Flood Diaries: Thursday, March 27, 1913

J. G. C. Schenck, Sr.

Fire damage near Third and Jefferson (ms128_3-2-9)

Fire damage near Third and Jefferson (ms128_3-2-9)

“I managed to reach 5th & St. Clair Sts by following Railroad tracks from Detoit St. Boats were working up town Sts. from there. Fire destroyed & was still burning at 3 & Jefferson Sts. & 5th & Wilkinson Sts. Could see it from where I was.”

 

Bishop Milton Wright

“Mr. Siler passed, saw me, and reported to Orville, who came after me and Forest Stoltz. He got an automobile which took us to E. S. Lorentz, opposite the Seminary, Where I saw Katharine. I dined there. Frank Hale and Charles Grumbaugh took me to Lorin’s, Corner of Grand & Grafton Avenue.

From the back of diary (written later but dated March 27): “Orville and Mr. Stolts came after us and took us away in an auto-mobile, to E.S. Lorentz. I dined there and Charles Grumbaugh and Frank Hale took me, after dinner to Lorin’s who moved a week before to Grand and Grafton. There I staid three weeks and one day, when we got gas, and I moved home again. We were quarantined at Lorin’s a week because Drs. Smith and Patterson pronounced a colored woman serving at Lorin’s as being a bad case of diphtheria. She had quinsy! At least two-thirds of the City was submerged. A considerable part, there was water in the second story of the buildings. The water came up 5 feet and five inches in our lower rooms. A few houses were washed away. Three or more fires broke out One burned just west of Orville’s office, several buildings.

Fire damage at Park Presbyterian Church (from the Dayton Daily News Archive)

Fire damage at Park Presbyterian Church (from MS-458, Dayton Daily News Archive, VIP File).

Another burned several buildings, including the Park Presbyterian Church. Another burned several houses, south on Main Street, just north of the Fair Grounds, where there was quite a current of water flowed. The removal of the sediment and the cleaning of the dirt from the cellar, lower rooms, and door-yard took a hard month’s work. The loss of books, furniture etc. amounted to a large part of a thousand dollars. Orville’s automobile was submerged and injured several hundred dollars. In all he and the family lost one thousand dollars. Then his new building was injured nearly another thousand. Orville lost a pianola costing 500 dollars, and other furniture, amounting to three hundred. I lose a few books of value, and the family lost two or three hundred dollars worth. The dwellings, stores and shops of the city were injured many tens, if not hundreds, of millions. It has since been estimated at $200,000,000.”

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