USA > Pennsylvania > Allegheny County > Pittsburgh > Pennsylvania lines west of Pittsburgh : a history of the flood of March, 1913 > Part 2
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As a consequence, these rivers were higher than they were ever known to be before, the excess over previous high water marks at various points having been as follows:
RIVER.
LOCATION.
EXCESS OVER PREVIOUS HIGH WATER.
Great Miami
Piqua, Ohio.
7.7 Feet.
Dayton, Ohio
7.7
Little Miami
Kings' Mills, Ohio
6.5
Olentangy
Delaware, Ohio
15.7
66
Scioto.
Columbus, Ohio.
1.6
Circleville, Ohio
4.9
66
Muskingum
Coshocton, Ohio
5.7
Zanesville, Ohio.
15.0
66
Sandusky
Tiffin, Ohio
7.0
Wabash
Logansport, Ind.
9.6
Terre Haute, Ind.
3.8
White
Indianapolis, Ind.
4.4
66
Anderson, Ind ..
3.3
66
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The damage sustained by the railway companies was of four general classes:
1. Undermining of bridge foundations, and washing out of fill at bridge approaches.
2. Washing away of bridge superstructure.
3. Washing away of fill in valleys where railways parallel streams.
4. General damage to track, buildings, telegraph lines, etc., from being covered with water.
In the rapidly rising water, there were carried great quantities of driftwood, logs, hay, trees, buildings-even houses and barns-and these lodged against bridge piers and superstructures and obstructed the stream flow. In many cases the force of this deflected current scoured out the bottom of the stream so deeply as to undermine piers and abutments. In other cases relief came from the approach fills washing out and widening the channel; in many cases the bridge superstructure was pushed into the stream.
The undermining of bridge piers and abutments was typical, occurring to bridges of all railroads alike, and to county and city bridges as well, throughout the water- courses of the three principal drainage basins of Ohio, south of the main watershed, which is shown by dotted line on "Relief Map" (last page). Why, then, have the railroads and municipalities not followed the biblical injunction to found their struc- tures upon the rock, where the vehement beating of the streams could not disturb them? Because, where the railroads cross the rivers and creeks, bed rock is usually from one hundred to four or five hundred feet below the ground surface level of the immediate river valley, and, although a few hundred yards on either side the rock may be plainly in evidence, it is impossible to reach it in most of the valleys. The explanation of this unusual condition is found in the geological history of the country.
At one time the drainage system seems to have been greatly different from that of today. The upper Ohio, for instance, doubtless flowed through the valleys of the Beaver and Grand Rivers into Lake Erie, directly opposite to its present flow. The Muskin- gum flowed westwardly, from a few miles below the junction of the Mohican and Tus- carawas, to what is now the valley of the Scioto. The basin now drained toward the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence extended much farther south than it does today.
Later, ice sheets, pushed southwardly by pressure of the weight of snow falling constantly in northern latitudes, covered most of the states of Indiana and Ohio, the approximate limit of travel of the sheet which came farthest south being shown on the "Relief Map" of Ohio. In Indiana, only a small portion of the southern portion of the state escaped. The advance of these ice sheets ground and pushed off the tops of the pre-glacial hills, and with the debris filled up the valleys, leaving the surface a comparatively plain, smooth tableland.
Before the advancing ice, which was probably several hundred feet in thickness, the water was ponded until it overflowed the divides and cut for itself new channels to the south and west, forming the valleys of the present drainage system.
But the streams of the ice age were torrents which cut channels wide and deep. As the ice was melted great volumes of water were liberated, accompanied by more or less loose ice, and it appears that in a great many valleys glaciers alternated with streams. The new channels cut were usually from one to three miles wide, and from three hundred
12
to eight hundred feet deep. In subsequent ages, these valleys were gradually filled to their present level with gravel, sand and silt, by erosion from the surrounding hills, and by the washing down of the material carried by the ice in its original advance. The streams of today, usually mere rivulets in comparison, wind and turn through these wide, level, glacial valleys, in beds more or less subject to change at the caprice of each freshet.
Some years ago it was thought sufficient to take bridge foundations down in this comparatively recent material to a firm layer of gravel, or, where this could not be easily reached, to support them on piles. The scouring of the present flood undermined bridge foundations of both classes, and has revealed the places where they were not sufficiently deep and demonstrated the necessity of going very deep with foundations for bridges in these glacial valleys, using piling under the masonry when there is any doubt as to the stability of the material encountered.
