Evening star., 1937-01-26
FACES WATER FAMINE.
Huntington Is Threatened With Com
plete Isolation.

HUNTINGTON. w. Va, January
as LP).-This bloodhound city OF
$4,000 inhabitants faced possible
water famine today and rising water.
OF the Ohio River threatened it with
almost complete isolation.
Special trains carried more than
1000 destitute refugees to Charleston
so miles away, but observers said they
probably were the last who may leave
because the mounting waters slowly
submerged lanes Of travel
Most Of the city was without water
when the Ohio got into the water
plant. Mayor George r. Seamoncs
said there was no reserve supply in
the reservoir.
There still was light and gas IN
some places, but only a fraction of
the city remained out Of water.
The water level hit 68 feet at 10
am, equaling the high mark of 1918,
and rose higher an inch an hour.
Flood stage is 5lS.
Death Toll Reaches Five.
The death toll here reached five
when w. o. Greenwell, so, a druggist,
died Of a heart attack after he was
rescued from his home
The fire threat still hung over the
States biggest city, along with disease
and hunger. There were almost 100
persons i'll, although none seriously.
Two 30,000-gallon tanks Of gaso-
line, wrenched from their bases, were
towed far out in the river and emptied.
Warnings were issued against throw
ing matches and cigarettes on the
water.
Seamond threatened to seek Fed
eral action in extreme cases of food
profteering, saying:
II am requesting there be no profit
eering on foodstuffs, and in extreme
cases offenders will be prosecuted"
Food was becoming scarce and prices
were going up. Arrangements were
being made to bring food boats in.
In Police Station.
The yellow tide crept into the Hunt
1ngton police station; surrounded the
Huntington water plant.
Police moved their equipment to
higher fioors-they previously had re-
leased all prisoners serving short SEN
tences for misdemeanors.
At the water plant, serving q popu-
lation of $4,000, the flood seeped
through sandbag barricades.
Huntington's principal business
streets were under water. Theaters,
department stores, groceries all were
closed in the flooded areas.
The waters even climbed steep
grades from the river bank to par
TALLY surround the county jail, four
blocks from the water front.
Town Unheard From.
Point Pleasant, at the confluence of
the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, had
not been heard from for many hours
The last word-a call for help from
the Red Cross-came just before the
single remaining telephone line
snapped yesterday. There the busi-
ness section and most of the residen-
tial district was under water Many
residents took refuge at Camp Con-
ley, a National Guard training camp
on bluff back of the town.
Eight Coast Guard cutters came into
Parkersburg City today while the Ohio
River climbed to the 55.3-foot stage.
Houses were toppled from their
bases and floated off down the wide
stream. /
Police said their telephone exchange
was besieged with calls for aid. They
estimated more than 1000 people have
been forced from their homes.
The water crept up around the City
Hall, forcing those in first-floor offices
to move.
All water service was curtailed to
three hours daily. The plant was
under water and the supply was COM
ing from the reservoir. Even the cur
tailed supply may be exhausted within
three days, officials warned.
The Little Kanswha, which enters
the Ohio River at Parkersburg, again
was rising.
Relief officials said the supply of
food FOO (, ,n,ia in the cit city th'ciens for at