33 chapters
6 hour read
Selected Chapters
33 chapters
The Greatest Cataclysm in American History
The Greatest Cataclysm in American History
THE UNCONTROLLABLE FORCES OF NATURE—THE DEVASTATION OF OMAHA—THE TERROR OF THE FLOOD—A VIVID PICTURE OF THE FLOOD—THE TRAGEDY OF DEATH AND SUFFERING—THE SYMPATHY OF NATIONS—THE COURAGE OF THE STRICKEN—MEN THAT SHOWED THEMSELVES HEROES. Man is still the plaything of Nature. He boasts loudly of conquering it; the earth gives a little shiver and his cities collapse like the house of cards a child sets up. A French panegyrist said of our own Franklin: "He snatched the scepter from tyrants and the li
12 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Death-Bearing flood at Dayton
The Death-Bearing flood at Dayton
EXTENT OF THE FLOOD—THE RESERVOIR BREAKS—BUSINESS SECTION FLOODED—THOUSANDS MAROONED—MANY CREEP TO SAFETY BY CABLE—JOHN H. PATTERSON, CASH REGISTER HEAD, LEADS RELIEF—EMPLOYEES ASSIST IN RELIEF—SCENES OF HORROR—APPEALS FOR AID. It remained for two telephone operators to be the real factors in giving to the world the news of the first day of the flood which inundated Dayton, Ohio, and the whole of the Miami Valley on Tuesday, March 25th. One, in the main exchange at Dayton, flashed the last tidin
13 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
Dayton's Menace of Fire And Famine
Dayton's Menace of Fire And Famine
FIRE BREAKS OUT—HUNDREDS IMPERILED BY FLAMES—THE CITY THREATENED—70,000 IMPRISONED BY THE WATER—"SEND US FOOD!"—PATTERSON CONTINUES RESCUE WORK—PHONE OPERATOR BELL A HERO—EXPERIENCES OF THE SUFFERERS—INSTANCES OF SELF-SACRIFICE—LOOTERS AT WORK. Scarcely had the appalling horror of the flood impressed itself on the stricken people of Dayton before a new danger arose to strike terror to their hearts—fire that could not be fought because there was no way to reach it and because the usual means for
21 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
Dayton in the Throes of Distress
Dayton in the Throes of Distress
PITIABLE CONDITION OF MAROONED—FALSE REPORT CAUSES PANIC—THE FLOOD RECEDES—A SURVEY OF THE FLOOD'S DAMAGE—MARTIAL LAW ENFORCED—RESTORING SANITATION—FEEDING THE HOMELESS—PATTERSON CONTINUES NOBLE WORK—STORIES OF SURVIVORS. When Thursday morning dawned on stricken Dayton the food situation which had threatened to become serious was relieved temporarily by the arrival of a special train from Richmond, Indiana, bringing seven cars of provisions. Quartermaster Logan also received word from the United
21 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Recuperation of Dayton
The Recuperation of Dayton
SPIRITS GO UP—SECRETARY OF WAR GARRISON ON THE SCENE—CLEARING AWAY THE DEBRIS—BOAT CREWS SAVE 979—RELIEF ON BUSINESS BASIS—STRICT SANITARY MEASURES—TALES OF THE RESCUED—A SUMMARY OF WORK ACCOMPLISHED—RAILROADS AGAIN WORKING—COMMISSION GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHED—A HOME OF TENTS—MILLIONAIRES IN THE BREAD-LINE—ORVILLE WRIGHT'S ESCAPE—DEATH AND PROPERTY LOSS—THE TASK OF REBUILDING. Dayton passed Friday night in terror because of constant shooting by the militiamen. Just how many looters were killed was
34 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
Dayton: "The City of a Thousand Factories"
Dayton: "The City of a Thousand Factories"
SURVIVOR OF SIX FLOODS—ESTABLISHED BY REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS—PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS—OTHER OF DAYTON'S FEATURES OF INTEREST—A CITY OF CIVIC PRIDE—"A THOUSAND FACTORIES"—ITS SUCCESS. Dayton has stood in the shadow of disaster from flood ever since its foundation. No less than six times previous to the present inundation have the rivers which flow through it left their accustomed courses and brought death and destruction of property upon the town. The first of these floods occurred in 1805, the v