The third class of damage was sustained where the railways parallel streams, particularly where the tracks are upon fills. These fills acted as levees until the water overran them, when they became earth dams, as the culverts ordinarily providing out- lets for ditches and creeks into the larger streams were as a rule not large enough to permit the passage of enough water to the back of the fill to keep the level on both sides equal, owing to the very rapid rise of the rivers. When the water overran the top of the fill, the bank was very quickly washed away, often taking tracks and all with it, and in many instances the track was turned upside down in the adjacent fields. Cars standing on tracks thus undermined usually toppled over into the stream. When the rain ceased and the water went down, the fall was so rapid that the action was just reversed. The water-soaked banks gave way with the receding waters where they had successfully held the rising flood, and in many places the fill and tracks were washed toward the streams. Culverts were undermined and their approaches washed out under these conditions in much the same way as the bridges over the main streams were damaged by the principal currents. Many miles of track were saved from serious damage (where the water level was not much over the rails) by stone ballast, which kept the top of the fill from washing.
The fourth and last class of damage was suffered alike by the railways and the entire population of the flooded district. Everywhere the water left great quantities of mud and debris in those buildings which were not bodily carried away by the flood. Telegraph and telephone lines were washed away or broken, so that communication was interrupted throughout the entire district. Water and lighting plants were put out of commission. Exposure to continued rain and cold and the dirt and filth deposited everywhere will be followed by an unusual amount of sickness, and the whole cost of the flood will never be known.
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GLACIAL LIMIT
ESL
RELIEF MAP OF OHIO
Photographed from Map prepared by W. F. GILMORE
Pennsylvania Lines West of Pittsburgh Divide between Drainage Basins of St. Lawrence and Ohio Rivers
Southern Limit of Ice Sheets
CHAPTER 2. MARCH 24-25, 1913.
The rain which had started on Easter Sunday, the 23rd, began first to do damage to the property of the Pennsylvania Lines West of Pittsburgh in the vicinity of Piqua, Ohio, in the early morning of Monday the 24th, the water coming up to the track level there, and at several places in the vicinity of Richmond, Ind., at about the same time, and, a little later, along the east end of the Logansport Division. In the afternoon, reports began to come in of landslides in the hills of Eastern Ohio, and of serious inter- ruption of telegraph and telephone service by high water all over the System.
On Monday afternoon and night the rain was the hardest ever recorded at many points over the system. In the 24 hours ending at 8.00 a. m. Tuesday the 25th, 7.00 inches fell at Columbus, Ind., 5.70 inches at Cambridge City, Ind., 4.4 inches at Greenville, O., 4.8 inches at Wooster, O., 3.6 inches at Tiffin, O., and throughout the States of Indiana and Ohio the fall was unusually heavy.
At 4:35 P. M. Monday the 24th, both tracks at Lucas, Ohio, Eastern Division, were washed out and after No. 16 of that date, not a through train went over the Eastern Division for ten days. That night water came up to or above previous flood levels in every stream in Ohio and Indiana, and the Flood of March, 1913, was fairly inaugurated.
The early morning of Tuesday the 25th brought reports that the tracks were covered with water or were badly damaged at scores of places, over the entire system, with service interrupted all through the belt of heaviest rainfall (shaded red on the rain- fall map, Chapter 1). As the very high water had not yet gotten far enough down the streams to interfere with service between Columbus and Pittsburgh, the night trains of the Ft. Wayne route of March 24th were brought to Pittsburgh from Crestline to Columbus over the Big Four, and from Columbus in over the Pan Handle. Some of the westbound trains were sent to Chicago over the same route and some via the C. & P. to Cleveland and the Big Four to Crestline. By the time No. 29 arrived at Columbus, however (4:20 A. M., 25th), all the routes from there to Chicago had been broken. This train was returned to Pittsburgh, and later sent to Chicago via Cleveland, and the Lake Shore road from there to Clarke, Ind.
Trains which were enroute on the night of March 24-25 over most of the system were marooned wherever they happened to be when they came to an impassable piece of road,-some at stations, some in the open country; some high and dry, some where they were surrounded with water. No. 13, on the Pan Handle, got as far as Dayton. when news was received that the line was broken in advance, and efforts were made to find an open detour line, but without result, and No. 13 stayed at Dayton Union Station until the waters receded five days later. The story of the rescue of passengers from this train is told in a later chapter.
No. 3 was started north from Urbana over the Big Four, but at West Liberty, where that railroad crosses Mad River, the engine and one sleeper went down with the bridge, the engine going into the water and the sleeper being partly submerged. All passengers were gotten out of the sleeper, but a brakeman riding in it was drowned, and seven passengers and employees were injured. (Photo on page 18.)
