FLOOD VICTIMS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 28, 3 February 1937, Page 11

FLOOD VICTIMS

REPORT FROM LOUISVILLE

OFFICIAL'S ESTIMATE

United Tress Association—By Electric Tele

grupli—Cnoyriuht.

CHICAGO, February 1

The police superintendent at Boston, Mr. Fallon, received with incredulity /i telegram from Lieutenant Waitt asserting that there are 7000 dead in the Louisville area, a fact which has been hidden by the censorship. Lieutenant Waitt was sent to Louisville a week ago to command a group of Boston policemen.

Meanwhile a forecast for warmer weather temperatures and thaws threatened floods in western' Oregon, where Portland experienced the heaviest snowfall in its history. Snow blocked highways in the States of Washington and Oregon, and in the mountains in northern California, and also the two main roads to Utah. The coastal area was warned that a new storm would blow from the Pacific tonight. Sixteen inches'of snow at Portland paralysed business, closed schools, and marooned trams. It is estmated that 50,000 persons are snowbound in Oregon alone. One electric train reached Spokane (Washington) four days late. Temperatures are again at freezing point in the southern California citrus fruit area.

Fewer than 200 persons remained at Paducah (Kentucky), the normal population of which is 33,000, jvhen the crest of the flood arrived. The river is ten miles wide and is believed to have entered every one of the 8000 residences.

The bodies of five of the men aboard the steel barge which sank at New Madrid were recovered by the use of grappling hooks. Thirty others are missing.

Mr. R. W. Bingham, American Ambassador in London, has arrived at New York en route to his home at Louisville to assist in rehabilitation work.

Vice-Admiral C. T. Grayson, chairman of the American National Red Cross Organisation, announced that the Red Cross was only a few hundred dollars short of its goal of 10,000,000 dollars, but urged that contributions continue in view ofvthe fact that relief cost 17,000,000 dollars in 1927 when the floods affected only half' as many people as at present.

The total of dead as a result, of the flood disaster was reported from New York last weekend as 400.