Flood Makes 20,000 Homeless In and Near Cincinnati.

Walls of Big Building on Walnut Street Collapse and Great Damage Is Done. Overflowed Area in Ohio Valley Grows Hourly---

Cincinnati, Ohio, Jan. 20.---Colder weather and a gale of wind increased the suffering of those thousands who had been made a homeless by the flooded Ohio, and a number of buildings that had been weakened by the water went down before the wind last night and today.

The first and probably most serious loss by collapsing of walls was during the night, when several floors in the buildings on Walnut street occupied by A. Janszen, wholesale grocery company, and the Ohio Butterine Company went down with a crash that could be heard for several blocks. Both buildings were heavily loaded with merchandise in the upper stories, goods having been moved from the cellars and the collapse occurred just as high wind coming along the river began to shake the tall buildings. The loss cannot yet be estimated, but will probably be heavy.

Flood's Area Increasing.

The area of flooded section increased considerably during the day, each inch of rise spreading over wide territory. For several hours the river was stationary, at 64.8 feet, but the Weather Bureau officials could find only temporary consolation in this fact, announcing during the afternoon that the news from up the river indicated that the river here would go up to at least sixty-six and perhaps sixty-seven feet within the next thirty-six hours.

The rise of last night and today cut off approach to the foot bridges across the Ohio, isolating most of the people on the Kentucky side of the river. Some of those in Covington were still able to cross over the railroad bridges, but Newport was almost wholly cut off, and sections of Covington, Bellevue, Ludlow and Bromley were suffering from the back waters.

Suburban Roads Suspend.

Strenuous efforts were made to avoid serious interruption to street railway traffic, but the isolation of the bridges prevented a continuance of the car lines to Cincinnati, and there were long stretches along the Kentucky side of the river where the cars were unable to pass.

In the past end of Cincinnati the car service was so badly crippled that half a dozen transfers were necessary to go a few blocks, passengers being compelled to climb around the inundated sections.

All the railroads on both sides of the river, except the Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton, and the Cincinnati, Lebanon, and Northern continued to suffer from lack of terminal facilities, the water having covered the tracks at Anderson's Ferry, west of the city, and at other points in the suburbs.

Systematic efforts to relieve the sufferers, who are estimated at nearly twenty thousand in Cincinnati and the near-by cities on both sides of the river, were under way all day, the special appropriation by the city council being supplemented by special funds, to which all the churches contributed to-day.

The flood in Cincinnati this afternoon hampered the efforts of the fire department in attempting to fight a fire in the foundry of William Resor & Co., the water cutting off access to the burning buildings. The establishment burned to the water's edge, causing a loss of several hundred thousand dollars.

The Washington Post, Washington, DC 21 Jan 1907

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Cincinnati, O., Jan. 21.---The suffering of the 20,000 flood victims in this vicinity was augmented by the cold wave which swooped down on this city Sunday and a number of buildings that had been weakened by the water went down before the wind. The most serious loss by collapsing of walls was caused when several floors in the buildings on Walnut street occupied by A. Janssen, wholesale grocery company, went down with a crash that could be heard for several blocks. The area of the flooded section was increased considerably, each inch of rise spreading over wide territory.

The Newark Advocate, Newark, OH 21 Jan 1907
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Transcribed by Linda Horton. Thank you, Linda!