Evening star., 1954-10-17
|36 Are Known Dead
In Ontario in Wake
|0f Hurricane Hazel
sy HE Assse,u.sd p,sss

sy shs Associated P,sss
1 TORONTO. Oct. l6.Ontario
an official storm toll
Of 36 dead and many missing
tonight and the search for more
victims Of Hurricane Hazel went
on under searchlights along the
Hooded Humber River.
Estimates Of dead ranged as
high as II with 500 missing.
Twenty five may have died on
one street. Raymore drive. in
the Toronto western suburb of
Etobicoke where flood waters
in a torrent during the
height of the wind and rain
storm which lashed Ontario and
western Quebec last night.
The wind and torrential rain
struck hardest at Metropolitan
Toronto and its IL million in
habitants. Property damage in
the area was estimated at 500
million.
Bulk of the possible casualties
beyond the 80 dead confirmed by
DR.. Smirle Lawson, supervisory
coroner of Ontario. were in Eto-
bicoke where SO searchers probed
the wreckage Of II houses.
Most in Toronto Area.
OF the known dead, all but six
were In the Toronto area.
The Toronto Star estimated
the dead at so and the Telegram
at II. Both said the missing
numbered 800. Invading terri
tory unaccustomed to hurricanes,
the last kick of Hurrican Hazel
carried. 10 inches of rain into
Toronto from the United States
and flooded wide areas of On
tario Province.
AS swollen rivers and creeks
subsided, rescue parties in boats
and helicopters and on foot
sought the missing, many of
whom are presumed, to have
taken shelter with friends and
relatives. An emergency regis
tration Office was set up in sub
urban Weston.
Etobicoke, where five volunteer
f1remen were drowned when
their truck was washed into the
river, appeared to be the hard
est-hit community, but Wood
bridge, Weston and other Hum
ber River towns also counted
their dead.
Highways Limited.
Highways leading into the
flooded communities in Greater
Toronto were limited to essential
traffic tonight. Police threat
ened to impound sightseers' cars.
At Bradford, 80 miles north OF
Toronto, the fertile Holland
Marsh market garden area was
turned into a 6,000-acre lake 10
feet deep.
More than 1000 Of the areas
residents huddled in gasoline
stations and private homes in
the few high spots around Brad
ford. Some 500 homes in the
marsh were at least partially
covered with muddy water.
Near Georgian Bay. a two-cal
passenger train ran off the track
at washout, fatally injuring the
fireman. The train crashed into
a water-filled ditch near South
ampton and rescuers worked fol
two hours to free the engineer
from his cab.
Trains Marooned.
At Markham, q few miles
northeast of Toronto, 158 pas
sengers in two trains were
trapped in coaches as creeks
washed out the roadbed and iso-
lated the trains. The passengers
were rescued by buses.
In southwestern Ontario the
Grand River surged over its
banks and forced the evacuation
of 200 of Bridgeport's 1900
residents. Police in boats rowed
from house to house arousing
residents as the water ragged
through the darkness. Some
sleepers in second story bed
rooms awoke to find half their
homes under water. The Grand
River was II feet above normal
at its peak and had swollen
from 200 feet to a half-mile
wide.
Elsewhere along the Grand
floodwaters were two feet deep
along a stretch of the highway
between Gait and Brantford
Many of the cars caught in the
swirling waters stalled and were