The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1937-01-22
Raging Rivers Haze
Got Beyond Control
Continued from Page u

deserted or practically abandoned
Residents reported conditions ap'
| preaching those of the most disas'
trous floods of past years. Rec
Cross workers, National Guardsmer
and Coast Guard Life-Savers joined
local relief organizations.
Flood waters crept slowly into the
lower fringe of the Golden Tri.
angle" the Pittsburgh business dis.
trict, causing fear of repetition
of last st. Patrick's days disaster
Weather forecasters said the leve
might reach 80 feet seven feet
aboce flood stage. Business house:
had employees working through the
night to move goods and heavy
equipment to upper floors beyond
| the reach of the muddy waters.
Heavy rains added to dangers In
the Johnstown, Pa, territory, scene
of two disastrous floods.
Louisville and Paducah, KY,
Evansville, Ind, Cairo, ILL.,, and a
score of villages between them were
threatened by rising waters which
flood veterans said will not reach
their peak until next week.
Cincinnati Is Crippled
Cincinnati, Ohio, January %. -
CUP - The third greatest flood in
history gripped Cincinnati today.
The Ohio river reached SO feet -
16 feet over flood stage - and crept
up at the rate Of approximately
three tenths of a roo5 an hour.
A driving rain fell most of the
night, making predictions of the
ultimate crest impossible. The rain
stopped early today.
Officials estimated that more than
5000 persons had been driven from
their homes in the greater Cincin-
natl area. Three small up-river
communities - Newtown, Addyston
ana Elizabethtown were isolated.
Another suburb, New California.
was reached for the first time In 80
hours by Red Cross workers shortly
before midnight.
At Newtown, the Red Cross moved
its headquarters to the second floor
of church.
Three Feet Deep in Spots
In Cincinnati proper. the water
stood three feet deep in places In
the bottoms" in the southern pari
of the city. Few persons were forced
to evacuate, however, as the area
consists mostly of business buildings
and commission houses.
At Lunken Airport, all plane
schedules were suspended wher
water flooded parts of the field. Air
lines were forced to use emergency
fields in other parts of the city.
Across the river, in Kentucky
several hundred residents fled Their
homes at both Covington and New
port. The latter city was the hard
est hit with water standing three
feet deep in places.
Soup kitchens we're established in
four parts of greater Cincinnati and
Red Cross workers worked on "a
hour schedule.
No Loss of Life Reported
No loss of life was reported, but Is
or 20 refugees we're removed to hos
pitfalls with influenza, chicken pox
and heavy colds.
The greater part of Cincinnati
was high and dry and business
houses we're operating as usual
Transportation was affected, how
ever, in many parts and trains from
the west were arriving as much as
six hours late.
Meteorological w. C. DevereauX
refused to make any predictions In
view Of the incessant rains that
have been falling in the last few
days.
Only twice before has the Ohio
river reached higher levels. In 1894
it touched a record high of I'LL feet
and in 1918 it hit 500 feet here.
The city was well prepared for the
emergency this time. City police
and firemen had been given nstruc-
tons to assist Red Cross, WPA and
other workers in relief work.