Flooding in 1914

by Betty Jane Wilson, society president

When it rained it poured. "The worst rain storm in forty years. Bridges washed out, cattle, horses, and hogs drowned. Thousands of dollars damage to this district. From five to fifteen inches of rain," reported the Valley Falls New Era Thursday, June 25, 1914.

Excerpts from the story included the individual and transportation losses.

"Torrential rains, cloud bursts, Delaware flooding fell at Valley Falls last Sunday afternoon and evening. It averaged two inches per hour. An ordinary rain gauge could not hold it all the time. A continuous electrical storm accompanied the torrential downpour. The wind blew and shifted. Streams filled and became raging torrents. Flooding in the bottoms caused great damage to wheat and cornfields between Half Mound and Tosh's bridge along ten or twelve miles of river.

"Whole fields of wheat and shoulder high corn were carried downstream. All three railroads centering here were damaged by the floods. The Missouri Pacific had a 400-foot washout in Crow Hollow and another beyond Dunavant, but these were soon repaired delaying the morning train only 4 hours.

"Trains 503 and 504 passed at Valley Falls at 3 p.m. Trains on the Union Pacific were abandoned for two days by a washout at Walnut Creek bridge where passengers waded through water knee deep for a quarter of a mile to catch the Santa Fe 'plug' to Topeka, as it was the only way in or out on the Santa Fe for two days.

"McLellan, section foreman, with a workforce of men put in two hard days rebuilding the track. Dale Jones is a truthful farmer who lives southwest of town and were it not that his reputation for truth telling had never been questioned, it is doubtful this would be published, but Dale says during the rain, lightning struck a wheat shock in his field and though the rain was coming down in torrents, he went to see if the shock was really afire and when he got to the shock it really was burning brightly.

"If you don't believe his story, he'll show you the ashes. There are various stories as to the amount of rainfall. In the vicinity, from 5.5 inches at M.M. Maxwell's, 9.5 inches at Thos. Knouses, 11 inches at H. Boyers and a tub full at Fount Hurst's.

"Albert Keen of north of Valley Falls says the water coming down Walnut Creek washed a lot of rock uphill onto Dr. Van Meer's place. Some of the rock larger than himself. Of course, he adds, he does not expect anyone to believe it, for he would not, had he not seen it with his own eyes.

"Henry Senn on Walnut Creek suffered a great loss. Three colts were drowned and his hay, oats, wheat and 25 acres of corn were ruined. Sellers Bros. had 1,000 chickens drowned. Ampie Delk had just begun cutting his wheat field on Saturday morning. Monday morning it was buried in the overflow. Monday forenoon shocks and bundles of wheat floated down the current, heads buried in muddy waters. It was bread cast upon the waters to return no more.

"Bunker wheat field across from Piazzek Mill was under water. Joe Lange had damaged crops and a cow, one steer and two calves drowned. Henry Kroll lost crops and several hundred chickens. Will Stauffer of Peter's Creek suffered crop loss and 95 young turkeys. Bolton District farmers lost wheat by overflow from Rock Creek.

"Blue Mound District owners lost wheat from Delaware River overflow. Numerous farms were damaged, pastures covered with mud and some homes destroyed. Brush Creek bridge, three bridges on Rock Creek, and a number of culverts were out.

"An interesting sight was the new audience in the baseball grandstand. Will Bragg's hogs, including two litters of pigs had been marooned there all night. The pigs were rescued in a lumber wagon and the older hogs were made to swim ashore by Bragg and Seible steering them through waist-deep water by holding them by their ears and keeping their noses above water."

Reprinted from Yesteryears, April 2002 (Jefferson County Genealogical Society publication).

The society's museum will be open Saturday at 10 a.m.