TERRIBLE FLOODS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 94, 20 March 1936, Page 9

TERRIBLE FLOODS

IN UNITED STATES. CITIES IN DANGER. DEATH AND DESOLATION. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) NEW YORK, March 18. Tfye most devastating floods in generations, resulting from snow accumulations of the hardest winter in a century, poured down through eastern United States today and caused widespread death and property destruction. Cen- ’ tring at Pittsburgh, tlio disaster extended from Maine to the Carolinas. Fifty persons lost their lives, and the damage is expected to total 100,000,000 dollars.

The Moiiongahela and Alleghany Rivers, which converge at, Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River, swept over the city’s business district. Eighteen feet of water tore through buildings and, to add to the confusion, three huge industrial plants caught fire and burned to the water’s edge. Smaller cities and mines up and down Pennsylvania’s principal rivers suffered equally. By early evening it appeared that the situation at Pittsburgh was becoming desperate. All teleplioiUr and telegraphic communicatinons were halted, indicating a power breakdown there. Every available commercial aeroplane at New York, Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago was pressed into service to rush food aud medical supplies to the city as all railway and highway communications were disrupted. Aviators reported that the water had reached such a depth that all power plants along the river, were completely submerged. They also reported seeing patrol boats picking up refugees from floating debris. In one large hotel over SGO guests are marooned on the upper floors without food, heat or light, and with the constant danger that the drinking water available is contaminated. NIGHT OF TERROR. Despite the belief that the waters had reached their height at Pittsburgh at S p.m., at 11 p.m. they were still rising, when the depth was estimated at 48 feet, the official gauge having broken. It was a night of terror for. the city. - Relief crews in rowboats distributed food as best they could, but were unable to reach all in need. Fires broke out in many sections of the city, many burning unchecked as there was no means of notifying the Fire Department, which, in any event, was completely inadequate to handle the situation. A tank car full of petrol in the railway yards exploded, starting a fire which destroyed six buildings. At least 50 persons suffered varying degrees of injury in fires and explosions, exclusive of flood casualties. The entire Wyoming Valley wae turned into an inland sea by the Susquehanna River. New York State reported that 2000 persons were driven trom their homes in vorious cities by floods. Western, centre and eastern portions of the State alike reported exceptionally high water in all streams. The Hudson rose 13.5 feet above normal. The Potomac River spread widely over its banks in Maryland, badly battering Hancock and Cumberland. Both these cities were covered by nine feet of water and hundreds of bouses were swept away by the stream, which had the force of a tidal wave. WALL OF WATER.

The Greenswood Dam, five nines above New Hartford (Connecticut) collapsed, hurling a 19-foot wall of water down the Farmington Valley, a thicklypopulated agricultural and industrial area. Three are known to be dead here. Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire also report wide areas in flood.

Damage amounts to 15,000,000 dollars anu 30,000 persons are homeless in West Virginia, Virginia and North and South Carolina, where waters from rivers further north piled southward. In Connecticut three dams broke and warnings were broadcast down three river valleys lor people to seek higher ground. Martial law has been declared at Pittsburgh. Police are attempting to reach tlio western penitentiary in an isolated section. With the rising waters the guards were forced to move 200 prisoners to high tiers and it is reported that 1200 inmates took advantage of the confusion to stage a riot.

At. Johnstown, where the, streets were yesterday eight feet under water, and wheie the waters during the day receded considerably, the populace was thrown into a panic Jate in the afternoon on reports that dams protecting the city were crumbling and the community was in danger of being wiped out as in 1889. People madly rushed to the surrounding hills, and the city was almost completely evacuated before it was found that the reports were untrue, although one small dam had developed leaks.

In the confusion there was considerable looting and hundreds of special peace officers were sworn in to maintain order. At least 8000 are homeless in the city, where property damage is estimated at 35,000,000 dollars. Martial law was declared at Johnstown during the night. The Hood area has extended practically to cut railway communications between the eastern seaboard and the west. The only railway, service functioning between New York and St. Louis is by way of Buffalo Express trains are running eight to 10 hours lote.

NATIONAL GUARD MOBILISED. A later message states that the National Guard has been mobilised in the States ol Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont, as the flood menace . has increased hourly, livery stream in the entire section, trom the smallest brooks to larger rivers, are out of their banks. Shortly before midnight on Wednesday, an apparently autlientic report was broadcast that the huge dam across the Connecticut River at Vernon (Vermont) had collapsed. The electricity company owning it said tlmt it was only a partial break, and that workers were attempting to rcpaii it, but m any event the entire Connecticut Rivei Valley, cutting through the heart of New England, is endangered and removal wiojwiiiigs have been sent out. Boston faced a milk shortage, according to officials there, and damage in the State of Maine alone is estimated to exceed 10,000,000 dollars. At Washington relief workers are hastily throwing «up levees to protect The national capital from the rapidly-rising Potomac. It is recalled that in JBBJ flood waters almost reached the White House. In the confusion throughout the night no ' attempt was made to estimate the total casualties, but the death toll will undoubtedly exceed earlier estimates of 50. . . , . , At Wheeling (West Virginia), which was directly in the path of the roanng Ohio. River flood, heroic preparations were made all night to meet the impending crisis. Part of the business

area is already inundated, and if the river reaches the expected height early on Thursday it will flood most of the city. With the aid of police thousands are being evacuated to higher ground. Unable to be published at Pittsburgh, three newspapers moved skeleton editorial and mechanical staffs to nearby towns, w lip re abbreviated editions were published.