USA > Pennsylvania > Allegheny County > Pittsburgh > Pennsylvania lines west of Pittsburgh : a history of the flood of March, 1913 > Part 11
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Barberton, Ohio, west of.
March 28, 1913.
Situation at Bridge 18-A, showing track of Akron & Barberton Belt on Pennsylvania Lines right of way.
Millersburg, Ohio.
April 2, 1913.
Repairing damaged track north of Millersburg.
198
Millersburg, Ohio, south of.
April 2, 1913.
View of track replaced where it had been washed away south of Millersburg, looking north.
Killbuck, Ohio, north of.
April 2, 1913.
Showing new fill replacing that washed away north of Bridge 49, over Killbuck Creek.
199
Brink Haven, Ohio.
April 3, 1913.
Building, evidently an old stable, lodged against Bridge No. 68, both approaches to which were washed away.
Brink Haven, Ohio.
April 3, 1913.
South approach to Bridge 68, over Mohican River, replaced with temporary trestle and cribbing ready to fill. Walhonding Branch overhead bridge to be seen in distance.
200
Gambier, Ohio.
April 3, 1913.
Bridge 83, over Kokosing River, being replaced with temporary trestle.
In the meantime, a force from the south end of the Division had repaired the track and bridges up to the Kokosing and had almost finished there. On the 4th, about noon, this trestle was finished, and the Akron Division main line was opened for traffic. This provided a detour route from Columbus, via Orrville to Pittsburgh, and Pan Handle passenger service was at once resumed via this route. There were so many slow orders, and the traffic was so heavy for the single track line, that commencing with Sunday night, April 6th, only the westbound Pan Handle trains were sent this way, the eastbound traffic being sent north from Columbus over the Sandusky Branch and the Toledo Division to a connection with the Fort Wayne road.
The two main repair forces were sent to the Marietta Division, Walhonding Branch, on the 5th, and the balance of the force was kept at work putting the line in shape for better speed until the 12th, when the work of repairing the Dresden Branch was begun.
201
On the Dresden Branch there was 4.81 miles of track requiring rebuilding or repairs, having been damaged by Killbuck Creek between Killbuck and Warsaw, by the Wal- honding River at Warsaw Junction, and by flood water from the Muskingum River at Trinway. The point of greatest damage was at Bridge No. 126, over the Wal- honding River, at Warsaw Junction, only one of the four spans of which was left standing, the track on the approach from the Junction being washed off the roadbed and turned upside down in the fields, one abutment destroyed and the three piers damaged. The location of the Branch will be apparent from the sketch map given in connection with the Walhonding Branch in the chapter next preceding, and this, with the photographs which follow, placed in order from Killbuck to Trinway, will give an idea of the con- ditions on the Dresden Branch.
After the main line had been put in good shape for traffic, the Division forces made the necessary repairs to the Dresden Branch. The pile trestle replacing Bridge 126, over the Walhonding River, was completed at 4:00 P. M. April 26th, and traffic was resumed on usual schedules.
Layland, Ohio, north of.
April 8, 1913.
Approach to Bridge No. 118, over Killbuck Creek. Fences covered with hay, grass and debris typical of all valleys in State of Ohio.
202
Helmick, Ohio, south of.
April 8, 1913.
South approach to Bridge 120, over Killbuck Creek.
Blissfield, Ohio, south of.
April 8, 1913.
South approach to Bridge 121, over Killbuck Creek.
203
Metham, Ohio, north of.
April 8, 1913.
Looking south, over north approach to Bridge No. 122, over Killbuck Creek; fill not badly damaged, but track swept to one side.
Metham, Ohio, south of.
April 8, 1913.
North approach to Bridge No. 123, over Killbuck Creek; abutment undermined and approach badly washed.
204
Warsaw, Ohio, north of.
April 8, 1913.
Looking south over washout, showing rails supported on cribbing in preparation for replacing fill.
Warsaw Junction, Ohio.
April 4, 1913.
Dresden Branch Bridge No. 126, over Walhonding River.
205
Warsaw Junction, Ohio.
April 4, 1913.
View north, of approach to Bridge 126, over Walhonding River.
Trinway, Ohio, north of.
April 4, 1913.
Bridge No. 146, over Ohio Canal, and approaches washed away. Trestle over which fill was made exposed.
206
CHAPTER 28. ZANESVILLE DIVISION.
