SIXTY-NINE DEATHS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27291, 18 January 1950, Page 5

SIXTY-NINE DEATHS

Cold Wave In United States

Blizzards And Floods

N ZP A—Copyright Rec 7.50 p.m. NEW YORK, Jan. 16. A severe cold wave froze much of the United States today. Blizzards continued in some Northern United; States areas and parts of Canada. At least 69 people have died in the-' United States and Canada since last Friday in blizzards, floods, and traffic accidents caused by the bad weather." The cold wave is being blown eastward by gale winds, which brought the worst storms in 50 years to North-west United States and South-west Canada. The temperature fell far below zero across Northern United States from the Pacific coast to the Great Lakes. It was 33 degrees below zero at Inter-, national Falls, Minnesota, and temperatures were 20 to 30 degrees below normal as far south as Texas. Intense cold increased the suffering of about 5000 flood refugees in the mid-west. Drifting snow and local blizzards plagued North-west and Northern California, halting traffic. Over 4000 passengers were stranded in form, trains in the Cascade Mountains, Oregon, after a snowplough clearing the tracks was wrecked inside a mountain . tunnel. The passengers, however, had plenty of food. Traffic was stalled also in 1 parts of Michigan and Wisconsin, where gales piled snowdrifts 12 feet deep over some roads. The Wabash and Ohio Rivers continued to rise in the flood basins of Southern Illinois and Indiana. Other new floods spread in parts of Ohio and Kentucky, forcing 100 families to, evacuate their homes. The Green River flooded the entire town of'. Rumsey, Kentucky, and the Trade-,* water River surged into a large section of Sturgis, Kentucky. Coast- ’ guardsmen and volunteer workersfought desperately to strengthen thelevees holding back the floods in 0hi0,,Kentucky, Illinois,- and Indiana. The rains of the past few days, however, ‘ made the situation critical in many areas.