tiers totalled $55,620, representing
early returns from a small number
of chapters. Up to Wednesday the
Red Cross has received S1,220,000
in it's plea for S10,OOO,0OO.
Troops Rule Louisville
In Louisville, KY, federal troops
moved into the virtually isolated
city Of 100000 citizens to clamp
down the military rule arbitrarily
declared by Governor A. B. Chan
dler.
Khaki-clad engineers rushed con-
struction of pontoon bridges to
speed the evacuation of more than
two-thirds of the city's population.
Governor Chandler warned the
federal government that state and
local authorities could not combat
pestilence, panic and hunger in the
wake of the flood.
Cities are inundated and the
homeless are as follows: 100000 in
Ohio; 10000 in Kentucky; $4,000
in Indiana; 125,00O in Tennessee;
10000 in Missouri; 20,250 in Arkan-
sas; $1,000 in West Virginia; $4,000
in Illinois. 5OO in MissiSsippi