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115 Years Ago, 1911 transcribed as originally published in the Youngstown Vindicator:
"Sunday's flood damage will reach over a half million dollars. Heaviest rainfall in history of the city causes river and creeks to overflow and inundate property…."
"The worst flood this city has experienced in many years occurred Sunday afternoon and evening. It was caused by a great downpour of rain, resembling a cloudburst, which raged from 11 o'clock in the morning until 5 o'clock in the evening, causing a property loss which will approximate half a million dollars. The flood drove people from their homes in the Crab Creek and Kilkenny districts, interfered with street railway and steam railroad traffic, washed away bridges, destroyed whole sections of pavements, caused huge industrial plants to shut down, clogged and destroyed sewers, washed out and broke gas mains, rendered big viaducts dangerous, practically carried away whole lumber yards, and shut off ingress or egress on the eastern boundaries of the city. The partially completed dam of the Commercial Water Company in Coitsville Township went out, releasing the vast body of water impounded in Jackson's Gulch, and adding a great volume to Dry Run which was already a maddened torrent that threatened to carry off houses and barns situated along its banks….
"The water poured down from the hills on each side of the city into the business section, carrying dirt and filth with it onto the pavements and into the sewers, filling up catch basins so that they could not carry off the water. The streets were completely flooded….
"Water mains broke in several places, adding to the already mighty volume of water which surged through the streets, at Belmont Avenue and Wood Street, the ground under the asphalt was washed out and the pavement undermined. No street in the city escaped serious damage….
"The rainfall continued about eight hours during which time all records were broken, it being stated at the waterworks station that the fall measured 3.95 inches for eight hours, more than had fallen before in 24 hours. Within an hour after the downpour started, Crab Creek, Dry Run, and other small streams on the north, east, and south sides of the city showed sign of going on a rampage….
"By 2:30 o'clock Crab Creek was overflowing its banks and by 3 o'clock people living in homes which were surrounded by water began preparations to move out. The water continued to rise and as there was no let-up in the rain it was realized that the families occupying homes on the lowlands would have to vacate. The police department was appealed to for men and boats….
"The flood was not confined to the Crab Creek valley, although the gravest danger existed there Sunday night ....
"In the eastern part of the city Dry Run and other small streams became swollen rivers and caused great loss. The Bond Street bridge was carried away. Lincoln Park badly flooded and the small bridge in Wilson Avenue, west of Center Street, was so weakened it collapsed….
"A report was received that the earth on each side of the dam at Lake Cohasset in Mill Creek Park was giving away and that the dam was in danger of going out…. County Engineer Ett. S. Smith, and a force of laborers immediately went to the Cohasset dam and worked all night to prevent the water from washing away the earth banks….
"The water reached its highest stage in the river at 9 o'clock Sunday night when it was reported from the filter plant in West Avenue that the river stood at nine feet two inches. In an hour Sunday afternoon the river had risen four feet and five inches."
-- Compiled by Dante Bernard, museum educator at the Mahoning Valley Historical Society