7 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Devastation of Columbus
The Devastation of Columbus
THE RISING FLOOD—MOST OF THE CITY DARK—GREAT AREAS UNDER WATER—THE MILITIA IN CONTROL—THE RELIEF OF THE VICTIMS—THE EXTENT OF THE DISASTER—STORIES OF THE HORROR—ORDERS TO SHOOT LOOTERS—RECOVERING THE DEAD—GOVERNOR COX INDEFATIGABLE—HUNGRY REFUGEES SEIZE FOOD—INCIDENTS OF HEROISM—SCENES OF PATHOS—LOSS BY DEATH AND OF PROPERTY—THE WORK OF RECONSTRUCTION. At Columbus, on Tuesday night, March 25th, darkness settled down on a swirling flood that covered large areas of the city. Thousands of persons w
32 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
Columbus: the Beautiful Capital of Ohio
Columbus: the Beautiful Capital of Ohio
CAPITAL OF OHIO SINCE 1810—EARLY HISTORY—CITY OF BEAUTIFUL STREETS AND RESIDENCES—SPLENDID PUBLIC COMMODITIES—TRADE AND INDUSTRIES—CHARACTERISTICS OF ITS RESIDENTS. Columbus, Ohio, the capital of the state and the county seat of Franklin County, is located at the center of the state at the junction of the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers, on a slightly elevated alluvial plain, and is nearly equidistant from Cincinnati, southwest; Cleveland, northeast; Toledo, northwest; and Marietta, southeast, the a
3 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
Cincinnati: A New Center of Peril
Cincinnati: A New Center of Peril
A GREAT MANUFACTURING CITY—THE TUESDAY CLOUDBURST—ANXIOUS WAITING—HOMES SUBMERGED—FACTORIES FORCED TO CLOSE—THE SITUATION EVER GRAVER—EXPLOSIONS IN THE CITY—THE CRISIS—FLOOD DAMAGE. Scarcely had Dayton, Columbus and Zanesville begun their real battle for restoration when Cincinnati became a new peril center. Situated on the Ohio River at the point where the Muskingum, Scioto, the two Miamis, and the Licking were pouring their millions of gallons of flood water into the river, the city was bound
9 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Flood in Western Ohio
The Flood in Western Ohio
DISTRESS IN BELLEFONTAINE—PIQUA DELUGED—TROY A HEAVY SUFFERER—MIAMI ON THE RAMPAGE AT MIDDLETOWN—HAMILTON HARD HIT—BIG RESERVOIRS THREATENING—OLENTANGY RIVER A LAKE AT DELAWARE—FLOOD AT SPRINGFIELD—NEW RICHMOND UNDER WATER. The rushing torrent of water that swept down the Miami River, surging over Dayton, devastated a score or more of towns in its mad course from the creeks around Bellefontaine to the point southwest of Cincinnati where the waters of the Miami merge with those of the Ohio. DISTR
11 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Flood in Northern Ohio
The Flood in Northern Ohio
YOUNGSTOWN AND GIRARD—CLEVELAND AND ITS SUBURBS—AKRON—MASSILON, FREMONT AND TIFFIN. No section of the country suffered more extensively from the flood than Ohio, of which state no part seemed to escape. In the northern counties the loss of life and damage to property were quite as extensive as in many other parts. Fed by incessant rains, the Mahoning River rose at the rate of seven-eighths of an inch per hour until it reached a stage of twenty-five feet, which was ten feet higher than ever befor
4 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Flood in Eastern Ohio
The Flood in Eastern Ohio
MOUNT VERNON HARD HIT—MILLERSBURG CUT OFF—THE TUSCARAWAS RIVER—COSHOCTON IN DISTRESS—ENTIRE CITY OF ZANESVILLE UNDER WATER—MARIETTA FLOODED—SCIOTO RIVER AT CIRCLEVILLE—STRUGGLES OF CHILLICOTHE—FLOOD AND FIRE IN PORTSMOUTH—HOMELESS IN EAST LIVERPOOL AND WELLSVILLE—FLOOD WASHES STEUBENVILLE—HIGHEST FLOOD IN HISTORY OF GALLIPOLIS—IRONTON REQUESTS AID—A CRITICAL SITUATION. In the eastern part of the state there were two great floods, the flood of the Muskingum River and the flood of the Ohio River.