Between Trinway and Zanesville, the Muskingum River was from fifteen to seven- teen feet higher than it had ever been known to be before. Of the seventeen miles of track between these points, about fifteen were submerged to depths varying up to eighteen feet, and the two bridges over the river were destroyed. The city of Zanesville was inundated, the water coming into the second floor of the passenger and freight stations, where the Division offices are located.
The conditions which brought this unusual height of flood to Zanesville and vicinity are different from those through most of the flooded district. The Muskingum River, as far down as Dresden, occupies a wide valley, or flood plain, usually two miles or more in width. At Dresden it is joined by Wakatomika Creek, from a similarly wide flood plain, which apparently was, in prehistoric ages, the course taken by what is now the Mus- kingum, westwardly from Dresden to the valley of what is now the Scioto River. But at some later day, perhaps at a time of some great flood, the Muskingum found a cleft in the hills forming the southern wall of its valley, and a new course through the hills to the south into the Ohio River. This cleft and the new channel were doubtless, by succeeding floods, widened and deepened until they were finally permanently occupied, and the old channel gradually filled up with the products of erosion.
The present channel of the Muskingum is therefore narrow, and in many places bed rock is exposed by the stream. This happens at Zanesville, where, on account of the rock, it was impossible, in replacing Bridge 20, to resort to the pile trestle, usually so quick a solution of the problem of replacing the bridges destroyed. Instead, frame towers were constructed, and steel girders placed on them. At Ellis, however, there is a depth of about forty-five feet to the bed rock, and it was therefore possible to replace Bridge 12 at that point with a pile trestle.
Just below Zanesville the Divison leaves the valley of the Muskingum, following up the valley of Moxahala Creek to McLuney, crosses the summit and into the drainage basin of Hocking River, which it crosses at Lancaster. Crossing another summit, it descends into the valley of the Scioto and crosses the river a mile and a half west of Circleville. Another summit is crossed west of Reeseville, and the track descends into the valley of the Little Miami, along the valleys of Lytles Creek and Todd Fork.
At Lancaster, where the Hocking River valley is crossed, the yard tracks were washed out three or four feet deep. West of Circleville the Scioto covered the tracks for a mile and a half, destroying a ten foot fill for most of that distance, and the track which was on it. Numerous minor washouts occurred throughout the Division.
But the main points of damage were on the Muskingum River, at Ellis and Zanes- ville. At Ellis, Bridge 12 was completely destroyed, save for one span. This bridge was of deck truss construction, but a number of years ago, when slack water navigation was provided by a series of dams, a boat channel was dredged, and one of the deck
207
truss spans was raised and made a through span, to provide greater height for boats. This through span was left intact, but the other three spans were pushed into the river, destroying in their fall most of the pier structure on which they were supported. About 800 feet of approach fill from thirty to forty feet high was completely destroyed.
At Zanesville, by Wednesday morning, March 26th, the water covered the tracks. As it continued to rise, the stream took a short cut across the business portion of the town, until, when the water reached its highest, on Thursday morning, the 27th, there was eighteen feet of water above the track at Zanesville station, and in the whole "penin- sula" on which the main part of the city is built, the water was well up in the second stories, with a very swift current. All small frame buildings in this section of town were destroyed or floated away bodily. Damage to property was heavy, but there was no loss of life, for the people had plenty of time to get to the higher ground. The water went down slowly, on account of the great quantity accumulated in the broad valleys above, and the tracks did not emerge from the water until Sunday March 30th.
Bridge 20, over the Muskingum, had been swept off its piers, the steelwork destroyed, and the piers damaged. At the north end of it, Bridge 19, a 22 foot girder span over the canal towpath, and Bridge 18, a 110 foot girder draw span over the canal, were swept from their supports.
Train No. 49, which left Trinway for Zanesville Tuesday night, the 25th, was stopped by a landslide at Ellis. B. & O. train No. 8, which was being detoured, was just behind it. Both these trains returned to Dresden, on high ground, and were not heard from for several days, all wires being down. The B. & O. train was returned to that road via Trinway on Saturday the 29th, but the Zanesville Division train did not leave Dresden until Friday, April 4th, when it was taken to the north end of Zanesville, using the W. & L. E. from Ellis to Zanesville. On the night of the 25th, all the loaded cars in Zanesville yard for which room could be made at Putnam, were taken across the river to the high ground there, as was the baggage, etc., in the station. On the 26th and 27th not a train was operated on the Zanesville Division. On the 28th, one train was run back and forth between Darlington (four miles south of Zanesville) and Circleville. On the 29th, this service was extended to Putman, and as repairs were made, was gradually extended, until on April 3d the Division was open from Putnam to Morrow.
