Engineers of Army proposals, 3-21-1936

ENGINEERS OF ARMY TO SUBMIT SUGGESTIONS

Arthur I. Hungerford, Direct Representative Of President Roosevelt Here Today, Reveals Program

REHABILITATION IS MOVING SLOWLY

Federal Government To Furnish Financial Aid To Enable Business Men To "Carry On"

A long range program for flood relief in Cumberland and the entire Potomac Valley is in process of development, according to Arthur E. Hungerford, here today as direct representative of President Roosevelt and the Federal Government.

Mr. Hungerford discussed the situation this morning with Gov. Harry W. Nice, who came here yesterday noon and left shortly before noon today, planning to visit Williamsport enroute to Annapolis. Mayor George W. Legge, Mayor-elect Thos. W. Koon, M. D., and local relief officials also conferred with Mr. Hungerford, who is state director of emergency relief.

Relief Well In Hand
The relief situation here is so well taken care of, Mr. Hungerford said, that the main problem now is of the future. Rehabilitation of hopes and business places ruined by the flood is immediately ahead, while flood prevention measures to insure against any repetition of Tuesday’s disaster will be thoroughly discussed at the conference March 24 in Annapolis.

Army engineers are working on the problem, using previous surveys as the basis of recommendations that will be made at next Tuesday's conference. P. W. Besley, state forester, and other state and federal (Continued On Page 2)

March 21, 1936

ENGINEERS OF ARMY TO SUBMIT SUGGESTION

(Continued Prom Page 1)

representatives win present various angles to the solution of the problem of arresting any future flood disasters here.

Business To Get Aid
Financial aid will be given b; the federal government, it was said today, to enable business men to "carry on" in the face of tremendous losses.

Clean-up Progress Noted
Remarkable progress is being made in cleaning the debris and mud from the business section of the city. Baltimore street was free of most of the washed-in material today with the exception of a thin coat of slime.

Workmen were busy on South Mechanic, Pershing, Liberty, North Mechanic and North Centre street today. Practically every building has been cleared of the filth, and pumps are still taking water out.

Officials have given no indication when the streets will be open to through traffic, although it may be Monday. National Guardsmen of Company B, Hagerstown, are expected to remain here until then.

Local authorities are undecided on what they will do tonight in regard to the business section. It is understood some merchants wan the district open until 10 p. m. to allow for the movement of shoppers. However, the guardsmen will remain on duty in addition to city police and special watchmen.

Saloons to Close
Emergency orders were issued closing all saloons at 9 o'clock tonight, and continuing the early closing hour until further notice.

No Serious Illness
Mrs. Margaret Lewis, national field Red Cross representative, reported today there is no serious illness in the Tri-State area as a result of the flood. She declared that all acute needs will be met over the weekend.

This afternoon 100 cots and blankets left for Green Spring, W. Va., where the residents are without heat, light and water. Food orders for Green Spring have also been issued.

Yesterday conditions at Paw Paw and Magnolia were investigated but no accurate report is available. Another party left today for Paw Paw.

About 1,000 families are receiving attention of some sort in the TriState area which includes Cumberland as well as nearby Pennsylvania and West Virginia points.

Clothing collected in Cumberland is being taken to the old Post Office building while food is being stored in the Cumberland Dry Goods building on Union street.

The amount of money raised by Cumberland in the Red Cross drive for $3,000,000 has increased to about $3,500. The quota for Cumberland was $1,500

“Clam” Crane Disabled
A Western Maryland Railway steam crane "clamming" out flood debris, lodged in Will's Creek at the Baltimore street bridge and flood wall, was partly derailed and the lattice boom bent over this afternoon. It was necessary for the railway to send its locomotive wrecking crane and tool cars to re-rail the clam-shell crane.

No Heat in Post Office
The Federal Post Office is without heat, or elevator service, and postal employes were working under trying conditions. The basement and first floor were flooded, and the heating plant was not operating yet today.

Banks Closed
No banks have been opened here since Tuesday, the day to day bank holiday having been extended by Governor Nice to include today.

Mail Service Resuming
Mail service, suspended as a result of disrupted railroad and bus schedules, has been resumed on a small scale. Nair Goff Maxson, superintendent of the railway mail service for this district, is here from Baltimore in charge.

Maxson, a former Cumberlander, said 300 sacks of mail to eastern and western cities was moved yesterday by truck and that mail is being received by bus and trucks. With train service partly resumed, additional mail can be handled, he added.

No Electricity Shortage
Cumberlanders need have no fears about the cessation of electric power for the duration of the emergency period, it was said by Henry W. Price, general manager of the Potomac Edison Company.

Price explained that the city is getting power from the West Penn Power Company plant at Lake Lynn on Cheat River, near Morgantown, W. Va.

The local Potomac river power plant of the Potomac Edison, Price said, suffered heavy damage from the debris and high water. All three units at the station on the Kelly Boulevard were put out of commission by the flood, but two have been restored to operation and it is expected that the other will be ready for service shortly. No replacements will be necessary, Price said.

State Roads Open
The State Roads Commission has large crews of men working on all the State roads, ditching, cleaning culverts and making repairs. Several power shovels are removing landslides.

The National Highway, McMullen Boulevard, Uhl highway and George's Creek boulevard are receiving attention. Other than removal of slides, it is reported the McMullen and Uhl highways, with their mileage of continuous concrete roadway, are the least damaged and open for traffic

The National Highway is open from Baltimore to Uniontown, Pa., through here, but at Hancock and near Sidling hill for the present there is one-way traffic.

Uhl highway is open to Paw Paw and also Paw Paw bridge over the Potomac, and the only interstate bridge over the Potomac east of Cumberland to Williamsport, Md., now in use.

U. S. Route 220 from Bedford to this city is open.

Rail Traffic East Blocked
Both the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and the Western Maryland Railway are still hampered by flood damage—the heaviest in years—and traffic is held up.

The Western Maryland reported that slides had fallen on its tracks at several places east of Cumberland since yesterday, but that the work of removal was being hurried. Its line between Cumberland, Hagerstown and Baltimore had been opened until the slides fell last night and today. No trains are operating on the Elkins division, where the destruction is heavy.

The B. & O. is working to open up its lines east of this city, with bridges and tracks at various places badly damaged and washed out. There is also much damage on the Connellsville division and at Hyndman, Pa., where a bridge is being rebuilt.

Detour on W. M. Tracks
Several B. & O. passenger trains for Connellsville were detoured here over the Western Maryland Railway yesterday and last night, but the B. & O. has a line opened there today.

The B. & O. damage is heavy at all points where its tracks parallel the river east of Cumberland. The high-line, or Magnolia cut-off, was used by work trains and repair gangs at Paw Paw.

Arthur Williams, general manager of the Western Maryland, who arrived here yesterday was out on its road with work crews, on both the Hagerstown and Elkins divisions. Freight trains held since Tuesday night on the Western Maryland Railway on the Connellsville end, were moving in yesterday and last night to the Ridgeley-Knobmount yards.

The B. & O. will continue to detour its trains at Weverton, Hagerstown and Cumberland over Western Maryland tracks.

Hice R. Laughlin, superintendent of the Cumberland Division, has been out on the road almost constantly since the flood.