WORST DISASTER YET IN AMERICA.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 22, 27 January 1937, Page 7

WORST DISASTER YET IN AMERICA.

APPALLING FLOOD.

Devastation in Ohio and

Mississippi.

HEIGHT NOT REACHED

lUiteil Prc.«s Association,—Copyright

(Received 2 p.m.)

CHICAGO, January

A muddy Ohio River, mountain high, rolled relentlessly on to the Mississippi, leaving the worst devastation recorded i n the history of America. Army engineers continue In sound a warning that the worst is yet to come. Already IoQ are dead and over ")5t),000 homeless.

Towns and villages continue to disii|.|:ear under the submerging clement, which lias spread over -2.00(1,(1(1(1 acres in the Mi.->i-~i|.|ii Hiver basin. Wholesale evacuation of flood-besieged towns in Tennessee. Kentucky, .Missouri, Arkansas iind .MissTssippi signalled the greatest slotting lit' populations in a brief time cm".' known in America.

From Pittsburgh, in the north, where anxious thousands watched the Hood slowly recede after spreading to the edge of the business district, to the crest of the delude sweeping tin- Mississippi River beyond Cairo, is a watery desolation, exceeding 11127 conditions aiid raising the fears of authorities as to whether the (Meat system of dykes and levees built on the lower reaches and the drainage system will survive.

"A super-flood is on the way," was the meteorological prediction.

Radio's Big Part. Shortwave radio played a huge part ill the Hood rescue and relief work in Cincinnati and Louisville. Four great broadcasting stations, two in each city, remained constantly on the air with power wired from other communities, directing the work of boats and patrol cars equipped with radio. All pleas for aid were sent to the stations and broadcast to boats and cars nearest the point where aid was needed, making quick responses possible and avoiding confusion and oversight.

The national networks picked up these emergency calls and rebroadcast them from coast to coast at intervals during the day and night, permitting those who were not affected to listen in and get a graphic picture of the plight of the flood regions.

The "hook-up" was valuable also in permitting officials in the cities to make pleas for various supplies and aid.

Messages from all parts of the nation seeking news of relatives were also answered.

Fire, hunger and disease have spread for 1800 miles in the flood-ravaged Ohio and Mississippi Valleys, bringing new terrors to approximately half a million homeless and marooned people. The Ohio River has exceeded all flood records and is still rising. Continued rain carries new threats to southern regions in the Mississippi Valley.

The Mayor of Louisville, Mr. Miller, has urged the prompt evacuation of the entire city, where 230,000 of its 300,000 residents are homeless. The death roll is mounting steadily with fresh reports from isolated cities. Bodies are reported to have been seen floating in the Ohio River at many points. Martial Law Declared. The Governor of Kentucky, Mr. Chandler, declared martial law in Louisville in response to an appeal from the Mayor. The military regime will prevent divided authority and a grave crisis in the city, which already has the appearance of a time of war. Militiamen are patrolling the streets which are above water. Huge military trucks are transporting refugees and food supplies in the darkness.

Most of the refugees are crowded on the high land of the' residential district in churches, theatres, homes and tents, after having been ferried over swollen creeks. Food and water are being rationed.

A new crisis has appeared through oil and gasoline on the water, which are believed to have floated down stream from Cincinnati. Smoking has been forbidden near the water.

The river at Cincinnati is 28 feet above flood level and almost stationary and the crest is expected to go one foot higher. Although most of the city, which is built on hills, is dry, much of the industrial section, the slum area, the airport and the railway yards are under many feet of water.

The power and water systems are completely paralysed. There is little drinking water left in the reservoirs and what there is has been officially condemned as contaminated, necessitating the boiling of all water used for drinking purposes.

The Governor of Ohio, Mr. Davey, has arrived to inspect the conditions. He has offered to declare martial law but the proposal has been rejected by the city officials. Troops, however, are patrolling the streets.

Powers of Dictator. The council has conferred on Mr. C. A. Dykstra, city manager, the powers of an absolute dictator until the flood subsides. Theatres, bars and cabarets have been closed by edict. A small amount of power is being furnished from two cities 100 miles distant but it is sufficient only for hospitals, fire alarms and police radio. Few streets have lights. There is no immediate danger of a shortage of fuel or food.

River communities from Cairo, Illinois, to New Madrid, Missouri," waited with apprehension while the mingled flood waters of the Ohio and the Mississippi Rivers poured over an area of 131,000 acres. An unknown number of persons, estimated at 100 to 500, are believed to have been caught in the flood basin when the waters entered through 13 natural breaks in an old levee and two huge gaps blasted by army engineers after the troops had routed armed planters who were guarding the levee.

Whole cities are being evacuated under martial law and the refugees are speeding northward in special trains to receive the hospitality of strangers in cities along the route, each of which has indicated the number it can care for.