On the north end of the Division, the equipment of the train which had been marooned at Dresden was utilized, as soon as the Wheeling & Lake Erie road was opened from Ellis to the north end of Zanesville, in providing service between Trinway and Zanesville, commencing April 5th and continuing until Bridge 12 at Ellis had been replaced with a long pile trestle, on May 13th.
When the water went down at Zanesville enough to permit cleaning up and repairing the tracks and buildings, it was found that the only locomotive in Zanesville was a small passenger engine of the Zanesville & Western, which with its train had stood on a siding only a few hundred yards from Bridge 20. With this and a steam derrick borrowed from the B. & O. R. R., the derailed cars, drift and debris were picked up and hauled away. As there were no men or tools available for replacing Bridges 20 and 12, this work was turned over to contractors. Equipment and material could not be gotten to Bridge 20 until April 6th, when the B. & O. line was opened to Zanesville from Cam- bridge, and a temporary bridge of steel girders on timber towers was constructed and made ready for service on May 7th. At Bridge 12, work was commenced on April 15th, and the pile trestle was completed for service on May 12th, about a week having
208
been lost on account of one of the contractors' pile drivers overturning into the river on May 1st. On May 13th, regular schedules were again made effective on the Division, forty-eight days after they had to be abandoned.
Ellis, Ohio.
April 2, 1913.
Bridge No. 12, over Muskingum River, showing span which had been raised and made a through span standing, while deck girder spans are in river.
209
puff
Ellis, Ohio. May 1, 1913.
Bridge 12, over Muskingum River, being replaced with temporary trestle. Bent five damaged when driver turned over into river, a portion of which may be seen above the water, just in front of the damaged pier at the left of the picture.
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Ellis, Ohio. May 14, 1913.
Temporary trestle, completed, replacing Bridge 12, over Muskingum River.
210
J.7688
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TA.WY.
37600
Zanesville, Ohio.
March 30, 1913.
Looking north from second story of passenger station. Damaged shed at north end of freight station at extreme left of picture.
Zanesville, Ohio.
March 30, 1913.
Looking north along Pennsylvania Lines tracks in Second Street from Main Street.
211
Zanesville, Ohio.
March 30, 1913.
Looking south from Main Street toward former location of Bridge No. 20, over Muskingum River.
The passenger train is a Zanesville & Western (tenant line) train which was marooned here during the flood, the high water line being visible about half way up on the coach windows.
THE ZANESVILLE PURE MILK
Zanesville, Ohio.
April 9, 1913.
Bridge No. 20, over Muskingum River, destroyed and masonry badly damaged.
Bridges 18 and 19 are just beyond the farther bank of the river.
212
Zanesville, Ohio.
May 7, 1913.
Temporary structure replacing Bridge No. 20, over Muskingum River.
Lancaster, Ohio.
Looking east from center of yard.
March 28, 1913.
213
Circleville, Ohio.
March 29, 1913.
About half mile east of Bridge No. 96, over Scioto River, showing track wrapped around tree and washed into fields.
.
Circleville, Ohio, south of.
April 9, 1913.
North approach to Bridge No. 96, over Scioto?River.
"Remains" of track lying in field at left of roadbed.
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CHAPTER 29. VANDALIA RAILROAD.
ST. LOUIS DIVISION.
The St. Louis Division crosses the main water courses at right angles, and suffered severe damage at two points-at Indianapolis, where it crosses the valley of White River, and at Macksville, just west of Terre Haute, where it crosses the valley of the Wabash River.
The flood was ushered in a little more vigorously on the St. Louis Division than elsewhere on the Lines, for on Easter Sunday afternoon a tornado struck Terre Haute, doing extensive damage in the southern part of the city. It was so severe that had not Omaha's greater disaster occurred at almost the same hour, the country would have centered its attention on Terre Haute.
The heavy rains which followed brought the streams up to the danger point all along the Division, but only at Indianapolis and Macksville was serious damage done.
Between Terre Haute and Macksville the tracks lie comparatively low in the flood plain of the Wabash River. When the river overflowed its banks and spread out over the valley, it was dammed up by the Vandalia fill and the highways across the valley, until, on the evening of the 26th, it overflowed the tracks. The force which had been working at Vandalia to prevent damage from the Kaskaskia River was sent to assist the force at this point. In the morning it was found that the embankment had been completely washed away at two places, one gap being about one-half mile west of the bridge over the Wabash River (referred to as the "east gap") and the other about three-quarters of a mile further west, at Macksville station (referred to as the "west gap"). Each of these breaks was about five hundred feet in length; one eleven eet and the other fifteen feet deep, on the average. Between them lies Macksville Yard, which was undermined at a number of points and considerably damaged.
