The 1913 and 1937 floods may have come higher in Marietta than did the memorable one of 1884 and damage may have been greater, but for actual suffering, the inundation of 53 years ago holds first place in disaster annals in the opinion of many old time residents who have experienced all of them as well as the lesser floods in the intervening years.
Lack of modern facilities in 1884 made the suffering more severe said Mrs. William H. Lord of 423 Fifth Street, who discussed the floods this week. Mrs. Lord lives high and dry now in her Fifth Street home. The same was true in 1913. In 1884, however, her home was on Gilman Street on the west side of the Muskingum in the town of Harmar.
The Lord home stood on Gilman Street at the present B. & O. railroad crossing and the flood waters climbed until they were at least a foot deep in the second floor. The family was among the more fortunate ones in that part of Harmar on that occasion in that they saved most of their furnishings and personal effects.
Become Refugees
As the waters climbed the walls of their home and they realized they must abandon the place, they were taken out in a boat and were rowed to dry ground near the Douglas Putnam home - now the home of Edward MacTaggart.
"We were going to the hills - any place to find a haven," said Mrs. Lord. "In those days the only house on Harmar Hill was the old Strecker home, now owned and occupied by Miss Del Strecker. We thought we might be able to find shelter in a barn. As we stepped out of our boat at the Putnam place, Mrs. Putnam inquired where we were going. We told her our plight. Instantly, she insisted that she would take us in.
"We found a haven in the Putnam place along with approximately two hundred others whom the Putnams had taken in. The great house was packed with people and the refugees slept in most every conceivable position. Food was a problem, and, when we arrived, Mrs. Putnam said: "We have room for you and food enough for breakfast tomorrow morning, then we must find some source of supply."
Food is Found
"During the night, food supplies were found. I presume the men located stores that still had things to eat. At any rate, food was provided and gradually, the situation relaxed. We remained with the Putnams until the waters subsided, then we returned and began that awful task of cleaning out the mud and restoring our homes. Truly, those were trying days."
As Mrs. Lord remarked, the scarcity of homes on the high ground on the west side of the river made the situation in 1884 a difficult one. Only a few homes in Harmar were above the flood, and they were packed as was the Putnam place.
During the 1913 flood the situation, so far as buildings were concerned, was much the same as it was during last month's flood. Comfortable homes on Harmar Hill were opened by their hospitable owners and there always was "room for one more." As a result the West Side fared equally as well as did the main or eastern part of the city. The Red Cross, local relief agents and other organizations, among them the American Legion and the police and firemen, all did valiant work and helped to keep actual suffering at a minimum.
Supplies Provided
As was done on the east side of the Muskingum, a well-stocked commissary was established. Supplies including bedding, clothing and food and fuel were provided. Capable leadership was developed. Once more, the MacTaggart home was one of the working centers and again it housed its quota of refugees. The school building and the chapel on Harmar Hill were used as added centers.
Lack of adequate shelter, scarcity of food and an almost total absence of such luxuries as city water, gas, electricity and telephones, all combined to make the 1884 disaster a more severe one than any that has followed. Property loss in the 1913 flood and again in the 1937 may have been heavier. Undoubtedly, however, they were in the words of Mrs. Lord, "trying days."
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