HIGHER THAN
1884
----------------------------
And Far More
Destructive to Property Was
the Deluge
of 1913-All Records Broken.
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Rapid Rise
of the Waters Caught Many Unprepared and
Losses Were
Very Heavy---Story of the Flood
In Ripley
and Vicinity.
Overturned
houses, barns and outbuildings lying everywhere and driftwood piled high all
over the flooded district makes Ripley a desolate looking place and marks the
havoc played by the greatest flood in the memory of white men in the Ohio
Valley.
History has
repeated and exceeded itself, and the greatest flood ever known in the history of
the Ohio Valley is now over. They said in 1884 that it was the champion record
flood and never could or would happen again. Then in 1907 when we had two
floods a cracker jack in January, nest to that of ’84, and another lesser one
in March, but big enough. They said such things were never known before and
never would be again. But this year 1913 has put all records to route with two
floods again in January and March, this latter the zenith, the climax of all
big and little floods in history. But we still survive, and the flag still
waves on Rankin Hill!
Never before
did a great flood in the Ohio River come so swiftly and fiercely. The river has
been at a normal spring stage when a series of furious storms and torrential
rains descended on the helpless region, filling the streams with mad torrents
of water. All of the tributaries of the Ohio soon began to disgorge huge
volumes of water, and the river rose by tremendous leaps and bounds, fifteen to
twenty feet in a say, until it soon sprang over its banks and rapidly invaded
the valley and towns. The rapid rise made it impossible for people to remove
out of the way of the water, as all of the moving had to be done at one time. Within
one day only, the water rushed into our town and entered the principal business
section. The merchants moved their
stocks of goods in frantic haste, many of them working all night with a force
of helpers, and wading in the water at the last. But much stock was abandoned,
or piled high on the counters or shelves where it was caught by the flood and
upset and ruined. In most of the stores the water rose nearly to the celling
and was 10 or 12 feet deep in other cases. Nothing escaped the reach and the
ravage of the ugly, greedy flood.
Thousands of
dollars of damage has been wrought by the rapidly rising waters, and because another
flood of the size of that of 1884 seemed impossible, the people were unprepared
for such a river. Every merchant in the flooded district has suffered heavily
and residents in the section, who moved their household effects to their second
floors, lost much of their goods, as the water reached the upper floors of
scores of the buildings. In some cases the collections of a lifetime were
entirely lost and many are unable to replace them.
Never in the
experience of our little city has the damage been so great as during the
present flood.
On Thursday,
March 27th, 1913, the water crossed Second Street at Cherry-the
lowest point-about 2p.m. The rise was so rapid, being from eight to nine inches
an hour, that the merchants on Main, Second and Front streets became alarmed,
and a general exodus was started. So rapidly did the water rise that by night
it had reached the gutters on Main Street, and those who had a late start in
moving, finished with the water running in on them.
By Friday night,
March 28, Main Street as entirely covered, and the angry flood continued rising
at an alarming rate, causing people in all of the low lying sections, and
others who had heretofore felt perfectly secure and safe from the reach of all
water, to move their belongings.
The rise
continued until Tuesday morning, April 1, when the water reached a height of
from 69 to 70 feet, seven or eight inches higher than the memorable flood of
1884.
Boats landed
on West Second Street in front of the residence of Mr. J. C. Newcomb; on Main Street
at the Latona House; on Market at the old Lewis well; on Third Street at the
residence of Mr. Val. Swisher; on Fourth Street at the residence of Mr. Horace
Maddox; on East Second Street at the alley between Mrs. Sarah White and Mr.
Thos. Buchanan. Front Street was entirely inundated and every house held from 3
to 10 feet of water.
In the lower
part of town, lying east of Main Street, many houses were lifted from their
foundations, and were floating, while many others toppled over and were
wrecked.
Wind added
to the destruction of property on Sunday and Monday, wrecking property along
the exposed streets. Front Street suffered most, as very few houses escaped
damage. Shutters were torn from houses and windows broken and much other damage
done.
The food
supply of the town began to run low on Sunday, and the good people of
Hillsborough, again to the front as they were in 1884, sent in the first
supplies. Almost a dozen automobiles loaded with food and clothing from the
Woman’s Relief Committee, arrived early Sunday afternoon, and was taken to the
Presbyterian Church, which was turned into a commissary, and was then
distributed to the needy. Later supplies began to arrive from Mt. Orab,
Georgetown, Morrystown, Macon, Russelville and from farmers and was placed
where most needed.
On Tuesday
the steamer Greendale, the Government Relief Boat, arrived with supplies for
350, and the Relief Committee heaved a sigh of relief as this ran them for
several days.
An alarm of
fire on Sunday morning caused much worry, as the supply of water was very low.