The work of building pile trestle across the west gap commenced on the afternoon of the 28th, and across the east gap on the evening of the 29th. After the first twenty- four hours, when the work was slow on account of the very strong current, the work at the west gap progressed rapidly and one track was completed through at noon of April 1st. Men who had been ferried across to the section between the gaps had put a track in shape for service through this section, and the pile driver which had been working at the west gap was moved to the east gap to start work from the west end. The work from the east end had been hampered by a lack of material there, most of it having to be floated over from the west side of the west gap. As material was now gotten without difficulty, short work was made of the east gap, and it was closed at 3:00 o'clock in the afternoon of April 2nd.
In the meantime the damage at Indianapolis to the main track had been repaired and service over the main line of the Vandalia was resumed at 4:00 P. M. April 2nd.
Trains 30 and 24 of March 25th had been unable to get into Indianapolis on account of the washout at Belt Crossing. They were held in the transfer yard west of town
215
until the 28th, when the water went down enough to permit passengers to walk to the city. From the 26th to April 2nd only local and "make up" service was performed on such portions of the Division as were open. On the 3rd, this was extended over the whole Division; regular service was not resumed, however, until April 8th, on account of the lack of connections for the east. On the 8th all trains were put in service except Nos. 30 and 31, which were re-established on April 14th, with the opening of the Pittsburgh Division to traffic.
The bridge over the Wabash River at Terre Haute, No. 65, was not put out of commission at the time of the flood. Later it was discovered that the east pier had been undermined-17 feet in the deepest place-although the piles under the masonry supported it and the bridge without settlement. Arrangements were made to fill in around the piles under the pier with concrete, the foundation being sufficient; and to encase the entire pier in concrete, as the stone was disintegrating more or less.
216
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Macksville, Ind.
March 28, 1913.
Looking southeast from west side of west gap. Wabash River, in finding additional channels, cut two gaps through Vandalia main line at Macksville.
UMBER
WEST
Macksville, Ind.
March 28, 1913.
Looking east from west side of the westerly gap in the St. Louis Division main line.
217
Macksville, Ind.
Looking southwest across west end of west gap in St. Louis Division main line.
March 31, 1913.
Macksville, Ind.
March 31, 1913.
Looking east over west gap in St. Louis Division main line.
218
VANDALIA LINE
Macksville, Ind.
April 1, 1913.
Looking west across east gap in St. Louis Division main line.
R.R.Assoch OF St Louis
PILE DINIYER
20
BRIDGE & BUOLY DEPT
Macksville, Ind.
April 2, 1913.
Closing the east gap in the St. Louis Divison main line.
219
INDIANAPOLIS TERMINAL DIVISION.
In the vicinity of Indianapolis the White River did immense damage, particularly to railroad property. The first railroad bridge to go out was the old line Vincennes Division Bridge (now used for industrial purposes only) the west span of which was carried from its supports in the evening of the 25th. During the night the St. Louis Division old line bridge (now used for yard purposes only) was undermined and went down. North of this latter bridge stood the new bridge used to carry the main traffic of both Divisions, but this was not damaged by the flood.
The St. Louis Division main tracks were washed out for about half a mile west of the river, about three feet deep, and considerable damage was done in the vicinity of Belt Crossing.
The Vincennes Division old line was washed out for about a mile, two to three feet deep.
The Belt Railway was badly damaged in the western part of the city, four of its engines, standing on a track which was undermined, going into the water. All the other roads were put out of service at about the same time.
As the damage to main tracks was confined to washouts which could be repaired with ballast and filling material, these tracks were soon put in shape for traffic after the water went down, and by Saturday night, the 29th, passenger train service was started on the St. Louis Division to and from Indianapolis Union Station, running to Terre Haute, and on the Vincennes Division running to Campbells (26 miles).
Ε EST
SPRINGS
Indianapolis, Ind.
April 2, 1913.
Vincennes Division Bridge No. 1, over White River, on old main line.
220
-
Indianapolis, Ind.
April 2, 1913.
St. Louis Division Bridge over White River at West Street yard, on old line.