15
This happened at 1:30 A. M. of the 25th, and about two hours later, a work train, enroute from Bradford to a washout at New Madison, O., with twenty laborers, encountered another washout at Bridge No. 58, over Dry Run, west of Gettysburg, O., which went down with the rear of the train, four cars and the cabin going into the water, drowning the gang foreman and five of his men and injuring all the other workmen, as well as the conductor, flagman and brakeman. A photograph of the situation, with cars still in the creek channel, will be found in the Indianapolis Division chapter.
In many places the water had either submerged the telegraph and telephone lines, or broken them with debris, or washed away the poles, so that communication was either entirely cut off or was only intermittently possible over much of the system. Reports of the situation were therefore fragmentary and often inaccurate, and it was difficult to form any idea of the extent of the damage.
It was definitely known on Tuesday morning (25th), however, that service had been interrupted as follows:
Eastern Division: By washouts at Lucas and Lawrence, and a number of bridges damaged between these points.
Western Division: By washouts at Middlepoint and Upper Sandusky.
Erie & Ashtabula Division: By water over tracks in the Mahoning, Shenango and Beaver River valleys, and on W. N. Y. & P. Branch.
Toledo Division, Sandusky Branch: By water over tracks at Delaware, and numerous small washouts.
Akron Division: By washouts at numerous places between Barberton and Mt. Vernon.
Indianapolis Division: By water over tracks and washout east of Piqua; by bridge west of New Paris washed out, and by washout and land- slides between Richmond and Dublin.
Cincinnati Division: By washouts between Dayton and Richmond and water over tracks between Xenia and Morrow.
Louisville Division: By water over tracks between Columbus, Ind., and Edinburg on the main line, and between Columbus and Shelbyville on the Cambridge City Branch.
Vandalia Railroad. By water over tracks and washouts on the Vincennes Division.
G. R. & I. Railway: By washouts between Richmond and Ft. Wayne.
As further information came in, it was found that the situation grew more serious every hour. During the day, report was received of additional interruptions of service as follows:
Logansport Division: Water over tracks at Logansport and west to Ken- neth, with a concrete bridge washed out on the old line near Royal Center, blocking both routes to Chicago; and by washouts at Mississinewa River bridge east of Ridgeville.
Richmond Division: Four or more bridges down between Camden and Hamilton.
Indianapolis Division: Water over Olentangy River bridge at Columbus, and Scioto River bridge out of line; water over tracks at Urbana.
16
Cincinnati Division: Miami River bridge at Dayton, west spans out; water over tracks all through Dayton.
Pittsburgh Division: Water over tracks in P. M. at a number of points; bridge over cattle pass east of Conesville washed out in evening, and at 10:15 P. M. two spans of the west end of the bridge over Muskingum River (Br. 100) at Tyndall went out.
Marietta Division: Water over tracks at many points, with land slides and washouts at a number of places.
In the afternoon of the 25th the Weather Bureau Office at Pittsburgh sent out warning that, in view of the heavy rainfall and the prospect of a continuation of it through Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania for the balance of the week, the rivers would doubtless exceed all previous high water marks. Reports coming from all sides of damage to railroads, and to cities and towns, indicated that no routes would probably be available for several days for the through trains, except by long detour, and arrangements were made to represent the more important schedules for local service.
In the evening, the General Manager of the Pennsylvania Railroad proffered the aid of men or material as might be needed, but in the absence of actual knowledge of the extent and nature of the damage sustained, definite acceptance of the offer had to be deferred until the following day.
Night came on with rain still falling in torrents over practically all the territory traversed by the Pennsylvania Lines. The water began to fall a little at the headwaters of the streams, as the rain was not quite so heavy, but in the main channels it continued to rise all night, as the high water from above was augmented by that from the swollen tributaries.
In the absence of definite information as to the extent of damage or the amount and character of repair material needed, officers in Chicago arranged in the afternoon for several cars of piling and bridge timbers for immediate shipment, and borrowed a pile driver from the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad, fitting up a commissary train to accompany it, as well as another complete train, both of which might be sent where needed. Arrangements were also made at all points to secure as much stone, slag, cinders and other filling material as could be found, arrangements for its distribution being deferred until it was known where it could be used first to best advantage.
In the afternoon the Passenger Department issued a circular to all ticket agents, instructing them to sell tickets for points in the flooded district subject to delay, pas- sengers to be so advised.
On account of the storm, very few photographs of the flood were made by the residents of the flooded country, most of whom were busy saving themselves or their effects, or those of their neighbors, and such photographs as were made were usually poor for lack of light. This same condition existed for two or three days, while the flood was at its height, but a fairly representative number of pictures of the conditions as they existed have been secured and have been included with the chapter for the day on which they were taken.
