Evening star., 1939-02-05
Floods Drive 5000
Families Out
In -Four States
Freezing Temperatures
Add to Misery
Of Refugees

The American Red Cross last
night estimated that more than
5000 families had been driven from
their homes in Maryland, West Vir-
ginia, Tennessee and Kentucky by
the rising waters of the Potomac and
Ohio Rivers and countless smaller
streams.
Food and clothing were being
rushed to the flooded areas where
clearing skies diminished the flood
threat but freezing temperatures
added to the privations OF the
refugees.
No complete estimate was avail
able of the damage caused by the
high waters resulting from the rec
ord snowfall of last month aug
mented by two days of rain in West
ern Maryland and the Ohio River
Valley. Twenty were reported dead.
At Cambridge, Md, the Choptank
River yesterday afternoon gave up
the bodies of two colored helpers
drowned Friday night in freak
squall which struck the returning
oyster feet and sank two ships with
the loss of nine lives, including those
of Capt. Bill Bradford, 73-year-old
dean of Chesapeake Bay oystermen;
Capt. Theodore Woodland and Mate
Emerson Wingate.
Mast Is Sighted.
State patrol boats and private
power launches combed the river
yesterday, but the search was him
dered by rough water and fresh
winds. The bodies found were those
of Rodney Jones and Aaron Ennels,
helpers on Capt. Bradford's boat
Agnes
But there was no trace of the ship
and recovery of the bodies gave the
first indication of where the veteran
skipper went down. A piece of the
mast and boom of Capt. Woodlands
ship the Annie Lee. could be seen
sticking up out OF water at low tide.
Little damage was expected here
from high water, Weather Bureau
officials forecasting a crest of ap-
proximately 13 feet would reach here
some time this afternoon or tonight.
Fair weather was forecast for to-
day and increasing cloudiness and
probably rain Monday. The mercury
stood at % degrees at 10 pm. last
night and was expected to sink to
20 this morning. Tomorrow will be
slightly warmer, according to the
Weather Bureau forecast.
The Potomac was expected to
overflow in low-lying areas from
Harpers Ferry down. The waters
reached their crest at Harpers Ferry
last night.
The Shenandoah River was out of
Its banks from Harrisonburg to Har-
pers Ferry yesterday, but receded
during the day
Driven From Homes.
Families living along the Potomac
River near Williamsport were driven
from their homes yesterday morning
when the water rose at the rate of
a foot an hour. The rise slackened
somewhat later, however, and clear.
cold weather was expected to check
the waters before flood stage was
reached.
No estimate of the number of
families evacuated at Williamsport
was available, but the Red Cross
last night issued the following par
tial list of stricken towns and coun-
ties, with the number of homeless
families in each:
West Observation-Disclosures, $50
families; Point Pleasant, 40; Wayne
County, 100; Lincoln County, Al.
Ohio-1ronton. where peak flood
Of So to SIS feet is expected, so fam
lilies; Seawall. so families.
Tennessee-Knox County, $50;
Iellico, %; Roane County, 20; An
derson County. Is.
Kentucky-Ashland, 40 families;
Catlettsburg, SIS; Rowan County, 20;
Magof1n. 100; Floyd County, 1900;
9reathitt County, 400; Perry Coun-
ty. 100; Harlan County, 200; Bell
County, $50; Knox County, Is;
Whitley County, 200; Cumberland,
10; Mclean County, $50, and Hen
derson County, $50.
West Virginia officials estimated
the flood damage at more than ST.
o00, 900 as predictions of fair weather
brought signs of flood abatement.
Landslides and high water still
blocked roads in many sections of
the State, and in Kentucky, Gov. A.
B. Chandler sent highway crews
into communities along the Licking
and Cumberland Rivers to clear
roads.
At Cincinnati and Huntington, w.
Va, the Ohio was rising at the rate
of 3 feet an hour and a crest of
IS feet from Huntington to Carroll
ton, KY, was forecast for today or
tomorrow by United States Meteor