Indianapolis, Ind., west of.
April 2, 1913.
St. Louis Division; replacing track washed out just west of Belt Crossing.
221
VINCENNES DIVISION.
The Vincennes Division crosses the valley of White River at Indianapolis, and keeps to the west of the valley to a point north of Martinsville, where it again enters the valley of White River. From Martinsville south for nearly forty miles, it follows this valley and throughout this entire distance the track was under water for long stretches and was seriously damaged at many points.
At Bridge No. 3, where a wooden trestle had been replaced with a concrete box culvert, just north of Belt Crossing, the fill was so badly washed away as to require an eleven bent trestle.
Between Campbells and Bridge No. 34, about three miles of roadbed was washed out from two to four feet deep, and nearly two miles of track was washed completely off the roadbed, from fifty to a hundred feet, and about a mile of it turned upside down in the fields. At Martinsville, a mile and a half of track was washed off the right of way and the roadbed destroyed. The decks of all the small bridges were washed away through this whole district, and south of Rincon Junction there were numerous places where the roadbed was damaged. At Rincon Junction, a mile and a half of track was washed off the roadbed and the ballast all washed away.
The work of repair proceeded rapidly as there were only two or three points where trestling was necessary.
From the 25th to the 29th there was no train service on the Division. On the 30th, with the opening of the tracks at Belt Crossing on the St. Louis Division, trains were run from Indianapolis as far south as Campbells. On the next day trains were run between Vincennes and Worthington, also. On April 2nd, train service between Indian- apolis and Vincennes was resumed, by using the St. Louis Division to Limedale, the Monon road to Gosport Junction and the Vincennes Division to Vincennes. Passenger service via this route was continued until April 4th, when the Vincennes Division was opened throughout, and on April 5th, regular passenger and freight service was resumed.
222
Indianapolis, Ind., south of. April 2, 1913.
Bridge 3, Vincennes Division just south of Belt Crossing. A concrete box culvert had been built replacing a wooden trestle partly filled in. Both were destroyed.
Martinsville, Ind., south of.
April 3, 1913.
View west between Martinsville and Bridge 43, over White River.
223
MICHIGAN DIVISION.
In the evening of March 24th a freight train ran into a washout at Rosedale, where Raccoon Creek had washed the track. The Logansport wreck train, enroute to clear this wreck, early in the morning of the 25th, ran into another small washout near Craw- fordsville, derailing the train and damaging the derrick car, so that both wrecks had to be cleared with a St. Louis Division outfit.
Outside of these occurrences there was no serious damage on the Michigan Division, except at Logansport, where the Wabash and Eel Rivers were very high.
At this point several hundred houses were inundated, and the water came up so quickly that the residents were caught in them. So few boats were available locally that an arrangement was made to bring large boats from Culver Military Academy at Maxinkuckee, with cadets to man them, by special train to Logansport for rescue work, on the 26th. When night came they were taken back to Culver for food and rest and brought down again the following morning to complete their work. Although early rumors were to the effect that many lives had been lost, it was later found that only one person had been drowned.
Eel River, in finding a new channel around a dam, considerably damaged Michigan Division tracks until the water was diverted by building a riprap and clay embankment across the new channel. Wabash River overflowed about fifteen hundred feet of track crossing that valley southwest of town and washed the ballast and embankment out from one to six feet deep under it, but did not damage the bridge across the river.
The Butler Branch was not out of service at any time, and regular train service over the entire Division was resumed on March 29th.
K
Logansport, Ind.
March 27, 1913.
Washout at Tenth Street dam. Water washed out fill and embankment
north of wing wall of dam, and Eel River made a new channel, taking away part of fill of Vandalia tracks.
224
CHAPTER 30. GRAND RAPIDS & INDIANA RAILWAY.
On the G. R. & I. Ry. the trouble was centered in the district from Fort Wayne to Ridgeville, although there were minor washouts at numerous other points. The Wabash, St. Mary's and Salmonie Rivers and Big and Little Limberlost Creeks all threatened to destroy the bridges over them, but did not succeed, and the only bridge of any sort destroyed was a trestle near Decatur, in the St. Mary's River Valley, which was washed out, together with about 1,400 feet of track,
Passenger service was annulled on the 25th, between Richmond and Fort Wayne, and on the 26th between Ridgeville and Fort Wayne. On the 28th only the section from Decatur to Fort Wayne was out of service, and on the 29th, with the completion of repairs on the break at Decatur, full service was resumed.
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