9 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Flood in Eastern Indiana
The Flood in Eastern Indiana
HORROR OF THE RISING WATER—THE FOUR FLOODS—DISASTER IN BROOKVILLE—PEOPLE GATHERED IN CHURCHES—NEWS FROM LAUREL—SURGING FLOOD AT FORT WAYNE. "Every stream we crossed seemed to be a raging torrent, its waters racing at top speed," said one traveler who arrived in Chicago on March 26th. "We could hear the swish of the waters and hear the cries of people in distress," reported another. Yet these eye-witnesses could not see the worst of the four vast floods that swept over the state of Indiana, tying
4 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Desolation of Indianapolis and the Valley of the White River
The Desolation of Indianapolis and the Valley of the White River
THE TWO FORKS OF THE WHITE RIVER—WORST DAMAGE IN INDIANAPOLIS—SYSTEMATIC RESCUE WORK—THIEVES BENT ON PLUNDER—PREDICAMENT OF WEST INDIANAPOLIS—THE RECEDING WATERS—FLOOD VICTIMS HELPLESS—AN APRIL WEDDING—OTHER TOWNS AFFECTED. The two great forks of the White River and their tributaries drain about half of the area of Indiana. Indianapolis, the capital of the state, is situated on the West Fork. In this city and more particularly in West Indianapolis the torrent roaring through the White River vall
7 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Roaring Torrent of the Wabash
The Roaring Torrent of the Wabash
A BITTER TALE OF DESTRUCTION—MANY PEOPLE DRIVEN FROM HOMES—ALARMING CONDITIONS—THE PLIGHT OF KOKOMO—THE HOMELESS IN WABASH—DISTRESS OF LOGANSPORT—MILITARY CADETS AID IN RELIEF—NEW DISASTER AT LAFAYETTE—A SECOND HORROR IN TERRE HAUTE—THE RECEDING WATERS. Bitter was the tale of destruction in the valley of the Wabash River and its tributaries. A traveler journeying over the Wabash Railroad on Easter Sunday would have seen only the usual quiet little towns of the Middle West; three days later, if h
5 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Plight of Peru: A Stricken City
The Plight of Peru: A Stricken City
LAST MESSAGE FROM PERU—AT ONCE TO THE RESCUE—THOUSANDS MAROONED—TALES OF STRUGGLE—FAMINE AND DISEASE—GREED ABROAD IN THE CITY—REFUGEES URGED TO LEAVE—SEARCH FOR THE DEAD—SHAKING OFF DESPAIR. Of all the cities devastated by flood in Indiana, Peru was the most desolated. Situated on the Wabash River just below the entrance of the Mississinewa, it suffered more than any of the stricken cities through which the angry, swollen waters of the Wabash flowed. "This probably will be the last message you w
7 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Death-Dealing Tornado at Omaha
The Death-Dealing Tornado at Omaha
THE BOLT OUT OF THE BLACKNESS—RESCUERS WORKING IN DARK—A CITY TO THE RESCUE—PATH OF THE STORM—INTERRUPTED MERRYMAKERS—FAMILY MEET DEATH TOGETHER—FREAK TRAGEDIES—BRAVE TELEPHONE GIRLS—VIVID TALE OF THE STORM. Easter Sunday did not dawn very brightly in Omaha, but in the afternoon the sun came out warm and bright. The usual Easter promenaders thronged the streets in holiday attire. Then, as the afternoon wore on, clouds appeared in the sky. They gathered very quickly, came lower, and as they appro
7 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
Struggles of Stricken Omaha
Struggles of Stricken Omaha
A BLIZZARD-LIKE STORM—COUNTING THE COST—"THE GREATEST CONCEIVABLE BLOW"—SEARCHING FOR THE DEAD—A DAY OF FUNERALS—MORE CASES OF DESTITUTION—PLANS FOR REBUILDING. As if the storm of Easter Sunday were not enough calamity, a blizzard-like storm descended upon the city of Omaha on Tuesday, adding to the grief and horror. The storm, which began shortly after midnight, and continued with gathering force, seriously hampered the work of rescue. More than three inches of snow covered the debris in the se
5 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
Omaha: "The Gate City of the West"
Omaha: "The Gate City of the West"
LARGEST CITY IN NEBRASKA—GATE TO THE WEST—GROWTH OF INDUSTRIES—SPLENDID INSTITUTIONS—A PROSPEROUS CITY—REMARKABLE ACTIVITY. Omaha, "the Gate City," largest in Nebraska, is a typical plains town, proud of its industry and its climb on the census list. It stands eighty feet above the Missouri on the west bank of that river opposite Council Bluffs, Iowa. For twenty-four square miles stretch its many churches, educational institutions and large manufacturing plants, with the pleasant residential sec
2 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
