Flood Continued

With the Mississippi River steadily falling, with New Orleans generally considered safe from disaster, it last week became possible to estimate with some degree of accuracy the extent of what Flood Relief Director Herbert C. Hoover has called the "greatest peacetime calamity" in U. S. history.

Loss of Life. According to official Red Cross figures, 114 lives have been lost in the flood. Deaths by states: Arkansas, 59; Mississippi, 42; Louisiana, 9; Tennessee, 2; Illinois, 2. This list includes only positively verified deaths. Unofficial figures have put the death total at from 350 to 500. Arkansas and Mississippi were not flooded so extensively as Louisiana, but were stricken before organized relief work could get under way.

Refugees. Red Cross relief has been given to some 560,000:

166,781 victims in Arkansas.

210,481 victims in Mississippi.

145,231 victims in Louisiana.

20,823 victims in Missouri.

13,105 victims in Tennessee.

7,401 victims in Kentucky.

4,200 victims in Illinois.

In a radio speech at New Orleans last week Mr. Hoover estimated that the flood "has left in its track over 700,000 flooded, and of them over 600,000 dependent upon assistance." The discrepancy (Hoover 700,000; Red Cross 560,000) was accounted for by the fact that the figures for Louisiana are still incomplete. Observers agreed that Louisiana refugees probably numbered 200,000 and that from 75,00 to 100,0000 more Louisiana refugees would be added before the flood ended.

Extent. Waters had last week receded everywhere except in Louisiana. Nearly all the refugees in Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee had returned to what remained of their homes, as had about two-thirds of the refugees in Arkansas. But some 300,000 refugees from Mississippi and Louisiana were still in Red Cross camps.

Money. The Red Cross relief fund totaled about $14,000,000. Mr. Hoover said that "Government departments" had spent $5,000,000, that railroads, industries and utilities had "expended several millions more as a gift." He asked for $2,000,000 additional contributions to the Red Cross.

This money will be used for immediate relief. For rehabilitation work later on, Mr. Hoover and the Louisiana State Reconstruction Committee organized a special Louisiana credit corporation. Federal Intermediate Credit Banks will re-discount farm loans made by this corporation at a ratio of four to one-which means that the corporation will be able to borrow four times as much money as it raises. Meanwhile, Lewis E. Pierson, president of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, and Eugene Meyer, chairman of the Farm Loan Board, began a campaign among Northern businessmen and bankers, asking them to match, dollar for dollar, the money being raised in Louisiana. Through these two movements Mr. Hoover estimated that $5,000,000 would be immediately available for reconstruction work in Louisiana,