Miami River and
many people were swimming, but there was not one chance in ten thousand
that these were saved, he said.

The policing of the city by the military was reorganized with
Brigadier-General George H. Wood commanding and Captain Tyrus G. Reed as
Adjutant General. The city was turned over into a military district of
five military zones, and rigid orders were laid down for the conduct of
its affairs.

Chairmen of the various committees were unanimous in asking that word be
spread broadcast that mere sightseeing visitors were not wanted. The
railroads were informed of this attitude and conductors refused to
accept passengers who could not show that their presence here was
necessary. There were thousands of visitors in the city. Most of them
were from surrounding towns.

BOAT CREWS SAVE 979

The work of extending succor to the marooned inhabitants of the
districts which were still flooded continued during the day. In many
sections were to be seen rowboats, skiffs and canoes making their way
with extreme difficulty among the heaps of wreckage and overturned
houses among tangled meshes of telegraph, telephone and electric light
wires, seeking out possible victims who had been uncared for.

Among the organizations engaged in rescue work was the company of naval
reserves from the United States ship Essex at Toledo, under command of
Captain A. F. Nicklett. The company reached Dayton on a special relief
train from Toledo Thursday and immediately launched a number of boats on
the raging torrents which were sweeping the city from end to end. Up to
six o'clock Saturday night the sailors had been constantly on duty and
had to their credit a total of 979 lives saved, and they were not
thinking of sleep when darkness fell.

One crew in command of Ensign E. E. Diebald, with two boats, rescued 375
persons from the business section and that district immediately east of
Main Street and west of Eagle Street. Many of the people were taken from
their homes only after the sailors had mounted to the tops of partially
overturned houses and chopped their way through to the attics where the
inmates were huddled together waiting for death to enter.

Another crew under Junior Lieutenant Ross Willoh succeeded in saving
360, while three boats in command of Senior Lieutenant Theodore Schmidt
rescued 244 persons. The majority of these latter were taken from box
cars, warehouses, freight sheds and grain elevators in the railroad
yar