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The Dayton Flood - 1913. “Nature is sometimes subdued But seldom extinguished” Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626). The Miami Valley. Between the years of 1780 through 1790 pioneers moved into the Miami Valley
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“Nature is sometimes subdued But seldom extinguished” Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
The Miami Valley • Between the years of 1780 through 1790 pioneers moved into the Miami Valley • Through treaties and war many of the Native Americans, including the Shawnee and Miami, were moved for forests to be cleared for farming
Changing Times • Like other pioneers, new farmers to the Miami Valley settled near the most fertile lands adjacent to the waterways • These rivers assured water for agriculture, transportation for people and goods, and energy to run the mills
Changing Times • Due to the crisscrossing of railroads the Miami Valley experienced rapid population growth • By the 1870’s Dayton had become a nationally important center for the production of railroad cars and the manufacturing of cash registers • The National Cash Register Company (NCR)
Warnings Ignored • As the men and women of the Miami Valley prospered economically and politically they paid little attention to the warnings signs of a disaster in the making • The valley experienced the shaking of an earthquake in 1811 • Tornadoes had occasionally struck the Miami Valley - none with much force
Warnings Ignored • The Miami Valley had experienced several floods throughout the 1800’s • 1805, 1828, 1847, 1866 • The flood of 1805 brought 8 feet of water to the city streets of Dayton • In the aftermath, the citizens of Dayton decided to construct earthen levees along the Great Miami River
Warnings Ignored • Although the flood of 1898 set record crest levels, the citizens of Dayton felt no sense of urgency to construct more effective means of flood control • No new channels in the river bed were dug, no new levees or dams were built • The existing levees were typically patched up and repaired after the spring rains
Mother Nature’s Wrath • In the spring of 1913 the Miami Valley would be at the center of three massive air masses that would collide over the valley • One system developed in the Gulf of Mexico which moved quickly north • The second swept down out of Canada • The third moved westward from the Great Plains
Dangerous Conditions • By March of 1913 the three weather systems converged on the Miami Valley • From March 23 to March 27 eleven inches of rain fell saturating the Miami Valley • This amount of rain could not have come at a worse time • Through the first days of March light rain had fallen on the area
Dangerous Conditions • The ground was unable to absorb more moisture because of melting snow and ice and the early spring rains • The extra water drained into the creeks and rivers that flowed downstream towards Dayton • All together, nearly four trillion gallons flowed through the Miami Valley • 30 days flow over Niagara Falls
Disaster Strikes Dayton • On Saturday and Sunday March 22 and 23 swollen rivers overflowed their banks upriver in Piqua and Troy • By Tuesday the waters had reached the city streets of Dayton • Eventually the flood would cover about fourteen square miles
Disaster Strikes Dayton • From the first day of the disaster, rescuers used whatever they could to save people stranded by rising waters • People did whatever they could to reach safety • Those stranded by the water waited on rooftops for rescue from passing boats • People crawled along telephone lines to reach higher ground
Disaster Strikes Dayton • Dayton’s industrial leaders assisted in the rescue efforts • NCR’s John H. Patterson used his factory and carpenters to build rescue boats and organize rescue crews • The Business Men’s Association established relief stations providing food and clothing • Railroad owners sent trains out of the city to find provisions
The Aftermath • As the flood waters receded the damage became evident • In Dayton, 123 people lost their lives • Property damage exceeded $100,000,000 dollars • At least 1,000 homes were destroyed • Nearly 1500 horses drowned
The Aftermath • In early May, 1913 life in Dayton was beginning to return to normal • Tons of mud and debris were removed from the city streets by wagons, trucks, and trains provided by NCR • The Bicycle Club hauled away all the dead animals to an incinerating plant outside of the city • Soldiers rebuilt sewer, water and gas services
Flood Prevention • By May 1913 the citizens of Dayton began to develop plans to prevent a future disaster • By 1915 Dayton business leaders, engineers, and the Ohio General Assembly had established the Miami Conservancy District • Created the “Official Plan” • Five dams
Building For The Ages • Massive construction projects were begun by February 1918 • The Miami Conservancy District assembled the newest technology of the time • Over 1,000 workers • 200 dump trucks • 73 miles of electrical transmission lines • 29 locomotives • 80 trucks and cars
Building For The Ages • Although the dams were built with conventional technology each was installed with the newest innovation: • The hydraulic jump • The dams would feed water over low dams into “pools” • These pools would control the amount of water that would flow downstream • Flood prevention
Sustaining The System • The construction of the dams was completed by 1923 • Over the years the dams have been inspected by District engineers for structural wear • The last comprehensive study of the dams in 1962 determined them to be “generally in an excellent state of preservation” and the “integrity of flood protection is intact”
