The Flood of 1913

A while back we looked at the Great Lakes Storm of 1913, but about 8 months before that the city of Mansfield had to deal with another natural disaster that closed businesses and put a halt to normal daily life.  The Great Flood of 1913 destroyed more than twenty thousand homes and took the lives of 428 people in the state of Ohio.  Many parts of Ohio normally experienced flooding this time of year, but heavy rains exacerbated conditions in March of 1913.  The most severe conditions were along the Great Miami River and Dayton took a great deal of damage. [1]

While Mansfield was not hit as hard many, local businesses reported losses from the flood.  Fred Kuenzli, a stonemason, reportedly drowned in the flood, his body was found two days later at the Valve works on North Adams streets, near Sixth.[2]  Another obituary in The Mansfield News attributes the death of 8-week-old Harold Franklin Wise to the flood, saying he died from exposure when his parents fled their home at Fifth and Franklin the night of the flood.[3]

Losses as reported 26 MAR 1913 in The Mansfield News

After the disaster “Governor James M. Cox supported [a] plan, helping to gain passage of the Vonderheide Act, which is also known as the Ohio Conservancy Law, in 1914. The law gave the state the authority to establish watershed districts and to raise funds for improvements through taxes. Although the Vonderheide Act was challenged in both the state and United States supreme courts in Orr v. Allen (1915 and 1919), the law was upheld. In 1915, the Miami Conservancy District was created in response to the Vonderheide Act. It became the first major watershed district in the nation.”[4]  The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) was created on June 3, 1933.[5]

Below are some images from after the flooding, click on image for a lager version and description.

A crowd assesses the damage to a railroad bridge caused by the 1913 flood.

High water covering the railroad crossing at Orange Street. Photo shows a partially submerged oil plant belonging to Peter School.

View of damage to homes and businesses caused by flood of 1913.

During the flood in 1913, the bridge near the Rocky Forks and Black Forks rivers (between Lucas and Coulter OH,) was washed out by the flood.

After the 1913 flood, workers and bosses survey damage to the railroad tracks.

Workers surveying damage to railroad caused by 1913 flood.

North Main Street, 1913 flood–near intersection with 5th Street. Second Hand store, (left) was located at 178 N. Main.

View looking North along N. Mulberry from West Sixth Street during the flood of 1913. Mansfield Lumber Company is the large building on the west side (left) of the street.

View looking from the center of East Fifth near the intersection with North Diamond. On the extreme right is the corner of the Tracy and Avery Building. Further east, along the south side of East Fifth is the American Cigar Company.

A crowd gathers on North Main Street and peers at some unseen sight along East Sixth Street.

Intersection of West Sixth and North Mulberry during the 1913 flood. The view looks west on Sixth toward a flooded double iron bridge. At the northwest corner of the intersection, the edge of the Mansfield Lumber Company is visible.

Photo shows 1913 flood waters surrounding the Ohio Brass Company. Closer to the camera are two smaller wooden buildings, one of which is the Tremont House Barber Shop. Camera view looks north.

Sources:

_{[1] http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/1913_Ohio_Statewide_Flood
[2] The Mansfield News, 26 MAR 1913, p 7.
[3] The Mansfield News, 25 MAR 1913, p 2.
[4] http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/1913_Ohio_Statewide_Flood
[5] https://www.mwcd.org/get-to-know-us/history}

The Great Lakes Storm of 1913

The Great Lakes Storm of 1913 was was know by many names, including “the Big Blow,” “the Freshwater Fury” and “the White Hurricane.” According to the National Weather Service 258 lives were lost on the Great Lakes and 12 ships sank, while 30 more were crippled.  Jamie McLeod in a article on farmersalmanac.com states that “$5 million in ships and cargo was lost (about $100 million in today’s currency) [and] five of the sunken ships were never found.”  While not nearly as deadly in Mansfield the storm did shut down the city, the Mansfield News reported drifts six and seven feet deep in some areas.  Local street car service was stopped until the tracks could be cleared and the interurban cars were stalled and some could not be located during the night.  Passenger traffic on the railroad was also held up, though the trains kept moving.  Also mentioned is that a majority of factories were closed and church services were not largely attended.  Below are photos of the blizzard, mostly taken on November 10, 1913.  Click on image to enlarge.

Sources:

_{The Big Blow: The Great Lakes Blizzard of 1913. Retrieved from https://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather/2011/10/31/the-big-blow-the-great-lakes-blizzard-of-1913/
Great Lakes Hurricane of 1913. Retrieved from https://www.weather.gov/media/apx/spotter/1913Storm.pdf}