The map which follows shows the situation on the Pennsylvania Lines West of Pittsburgh for March 25th, and is self-explanatory.
17
-
West Liberty, Ohio.
Wreck of No. 3, of March 24-5, 1913.
No. 3 was detoured north from Urbana over Big Four Railway, but at West Liberty the engine, backing, went into Mad River, and one sleeper, which followed it, lodged on its side on the river bank. Tank visible, but engine completely submerged.
139
Loudonville, Ohio, west of
March 25, 1913.
Bridge 139, Eastern Division, "Double Barrel" stone arch over roadway and mill race, later washed out. The stream which parallels the railway is the Black Fork of the Mohican River.
18
LIVERY FEED SALE STABLE.
Delaware, Ohio.
March 25, 1913.
Pennsylvania Lines Passenger Station just over treetops at right of picture, with water at eaves of shelter shed. The livery barn in the foreground collapsed shortly after, and one or more of the persons on it were drowned.
-
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Delaware, Ohio. March 25, 1913.
Looking east from Main Street. Pennsylvania Lines freight house and water tank may be distinguished by an X marked over them.
19
Sharon, Pa.
March 25, 1913.
West side Shenango River, near Budd Avenue.
Brink Haven, Ohio.
March 25, 1913.
Looking across Mohican River valley, just above Akron Div. Bridge 68, both approaches to which were washed away.
20
MANSFIELO!
Mansfield, Ohio.
March 25, 1913.
Union Station and interlocking tower; Erie Crossing under water.
Coshocton, Ohio,
March 25, 1913.
Junction of Walhonding and Tuscarawas Rivers, forming the Muskingum. Trestle over lowland between Bridges 1 and 2, Walhonding Branch (about 1,200 feet), and approach to Bridge 1, where brush is over track in foreground, later washed away.
21
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FLOOD OF MARCH, 1913
TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 1913
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CHAPTER 3. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26.
The early morning reports for the 26th indicated that during the night the crest of the flood had passed in the northern portion of the valleys draining into the Ohio, and that the water was there beginning to fall while still rising further south; but many portions of the line were under water and it was impossible either to ascertain the extent of damage or make any move toward repair until the water had gone down.
It was reported that at. Dayton water was from 12 to 18 feet deep over the whole business portion of the city, that fire was burning uncontrolled in the heart of the town, and that probably 5,000 lives had been lost. From the reports received, it seemed the city was surely doomed to almost complete destruction, and while later reports in- dicated that the early rumors, particularly as to loss of life, were pretty wild, the sit- uation was still such that every life was seriously threatened.
Similarly, at West Columbus the flood damage was the most serious in history. In reoccupying a long unused channel, the Scioto River had washed away scores of good homes and inundated a large residence area. It was reported that hundreds of lives had been lost, and that thousands were still in danger.
At Piqua, a considerable residence portion of the city, as well as the entire busi- ness district, was reported under water. At Zanesville and Delaware, conditions were the same. At Logansport, Ind., water was reported ten feet deep in the station (Pan- Handle), with the business portion of the city and a large residence district inundated, and probable loss of life.
Newspaper accounts of similar conditions all over Ohio and Indiana, and reports of damage to the bridges and tracks of our own lines, made it apparent that the con- dition of the people along all the river courses in those States was desperate. From the meager reports which could be had in the absence of telegraph and telephone facil- ities through most of the flooded territory, it seemed that the loss of life was heavy everywhere, and that the whole population was in imminent peril.
The management therefore instructed that the Governors of Ohio and Indiana should be notified of the conditions as to railroad facilities and that an official tender should be made them of such facilities as the Pennsylvania Lines had left, for the relief of the flood sufferers. Instructions were also given to suggest to the Governor of Ohio that the first need would probably be for boats to take the people from the buildings and houses in which they had been marooned, and that these could probably best be obtained from the lake port cities of Cleveland, Sandusky and Toledo.
Steps were immediately taken, also, to obtain lists of all provisions and foodstuffs enroute on the various lines of the Pennsylvania System, and the State authorities were advised that this information would be available if needed. Several trains of dressed beef were located at points in or near the flooded district, but the State officials advised that food for immediate consumption, such as canned goods, was what was needed most.
25
In various towns and cities outside the region of flood damage, subscriptions for relief funds and supplies were started, and the municipal authorities were advised at once that all relief supplies would be transported free of cost. This announcement was later made public, and in all 91 cars of relief supplies were moved free, in addition to such 1. c. 1. packages as were offered. Similar arrangements were also made by the express companies operating in Ohio and Indiana.
According to the reports received, it was known on Wednesday morning that the railroad had been put out of service by damage at the following points:
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