The blaze, which occurred in the home of J.H. Donald, on Front Street, proved
to be a small affair and was quickly extinguished by a bucket brigade. A fire during the high water would have meant
a great disaster for Ripley as it would have been impossible to reach it with a
fire hose. Steam was kept up in the fire
engine, and all possible precautions taken to meet any emergency; and up to the
present time we have escaped the vengeance of the fire fiend, which so many of
our fellow flood suffers in neighboring towns have experienced.
The supply
of city water was exhausted on Tuesday, April 1, and this caused a great deal
of anxiety as the wells in the town are very few.
The streets
and houses were thrown into darkness on Saturday night, March 28, both the gas
and electric light plants being submerged.
The river
returned to its banks on Sunday, April 6, leaving behind a scene of desolation
and destruction. A heavy coat of mud covered everything the water touched, and ruined
much property. The businesses housed along Main Street proved to be the greatest
suffers, as the water reached much of the stock of the business people and
ruined it. It was with heavy hearts they started to clean up and make their places
presentable again, and discouragement was written on the ??? of all. But at the present time the work is well under
way, and some of the stores have opened their doors to the public.
Large forces
of men and teams hacve been put to work on the streets, clearing away the debris,
and within a few weeks the old town will assume its usual appearance.
The Bee
office sustained much damage. The rapidly rising waters made it impossible to
remove everything an as a consequence the loss was heavy. A large quantity of
stationary was ruined, all the machinery complexly submerged, many old files
lost, and a great deal of furniture wrecked. The issue of April 2, 1913, was
missed, the first time this has occurred under present ownership of 35 years,
and it is with regret this remarkable record is broken, but with 10 feet of
water on the floors and the offices piled high with wreckage, we feel we are fortunate
in getting through without greater damages or loss.
The work of
clearing away the debris and cleaning up the houses started on Wednesday, April
2, as the water came to a stand on Tuesday, and started to slowly recede in the
afternoon. It will take many weeks for the town to recover from the disastrous
effects of the flood and before people can move back into their homes. Ripley
has survived many floods, but never has she gone through such an experience as
this. But as in years past she has met all issues squarely and is facing this
with a fighting spirit that will overcome the effects and in time place her
back on the same high plane of which she is justly proud.
The mayor appointed
the following citizens as a Relief Committee, to handle supplies during the
flood. J.C. Newcomb, Chairman, F.P.
Hite, W. L. Russell, T.E. Shotwell, Mrs. J.R. Stivers, Mrs. Ella Kendle and
Mrs. J. F. Work. J.B. Newcomb was appointed Secretary and Miss Lucy Reinert,
Asst. Secretary. W.H. Reinert, H.L. Mefford, F.E. Boyd, Mrs. T.E. Shotwell and
Miss Mayme Tyler assisted the committee greatly in handling the work.
The gas and
electric light plants suffered some loss and expense, like the rest of them in
the flood district, but it is not injured or ruined, as reported, and will soon
be in good running order again. The
boiler and engine were submerged of course, and have been cleaned out and fixed
up all right. The dynamo and switch board were taken and blocked up, but not high
enough as the water caught them and rusted some parts of them. But nothing was
lost or broken, and the buildings were not much damaged. The gas plant was
filled with mud but has been cleaned up. Some of the pole lines and gas pipes
have suffered also. All necessary repairs have been or soon will be made and
the plant will then be in a better condition than before. The electrical parts
of the armatures were shipped to Cincinnati to be tested and repaired, and on
their return will be rest by an expert of the General Electric Company, which
constructed the plant. The gas and electric light will soon be in operation.
The Ripley
Mill and Lumber Co. suffered the greatest wreck and loss of all here, we believe.
They had to remove a large lot of their
stock into their mill and to higher ground to keep them from losing it entirely
by going off down the river. But the water caught their entire plant and all
their stock of lumber and flooded and floated everything. The old lumber shed
on the river bank was moved off into the street and wrecked, and the large
lumber house back of the office was partially wrecked. All the fine stock
stored in the mill was floated and jumbled and muddied. The all the small piles
and some of the big ones or rough boards were upset and tossed about with wreckage
and drift driven in from the river by the wind until massed into a horrible
mixture, covering the mill yards and the track five or ten feet deep in places.
All of the lumber will have to be separated and replied, and much of it must be
washed off with the hose to remove mud on it. When the lumber floated, booms
were constructed to hold it in, and most of it was saved, but some of it got
away and went down the raging river with the other drift and wreckage.
The water
was 8 feet and 9 inches deep in the Ripley National Bank, and 8 feet and 2
inches in The Citizens National Bank. The latter raised their counters and
fixtures on blocks about 5 feet high, but the water floated and upset them, and
they were broken to pieces. Both baking houses suffered severely, but had no
broken windows. They were in the water about 9 days, and then took several days
to clean up and dry out, like the rest.