Other Damage From the Nebraska Tornado
Other Damage From the Nebraska Tornado
GREAT HAVOC IN NEBRASKA TOWNS—DESCRIPTION OF THE TORNADO—YUTAN A SUFFERER—THE TUMBLING HOUSES OF BENSON—CURIOUS TRAGEDIES—HOUSES TUMBLING ABOUT. The storm which lashed its way through Omaha on Easter Sunday had already carried havoc into other Nebraska towns. William Coon, president of an automobile company of Lincoln, Nebraska, gave a stirring description of the tornado as he saw it from the platform of an observation car on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad: DESCRIPTION OF THE TORNAD
5 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Tornado in Iowa and Illinois
The Tornado in Iowa and Illinois
MONSTER TORNADO SWEEPS ACROSS RIVER—DESTRUCTION IN IOWA—THE STORM-CLOUD OVER ILLINOIS—GALE AND FIRE IN CHICAGO. The monster tornado that wrought such havoc in Omaha leaped across the Missouri River and swished its wicked tail through Council Bluffs. Then it sped northeasterly, wrecking several villages before it finally disappeared. DESTRUCTION IN IOWA Reports from Mills County stated that it caused loss of life in every town in the county reached by telephone. Many deaths occurred at Glenwood a
2 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Tornado in Kansas and Arkansas
The Tornado in Kansas and Arkansas
THE "BLOWOUT" IN KANSAS—DAMAGE TO CROPS AND SOIL—DUST STORM COMES SUDDENLY—TORNADO IN ARKANSAS. Following a heavy downpour of rain on Easter Sunday night the atmosphere at Topeka, Kansas, was filled with dust until it had the appearance of a heavy fog. The dust came from the western part of the state where severe dust storms prevailed. In western Kansas the "blowout" has been as great a source of damage to the wheat fields as the drought or chinch bugs or hot winds. In the event of a drought the
3 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Tornado in Indiana
The Tornado in Indiana
THE BRUNT OF THE STORM—MANY BURIED UNDER WRECKAGE—SLEEPERS HURLED FROM BEDS—FREAKS OF THE STORM—INJURED CARRIED TO HOSPITALS—ACUTE SUFFERING—RESCUE WORK—NATIONAL GUARD ON DUTY—TOWN OF PERTH LAID WASTE. The record of disaster by tornado was greater in Terre Haute than in any other place except Omaha. For two weeks before Easter a dense atmosphere hung over the city, which occasional heavy rainfalls did not clear. Then suddenly on Sunday night, about ten o'clock, the lightning flashed and loud pea
8 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Tornado in Pennsylvania
The Tornado in Pennsylvania
STORMS THROUGHOUT THE STATE—ALARM IN ALTOONA—FURIOUS WIND IN WILLIAMSPORT—HEAVY STORM IN SHAMOKIN—COLUMBIA IN DARKNESS—A VERITABLE TORNADO IN SCRANTON. The disturbances in the atmosphere which wrought such havoc in Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana were also at work in Pennsylvania. Altoona, Williamsport, Marietta, Columbia and Scranton were among the towns suffering the greatest damage. The flood situation throughout the Keystone State will be treated in a later chapter. ALARM IN ALTOONA The
3 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Freak Tornado in Alabama
The Freak Tornado in Alabama
FREAKS OF THE WIND—PITIABLE CHAOS—THE HERO OF LOWER PEACHTREE—EXTENT OF DAMAGE. Weird tales of horror and misery attended the tornado which swept over the little town of Lower Peachtree, Alabama, on Friday, March 21st, wrecking the entire village. After the tornado had passed, corpses with hair stripped from heads and divested of every thread of clothing were picked up. Naked men and women ran screaming in the semi-darkness. Chickens and hogs stripped of feathers and hair wandered in bewildermen
2 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Flood in New York
The Flood in New York
HUNDREDS OF HOMES IN BUFFALO FLOODED—THE PLIGHT OF ROCHESTER—VALLEY OF THE GENESEE PARALYZED—DRIVEN FROM HOMES AT OLEAN—WORST FLOOD IN HISTORY OF HORNELL—LAKE COUNTRY PARALYZED WITH FEAR—WATER COVERS PART OF BINGHAMTON—GLENS FALLS BRIDGE DOWN—DISTRESS IN FORT EDWARD—BIG PAPER COMPANY IN TROUBLE—HOMES ABANDONED IN SCHENECTADY—HIGH WATERS IN TROY—WATERVLIET FLOODED—ALBANY IN THE GRIP OF THE FLOOD. A tremendous downfall of rain, March 24th and 25th, developed some of the worst floods known in fifty
9 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Flood in Pennsylvania
The Flood in Pennsylvania
