The True Story of Our National Calamity of Flood, Fire and Tornado

Logan Marshall

Informations

• Publié par: thuim
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 40
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 14 Mo

Extrait

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The True Story of Our National Calamity of Flood, Fire and Tornado, by Logan Marshall This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: The True Story of Our National Calamity of Flood, Fire and Tornado Author: Logan Marshall Release Date: January 27, 2007 [EBook #20455] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NATIONAL CALAMITY *** Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net STRICKEN The True Story of Our National Calamity Of Flood, Fire and Tornado "The appalling loss of life, the terrible suffering of the homeless, the struggles for safety, and the noble heroism of those who risked life to save loved ones; the unprecedented loss of property, resulting in the laying waste of flourishing cities and towns How the Whole Nation Joined in the Work of Relief By LOGAN MARSHALL AUTHOR OF "THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC," "THE UNIVERSAL HANDBOOK," "LIFE OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT," "THE STORY OF POLAR CONQUEST," "MARSHALL'S HANDY MANUAL," ETC. PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED WITH AUTHENTIC PHOTOGRAPHS COPYRIGHT 1913, BY L. T. MYERS The material in this work is fully protected under the copyright laws of the United States. All persons are warned against making any use of it without permission. Prayer by Bishop David H. Greer: O Merciful God and Heavenly Father, who hast taught us in Thy holy word that Thou dost not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men, give ear to the prayers which we humbly offer to Thee in behalf of our brethren who are suffering from the great water floods. Cause them in their sorrow to experience the comfort of Thy presence, and in their bewilderment the guidance of Thy wisdom. Stir up, we beseech Thee, the wills of Thy people to minister with generous aid to their present needs, and so overrule in Thy providence this great and sore calamity that we may be brought nearer to Thee and be knit more closely one to another in sympathy and love. All which we humbly ask, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen. WHERE THE NATION'S SYMPATHIES ARE CENTERED Contents I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV XV XVI XVII XVIII XIX XX XXI XXII XXIII XXIV XXV XXVI XXVII XXVIII XXIX XXX XXXI XXXII XXXIII THE GREATEST CATACLYSM IN AMERICAN HISTORY THE DEATH-BEARING FLOOD AT DAYTON DAYTON'S MENACE OF FIRE AND FAMINE DAYTON IN THE THROES OF DISTRESS THE RECUPERATION OF DAYTON DAYTON: "THE CITY OF A THOUSAND FACTORIES" THE DEVASTATION OF COLUMBUS COLUMBUS: THE BEAUTIFUL CAPITAL OF OHIO CINCINNATI: A NEW CENTER OF PERIL THE FLOOD IN WESTERN OHIO THE FLOOD IN NORTHERN OHIO THE FLOOD IN EASTERN OHIO THE FLOOD IN EASTERN INDIANA THE DESOLATION OF INDIANAPOLIS AND THE VALLEY OF THE WHITE RIVER THE ROARING TORRENT OF THE WABASH THE PLIGHT OF PERU: A STRICKEN CITY THE DEATH-DEALING TORNADO AT OMAHA STRUGGLES OF STRICKEN OMAHA OMAHA: "THE GATE CITY OF THE WEST" OTHER DAMAGE FROM THE NEBRASKA TORNADO THE TORNADO IN IOWA AND ILLINOIS THE TORNADO IN KANSAS AND ARKANSAS THE TORNADO IN INDIANA THE TORNADO IN PENNSYLVANIA THE FREAK TORNADO IN ALABAMA THE FLOOD IN NEW YORK THE FLOOD IN PENNSYLVANIA THE FLOOD IN THE OHIO VALLEY THE FLOOD IN THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY DAMAGE TO TRANSPORTATION, MAIL AND TELEGRAPH FACILITIES THE WORK OF RELIEF PREVIOUS GREAT FLOODS AND TORNADOES LESSONS OF THE CATACLYSM AND PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES 11 23 36 55 74 104 110 138 142 152 163 169 179 184 191 197 204 212 217 220 225 228 231 239 243 246 254 263 270 277 285 294 308 The Unleashed Gods By Percy Shaw Iron and rock are our slaves; We are liege to marble and steel; We go our ways through our purse-proud days, Lifting our voices in loud self-praise— Forgetting the God at the wheel. We build our bulwarks of stone, Skyscraper and culvert and tower, Till the God of Flood, keen-nosed for blood, Drags our monuments into the mud In the space of a red-eyed hour. Kings of the oceans are we, With our liners of rocket speed, Till the God of Ice, in mist-filled trice, Calls to us harshly to pay his price As we sink to the deep-sea weed. Muscle and brain are our slaves; We are liege to iron and steel; But who shall say, tomorrow, today, That we shall not halt on our onward way To bow to the God at the wheel? HELPING HANDS 11 CHAPTER I The Greatest Cataclysm in American History THE UNCONTROLLABLE FORCES OF NATURE—THE DEVASTATION OF OMAHA—THE TERROR OF THE FLOOD—A VIVID PICTURE OF THE FLOOD—THE TRAGEDY OF DEATH AND SUFFERING—THE SYMPATHY OF NATIONS—THE COURAGE OF THE STRICKEN—MEN THAT SHOWED THEMSELVES HEROES. Man is still the plaything of Nature. He boasts loudly of conquering it; the earth gives a little shiver and his cities collapse like the house of cards a child sets up. A French panegyrist said of our own Franklin: "He snatched the scepter from tyrants and the lightning from the skies," but the lightning strikes man dead and consumes his home. He thinks he has mastered the ocean, but the records of Lloyds refute him. He declares his independence of the winds upon the ocean, and the winds upon the land touch his proud constructions and they are wrecks. He imprisons the waters behind a dam and fetters the current of the rivers with bridges; they bestir themselves and the fetters snap, his towns are washed away and thousands of dead bodies float down the angry torrents. He burrows into the skin of the earth for treasure, and a thousand men find a living grave. Man has extorted many secrets from Nature; he can make a little use of a few of its forces; but he is impotent before its power. Thus we pause to reflect upon the most staggering and tragic cataclysm of Nature that has been visited upon our country since first our forefathers won it from the Indian—the unprecedented succession of tornadoes, floods, storms and blizzards, which in March, 1913, devastated vast areas of territory in Ohio, Indiana, Nebraska and a dozen other states, and which were followed fast by the ravages of fire, famine and disease. THE DEVASTATION OF OMAHA The terrible suddenness and irresistible power of such catastrophes make them an object of overwhelming fear. The evening of Easter Sunday in Omaha was doubtless as placid and uneventful as a thousand predecessors, until an appalling roar and increasing darkness announced to the