Evening star., 1937-01-25
TERRAT|0NED
AT PORTSMOUTH
Relief Authorities Work
Desperately to Move 5000
of $4,000 Homeless.
By the Associated Press.

water SupplleS we're IdtlOtltQ JOody
while relief authorities worked des-
perately to move 5000 of the $4,000
homeless from food-ravaged Ports
mouth.
Plans to house flood refugees in the
Forv Hayes Army barracks at CO.
lumbus struck a barrier when Col w.
A. Alfonte, chief Of staff, said there
were not sufficient facilities to care
for them.
Adjt. Gen. Emil F. Marx, after a
frantic plea from DR.. F. E. Mahla to
do everything you can to get these
people" out Of Portsmouth, conferred
with Red Cross officials in an effort
to find a place for them.
DR.. Mahla, assistant State health
director, said there was no immediate
danger of disease. but declared that
cts absolutely necessary that We get
those 5000 people out of here"
Water Use Restriction.
City Manager Frank E. Sheehan
ordered water service cut to one-hour
periods three times day in order to
conserve the supply in hilltop reser-
voir.
He said this was necessary in view
of the fact that there was no indi-
cation when the emergency would
pass.
The food waters of the Ohio River
continued a record climb, going to 72
feet at noon and were rising one-tenth
of a foot an hour.
City and county engineers worked
speedily with emergency road crews
trying to grade and prepare a road
over which supplies could be brought
into the city.
Dawn brought cold weather and
| added to the suffering of refugees
along the 10-mile flood front.
Looters risked sudden death from
police bullets as they prowled through
the Water-filled business district. Au-
thorities dispatched patrol boats. with
orders to shoot to kill"
Is Power Boats Promised.
Col. Lynn Black, chief of the State
highway patrol, said he had been
promised IS power boats from Buck
eye Lake, 100 miles to the north, and
that the Norfolk e. Western Railroad
agreed to have a train taken as near
to Portsmouth as conditions would
permit.
With the boats and trucks he hoped
to transport the 5000 out miles
or more to the rail connection.
The city, throughout last night and
today. was filled with wild alarms,
maddened calls for help and swift
excursions of mercy. One of the
latest of these was to city branch
Of the Scioto County Children's Home,
where 19 small children were said
to be in imminent danger as the new
rises of the river sent brown waters
foaming around their frame home.
Not highway or trail in,o the city
was passable.
Telephone lines were out except for
small switchboard set uL in a bot
tling plant atop a residential hill.
Police and National GuardSmen re-
ceived scores Of reports of vandals
stealthily entering flooded buildings
by means of homemade knockabout
boats. crudely constructed from scrap
lumber and the wreckage of shacks.
A regular patrol was established.
Police. National Guardsmen and fire.
men were ordered to shoe. first and
ask questions afterward.
125 Taken From Court House.
One hundred and twenty-five per-
sons were taken from the new court
house now tomblike structure of Slip
perry, wet stone. Fifty prisoners in the
jail on top of the three story building
shouted for release from the clammy
cells.
Police Chief Robert Leedom said
he hoped perhaps to shackle them to
boats and take them by ira l to Chill
licothe.
The Portsmouth Times plant had
water in its second floor The press
lay submerged, its working parts
smeared with heavy grease as a last
act before the food arose.
The newspaper got out makeshift
edition at the plant of the Chillicothe
Scioto Gazette and sent it to sub
scribers by boat
ARKERSR EVnErrc rnEcr