TRAINS IN NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA TIED UP—MEADVILLE SUBMERGED—SHENANGO VALLEY IN DISTRESS—PANIC IN NEW CASTLE—BEAVER RIVER AT FLOOD—THE RISING ALLEGHENY AT WARREN—FEARS OF OIL CITY—GRAVE SITUATION OF PITTSBURGH. Many dead, hundreds ill, thousands homeless, and many millions of dollars' worth of property destroyed—such was the record of the flood in the Keystone State. By Tuesday, March 25th, railroad travel in northwestern Pennsylvania was seriously tied up on account of washouts, due to recen
8 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Flood in the Ohio Valley
The Flood in the Ohio Valley
PERIL IN THE OHIO VALLEY—DISTRESS AT WHEELING—PARKERSBURG UNDER WATER—KENTUCKY TOWNS SUBMERGED—IMPERILED TOWNS IN INDIANA—SHAWNEETOWN SUBMERGED—CAIRO FACING CRISIS—SITUATION HOURLY WORSE. While Dayton, Columbus and other cities of the Middle West were passing through the worst floods in their history, the Ohio River was preparing new perils. All along its course it carried destruction. DISTRESS AT WHEELING At Wheeling, as early as March 26th, several persons were drowned and many narrowly escape
7 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Flood in the Mississippi Valley
The Flood in the Mississippi Valley
FLOOD OF THE MISSISSIPPI INEVITABLE—SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI THREATENED—BAD BREAK IN LEVEE AT HICKMAN—STRENGTHENING THE LEVEES—MEMPHIS IN PERIL—DANGER ALL ALONG THE LINE—RIVER AT RECORD STAGE—RISING HOPE—A NATIONAL PROBLEM. On March 30th the Mississippi Valley was facing one of the worst floods in its history, and the steady advance of the river threatened a large section of country. The breaking of the levees along the Mississippi itself, an inevitable result of the great floods in tributary strea
6 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
Damage To Transportation, Mail and Telegraph Facilities
Damage To Transportation, Mail and Telegraph Facilities
GREAT DAMAGE AND WASHOUTS—TICKETS SOLD SUBJECT TO DELAY—REPORTS OF TRACKS GONE—PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD A HEAVY SUFFERER—HEAVY LOSS ON BALTIMORE AND OHIO—ESTIMATED DAMAGE—FLOOD PLAYED HAVOC WITH MAILS—GENERAL PROSTRATION OF TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE WIRES. Only one railroad was working between New York and Chicago on the night of Wednesday, March 26th. That was the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern. Over the line were speeding the trains of the New York Central and allied lines, the Pennsylvania, the
8 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
The Work of Relief
The Work of Relief
PRESIDENT WILSON PROMPTLY IN DIRECTION—WASHINGTON ASTIR AS IN TIME OF WAR—BACKING OF CONGRESS PLEDGED—AMERICAN RED CROSS TO THE RESCUE—RAILROADS BRAVELY HELPING—RELIEF FROM STATES AND INDIVIDUALS—AN ARMY OF PEACE. The sympathetic response of the American people never fails to measure up to the summons of any calamity. Relief is plentiful and prompt. The awful story of the flood and tornado was no sooner told than the machinery of government, the organized forces of the Red Cross and individual e
9 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
Previous Great Floods and Tornadoes
Previous Great Floods and Tornadoes
THE JOHNSTOWN HORROR—THE GALVESTON TRAGEDY—THE MISSISSIPPI ON A RAMPAGE—DESTRUCTION IN LOUISVILLE—THE ST. LOUIS TORNADO. Floods are not usually so dramatic and awe-inspiring as tornadoes, but they are even more destructive of life. The Johnstown flood of 1889, however, was dramatic and even spectacular—so swiftly did it come and so certainly could it have been avoided. It destroyed 2,235 lives, swept away ten millions of dollars worth of property, and carried unutterable grief into countless hap
16 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
Lessons of the Cataclysm and Precautionary Measures
Lessons of the Cataclysm and Precautionary Measures
NOT A VISITATION OF PUNISHMENT—THE HELPLESSNESS OF MAN BEFORE NATURE—THE KINSHIP OF HUMANITY—INCENTIVE TO ENTERPRISE—THE GREATEST LESSON—MEASURES AGAINST REPETITION OF DISASTER—UTILIZING NATURAL RESERVOIRS—PROMOTION OF FORESTRY—CONSTRUCTION OF DAMS—SECRETARY LANE'S PLAN—A PROBLEM FOR THE PANAMA ENGINEERS. With each succeeding dispatch from the districts stricken by flood and tornado it became clearer that the first impressions of the disaster, shocking as they were, fell not far beneath the drea
14 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter