Evening Star Newspaper, January 25, 1937, Page 4

A—4 *x%» THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 1937. firemen patroling stricken areas which Louisville formed another island and chanical engineer, said he believed all MISSISSIPPI SNAPS DIKES NEAR CAIRO Breaks to Be Widened by U. S. Engineers to Reduce Menace at City. BULLETIN. SIKESTON, Mo., January 25 () —A National Guard pilot re- ported after flying over the Birds Point-New Madrid, Mo., levee to- day that the Mississippi River had broken through 1': miles below the Cairo, Ill, bridge and in two other places. The waters were pouring into a 131,000-acre flood basin. B the Associated Pr MEMPHIS, Tenn., January 25.— Lieut. Col. Eugene Reybold, district engineer, said today the Mississippi had broken three small gaps at the upper end of the Birds Point-New Madrid floodway's fuse-plug levee at Beckwith Bend. The flooded river thus started a job which engineers expected to finish with dynamite, opening the dike so0 & rush of water from the rampaging Ohio may have a widened outlet and | reduce the menace to Cairo, IlL Missouri National Guardsmen were ordered to the scene yesterday to hold off armed men who prevented engi- neers from breaking the levee yester- day. Plan to Dynamite. “Three small gaps are letting water into the New Madrid floodway,” Col. Reybold said. “We will dynamite it if we can get any power into there to do it. I think there are men drill- ing the levee now and they have dynamite with them. “Maj. R. D. Burdick is up there now and is supposed to have joined with the National Guard.” Meanwhile, fear raced ahead of suf- fering down the Mississippi Valley to- day fhile the upper end of the great | basin began to realize the destructive | might of the Ohio Valley's worst flood. Already 15 have been killed and | nearly 50.000 driven from their homes | in Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippl | and Missouri, but a flood stage of 58 feet at Cairo, Il early today made | it plain the worst is yet to come. Evacuation Ordered. A request early today for immediate | evacuation of all women and children among Cairo’s 13,000 population gave dramatic forewarning of the approach- | ing major emergency in the Mississ- 1ppi Valley. Mayor August Bode asked the evac- uation on advice of Maj. R. D. Bur- dick of the United States Army en- gineers w id a sudden increase in | the rate of the river's rise there made the move advisable. Only one highway—a road north to St. Louis—was reported open out of Cairo. Government and private relief | agencies struggled with the havoc al- wrought by the waters of a smaller tributaries of the Mississipy d prayed the big river's yet untested new levee system would be equal to its task. Complicating the growing problems of the United States Army engineers was a “levee rebellion” in Missouri where State militiamen had planned to aid in an effort to dynamite the “fuse plug” dike below Cairo and save that city. Embattled farmers armed with shotguns twice prevented engineers from releasing pent-up Mississippi waters into the 131.000-acre Birds Point-New Madrid floodway yester- day. Cairo is at the junction of the Mississippi and Ohio and crests have not yet been reached in the latter stream. When they come they will roll into the parent river to muitiply the burden already pouring in from Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas and Mhississippi streams above and helow Memphis. Then the security of tens of thou- sands of lives and millions in property along the 500-mile stretch from Cairo to the Gulf will depend on the great levee system which was built after the disastrous floods of 1927. Orders for the complete evacuation of Paducah. Ky, on the Ohio, was the high spot in the Southern flood picture, but at least a dozen other towns were inundated and three score more isolated by flood waters of the Mississippi and its tributaries. 59 Feet of Water Due. With Cairo expecting 59 feet of wa- ter today, Memphis will get close to 46 feet. The river reached a stage above 40.5 feet today. Memphis set up a central relief depot at its fair grounds to handle 5,000 homeless. Elsewhere in Tennes- see, Arkansas, Mississippi and Mis- souri arrangements were hurried to care for 45,000 more. Engineers began the evacuation of 300 residents of Black Island in the Mississippi River near Caruthersville, many of them badly in need of food and medical attention. The St. Francis River battered down & levee near Truman, Ark. flooding 90.000 acres to the south and west. Coldwater River, flood menace of the Mississippi delta, .noved to dangerous proportions as 75 prisongrs from the State Peniteniary were rushed to Marks to sandbag levees. The Tala- hatchie also was under patrol as it surged upward. The death list in Arkansas mounted when a child died of typhoid at Osceola and another of exposure at Gosnell. Floyd Sharp, W. P. A. administrator, sald 3,000 Arkansas families were in refugee camps and five times that numebr on the way. Gov. Ca: Bailey s d the situation was “critical.” The ice storm damage to the State’s timber exceeded $10,000,000 and the highway damage at least $500,000. One unconfirmed report said sev- Any Size Order Delivered Before Prices Rise Lumber prices are savings are to be had n'blu‘v' . _WBY not make those needed ake " free extimater.© J. FRANK ELLY Sudden Service Lumber and Millwork 2121 Ga. Ave, NOrth 1341 . p Fire Adds to Terror of Flood-Ravaged City A portion of the refrigeration pla the heart of the flood-ravaged city, destroyed 32 buildings. | eral drowned at Butler’s Landing, near Osceola, where only one boat was available for evacuation. In Tennessee the Mississippl River sent its backwaters surging through Tiptonville, cutting electrical water supplies and marooning upward of 2,000. Hickman, Ky.. watched the yellow waters climb slowly up its pro- tective seawall. Refugees poured Tiptonville, Tenn., and Ridgely, which were themselves inundated or isolated. Island 35 on the Mississippi, op- | posite Richardson’s Landing, Tenn., presented a desperate plight. Flooded for the first time in history, the 300 persons were being evacuated as fast as boats could reach them. and | into towns like | communication last night as flood waters from a dozen levee breaks continued to push over farms and lowlands in 12 counties in the wake of a two-day ice storm. Thousands fled their homes in sub- freezing temperatures, taking with | them only what they could carry in their arms. | vided transportation. Other thousands remained in the isolated sections, many in flooded homes. Some were unable to leave. Others apparently staved on hoping to “ride out” the crisis. Louisville Boats and.box cars pro- | ARKANSAS HARD HIT. Twelve |Countics lSufics IFrom Ficeds |~ (CoDLnNSIEYOM Eist EaGE) SR and Ice Storm. |to creep relentlessly farther and LITTLE ROCK, Ark, January 25 farther over areas that never before (®.—Wide stretches of Eastern had known flood waters. It was esti- Arkansas were cut off from outside mated today by Orville C. Dewey of COSTLIER TOBACCOS Camels are made from finer, MORE EXPENSIVE TOBACCOS ... Turkish and Domestic ... than any other popular brand. | (learning of conditions at Cincinnati, the Mayor's Co-ordinating Commmee' | that the rise since last night had by thousands raised the number of homeless from yesterday's estimated 200,000. Reaches 54.9-Foot Stage. The Ohlo reacned a 54.9-foot flood stage. Federal Meteorologist J. L. Kendall, | revising his previous estimates after | | predicted the Ohio River would reach | an ‘“unprecedented” level of approx- | imately 58 feet here by zomorrum" night. _State and city officials appealed to President Roosevelt to rush all pos- sible aid to the stricken State. They urged “red tape” be cut and trained | nt of the Crosley Radio Corp. in Cincinnati in flames last night. The fire, spreading inland to and Representative Emmett O'Nel were keeping in close contact with Presi- dent Roosevelt. Telephone Load Heavy. A warning that unless the “call load” was immediately reduced, the telephone company would suspend service was issued today by L. K. Webb, Kentucky manager of the Southern Bell Telephone Co. Twenty= one thousand of the fifty-three thou- | sand telephones are already out of | . order. Webb said the “call load” double the noimal peak. “If the telephone system crumbles, God knows what will happen to Louis- ville,” he declared. Telephone power ! was soldiers, const guardsmen, boats, food- | 18 being supplied by batteries and a stuffs, medical supplies and power St€am generator. | boats be sent immediately to the| Food supplies dwindled rapidly and stricken area. | Louisville police were ordered “shoot Mayor Miller announced Washing- | t0 kill” all looters. ton ofcials promised full co-operation | National Guardsmen of the 138th and sald Senator Alden W. Barkley | Field Artillery aided city police and “SKIING TAKES GOOD DIGESTION,” SAYS SIG BUCHMAYR, WIZARD ON SKIS = “AND A HEALTHY set of nerves t0o,” continues Buchmayr, shown executing a jump turn {/eff}, and enjoying Camels dur- ing a hearty meal {right}). “I know Camels don’t get on my nerves. And they help my digestion. Camels set me right!” Vigorous people count on healthy nerves and proper nu- trition to see them through. Make Camel your cigarette. When you smoke Camels, the flow of digestive fluids —alkaline di- gestive fluids—speeds up. And you have a delightful sense of di- gestive well-being. Camels are milder—better for steady smoking. e ROSE DAVIS (/efi), champion cowgirl from Fort Worth. As a star attraction of the rodeo, Miss Davis often rides a bucking bronc twice a day. She says: *The jolting puts a strain on my diges- * tion. That's why I always smoke Camels with my meals and after. Camels are so mild I cansmoke them as oftenasIlike.” VETERAN TEST DRIVER, Clyde Freeman {right), absorbs punishment behind the wheel of a test car. "My friends can’t get over the hearty way I eat,” he says. “I tell them that ‘for digestion’s sake— smoke Camels’ is a good idea for any- body. Camels set me right! I never tire of thathearty Camel flavor. And Camels don’t get on my nerves.” widened throughout the night. Before the power failure thousands of persons appealed for hel) as water slowly lapped against their homes. By dusk yesterday—after almost 24 hours of constant downpour—calls for help became frantic. Approxi- mately 3,000 persons fought through rain and over slippery streets to reach s railioad station at Thirty-first street and Broadway where three re- lief trains carried the refugees to Indiana towns that offered shelter. | Every available truck was pressed | into service to reach those most sorely pressed and relief officials appealed for boats. Relief centers were set up to supply food and clothing. The block-long armory was crowded with refugees. A baby was born there last night. Immediately after power failed 14 radio stations, on a short-wave hook- | up, carried on the work of Louisville | stations notifying flood-bounded per- sons of efforts to relieve them. Hourly the danger from sickness and fire spread. Virtually all fire-fighting equipment was out of commission when flood waters In low sections cut off area after area. Danger from influenza, typhoid and pneumonia mounted, due to lack of proper food, | water and exhaustion. | Clinics were opened on & large scale. Thousands received typhoid | inocculation from emergency stations operated in fire houses. | Only vague and meager reports | came from the State, but the known dead stood at six. At Augusta, Ky, 1,500 of 1800 residents fled before the flood. The | town was threatened with destruction | after & huge drum of gasoline burst, spreading oil on the water. Louisville from the air resembled a series of islands separated by broad | canals. The downtown business dis- | trict was completely surrounded and | the West End isolated. South central OUT-0F-TOWN TELEPHONE RATES GO DOWN EVERY NIGHT AT7 AND STAY DOWN west central sections still another. Outlying residential sections of the highlands, Crescent Hill and Beach- mont, were the only areas above water and the only ones Mayor Miller termed safe. Residents in those spots, however, lacked water and lights. Thousands found refuge there in the homes of friends and relatives, Emergency crews worked steadily today trying to bring electric power into the city sufficient for hospitals’ needs, but officials estimated it would be two weeks after the flood receded before normal power supply could be restored. The electric utility gave up a week- long battle to maintain service here only after water swept into the plant | in overpowering volume. The pump crew, after working for days unceas- ingly, was forced to abandon the gen- | erators and flee. F. B. Tetzel, me- escaped. Downtown streets were practically | deserted today and stores closed. A few food stores opened, but shut up | quickly as stocks were sold out. Few | restaurants operated and food sup- | plies became precous. Death List Ly the Associatod Press. Following are the names, by States, of the identified victims of the cur- rent Ohio River flood: Ohio. | Cincinnati—Harry Vaske, 47; John | G. Hardwick, 57. Lebanon—John Murray, 50. Ravenna—Robert Chatman, 11. Kentucky. Madisonville—Fred Monroe, Carl | Curry, A. B. Utley, Chester Coffman. SPECIAL COAL PRICES Pocahontas Stove *10" A Smokeless, Fine-Burning, Screened Bituminous Coal The Usuel Charge for Carrying to Bin R. S. MILLER 805 THIRD ST. N.W. NAT. 5178 Reupholstering and Repairing Ask About Qur Easy Monthly Payment Plan Tapestries, Mohairs, Brocades, Frezzias, Velours Also Chair Caneing and Porch Rockers Splinted by Our Experts at the Now Prevailing Low Prices for Two Days Only. Write, Phone or Call Metropolitan 2062 5-Pc. Parlor Suites—Antiques 3-Pc. Overstuffed Suites Dining Room Chairs Copright. 1397, R Estimates and Samples Given Free CLAY ARMSTRONG Upholsterer 1235 10th St. N.W. 3. Renlds Tobaces Compaay, Winstos-Selem, N. G BUSY SECRE- TARY. “I smok= Camels— else!” say nothing s attrac- tive Joselyn Libby. “Camelsputmore fun into t00.So m: feel the eating any girls same as 1do—and smoke Camels t00.” o S SEA-GOING CHIEF ENGINEER, George bilities on dig Camels Buckingham, has responsi- that put heavy demands estion. He says: “I enjoy all I please. Camels keep my digestion on an even keel.” RADIO’S NEW SMASH HIT! 4Jack Oakie’s College” Fun and excitement every minute with irre- pressible Jack Oakie at his best. Also Benny Goodman’s “Swing” Band, George Stoll's Concert Orches: and singiog star: tra. Hollywood comedians s—and—special college tal- ent. Every Tuesday night—9:30 pm E.S.T, 8:30 pm C.S.T., 7:30 pm M.S.T., 6:30 pm P.S.T., WABC-Columbia Network.