West Virginia (Flood)

WEST VIRGINIA CITIES START FLOOD CLEANUP

Point Pleasant Still Under Eleven Feet Of Water As Fear To Life Increases

800 LEAVE HOMES

Attention Now Being Centered On Relief Aids To The Thousands of Victims In State

Eleven feet of water in the streets of Point Pleasant gave that town fears of a menace to life as the Ohio river continued rising while cities to the north were cleaning up debris of the worst flood in their history.

Ridgeley, West Virginia, Under Water As Seen From An Airplane

West Virginia town can be seen at left with towpath and the filled in canal at the right. The Cumberland ballpark is shown in the upper right hand of the photograph.

WEST VIRGINIANS WARNED AS FLOODS RECEDE

Vaccine and Serums Sent into Affected Areas of State

Receding flood waters throughout the Mountain State brought a warning for the health department today that the coming period provided the greatest menace to health.

The department, reporting no epidemics, assigned a dozen field men to checking water supplies in the affected areas, directed additional precautions and rushed new supplies of vaccine and antityphoid serum to the eastern and northern panhandles.

FLOOD LEAVES 17 DEAD THRU W. VA. SECTIONS

Thousands Are Homeless While Uncounted Millions In Damages To Property Is Reported

MANY CITIES AND HAMLETS INUNDATED,

Diphtheria And Smallpox Vaccines Being Rushed to Health Department Officials By Relief

Charleston, W. Va„ Mar. 21 —The ravaging Ohio river rolled on south today, leaving in its wake thousands of West Virginians homeless, at least 17 dead and uncounted millions of dollars property damage.

Airplane view of the raging Potomac which inundated shore buildings in Paw Paw, Morgan County, W. Va

THIRTEEN DEAD IN WHEELING AS WATERS SURGE

Nine Persons Drowned And Four Are Killed In Explosion Of Gas In Building

ISLAND INUNDATED

Seven Feet Of Water In Main Street; Tabernacle Swept Away; Hundreds Homeless

Wheeling, W. Va., March 19. —Thousands fled to the highlands for safety from inundated homes and buildings in this industrial city of 70,000 today after the Ohio river's devastating flood waters had poured over their banks and put parts of the business district under ten feet of water.

Army Of Workers Removing Mud And Debris As Military Patrols Entire Business Area

BANKS, THEATRES CONTINUE CLOSED

$250,000 Bond Issue To Repair Damage Discussed By City Council This Morning

A steady drop in the Potomac River and Wills Creek continued today, and at noon the river was less than six feet above normal.

Death Toll Mounts As Swirling Waters Move Into New Territories

Pestilence and Shortages of Food and Water Intensifies Terror, Destitution and Misery

PROPERTY DAMAGES MOUNT TO TENS OF MILLION OF DOLLARS

Nation’s Capital Preparing for Rise of Potomac River; Sandbag Walls Thrown Up Around Washington Monuments and Lincoln Memorial

BY H. H. HIPPELHEUSER

The worst floods in eastern United States history moved menacingly down into western Virginia and Ohio today, claiming a reported death toll of at least 71.

SPANS SWEPT AWAY BY SURGING WATER; SECTIONS HARD HIT

Hancock and Shepherdstown Bridges Are Wrecked— Williamsport Section Suffers Heavy Damage in Record Flood

WILLIAMSPORT—The Potomac river was believed to have reached its peak at midnight after rising to a new high of 49.6 feet above normal or four feet above the Johnstown flood stage in 1889. Town in darkness. Scores of families were homeless and the Red Cross and Salvation Army set up temporary rehabilitation headquarters. Hagerstown pumping station above Williamsport believed flooded.

NO PHONE SERVICE TO UP-CREEK TOWNS

Over 100 Families Forced To Leave Their Homes
Roads Being Opened

Telephone service with Frostburg, Lonaconing, Westernport and other George's creek towns is out and a definite account of the flood damage in that section was not available. However, it was reported the highways were open. The damage in most of the towns was reported to be great with the Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad tracks washed out in several spots.