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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 1951)
Former O’Neillites Flood Evacuees Mrs. O’Donnell Tells About Salina Tragedy (Editor’s note: The follow ing story of the worst flood in Kansas history was written in letter form to O’Neill and Em met relatives by Mrs. Edward L. O’Donnell, the former Helen Biglin. Mrs. O’Donnell, her husband and her aged mother, (Mrs. P. J. Biglin, were evacu ated from their home by po lice-manned motor boat when flood water from the Saline river was lapping at their doorstep.) By MRS. EDWARD L. O'DONNELL Salina. Kansas, July 22, 1951. This is the story of the flood. It may not be the story but it is my story. Tuesday, July 9, Ed left at 5:45 so I went down to the 6:30 mass. It happened that there wasn’t any, and Mary Carlin was there so I asked her to come home for breakfast, which she did. It was raining and very overcast. It was a dreary day in Salina. Everyone seemed to have the feeling of im pending tragedy, everyone was - restless, and couldn't settle them selves to their work. Mary went home at 9, and returned again that morning. Joan, a friend of mine from the southeast, drove over and stayed till noon. Doro thy called and said she did not know what to do with herself. Still the rain continued, the riv er was 2 feet below flood stage, everyone was low. Mary called at 4 for me to come down to her house, and I did, and we made plans to all have a bridge game the following day. It poured all night and on Wednesday morning the river was up to flood stage. The morn ing broadcast told us all to get ready that the flood would be the worst Salina had ever wit nessed. I called Ed at Ellis, a distance of 125 miles, to tell what was a bout to happen. That was at 8:15. He told me that he could not get in and for me to get the car out, and get the things out of the basement as best I could if I could get help. I immediately checked with the neighbors, and took my car to a high spot about a block from here. All this time they were already preparing. I it was pouring rain and you had to wear galoshes. Then I went a cross to where our yard boy lives to see if he could help me. He was not at home, but they sent me help. I never knew who it was. It was so hard to get help as everyone on this side had their own things to take care of. The east side became a beehive of activity. It was a fight against time and the elements to save what we could. All this time the police cars were going through the street with loud speakers telling us to get things out of the basement and the cars to higher ground. When I got up that morning there was water in the south end of our block, and when we fin ished the basement, the water was in front of our house. I watched what our neighbors were doing and did likewise. I went out and pulled all the onions, beets and carrots, pick ed the beans, and dug the pota toes, in ankle deep muck. Then I picked all my roses and flow ers, that the neighbors did not do, but I could hardly stand to see everything go. At 1 o'clock I was ready—still the rain con tinued. Ed arrived about 1:30. They had listened to the 10 o’clock broadcast, and it was so bad they thought they had better try to come. They had to drive miles west of Salina in water to the running board. I was glad to see him. It was such a relief. He then got busy and got up a few more things, that we did not see in the excitement. Pete waded out and bought supplies for us, as I did not have the time or car to go earlier. All afternoon the rise was slow, just a creeping of wa ter. At dinner time I went out and pulled enough sweet corn for a meal. It was not quite ma ture and Ed said I was silly, as it would never get above the ears, but I did not want to have it said that we had never tasted the corn. All evening till midnight we went with flashlights and watch ed it rise to the step up to our yard from the walk. We listened to the city manager at 1 in the morning and he said it had risen in the south part of town 2 feet in 25 minutes, so we knew it would be fast. We then went to bed till 4. At 4 we looked out, the lights were on in the houses and people on the porches. The water was almost to the porch, with a strong current in the street. Ed said we had to get up and get the things up in the house—it was a bleak morning, just before dawn, pouring rain, and nothing but black water a round. At 5 the basement started to fill, it was cold in the house. We had to put on jackets, and the sound of water pouring into the basement was no comfort. We put everything we could on tables and beds, put cans of fruit under various things, took up thq rugs, took out all the bottom drawers, stacked clothes on the beds. My mouth and throat dried up so I could hardly talk. All this time the radio was broadcasting what was happening. It was sick ening to see it coming up the porch steps—one by one. We called the police to be taken out about 7, and they said they would come. At 8 the radio said they had damaged so many boats through the night there was only one boat for the east side and anyone on that side who wanted to get out would have to get out on their own power. Then we knelt down and said the rosary, and Ed got up as white as a sheet, and said “Now whatever happens is God’s will and we will have to accept it ” We put mother back to bed and reconciled ourselves to stay in the house. We could talk to our neighbors on the north from our porch, and they said they had called again, and they said they would come. Soon we saw more boats running on Iron and Stapler, but none of them would come down Connecticut, as the current was so swift. We would all call, but with the motorboat noise they did not seem to hear. When it came over the last step on the porch, I call ed again, and told the police the phones were all out but ours, and that there had never been a boat on this street, so they said they would come. They did—at about 10:45 a.m. It was a small boat with an outboard motor. We got mother in first, and then we got in. Still pouring rain. They pull ed right up to the porch and Mr. Phillips came over in waist deep water and helped hold the boat till we got in. When we got up to Iron the current was terrific, and the fact we had to turn west on Iron was tragic. He took the boat clear to the northeast corner of the inter section, and then turned it so he could get across the current. It was all the boat could do to cross it. That happened at every intersection. On Kansas intersec tion it was over our heads, and I breathed happily when we pass ed that. We went about a mile. Sue and Mary were on their porch and saw us go, and waved. At the Iron avenue bridge, hundreds of people had gathered to help. Men waded out to the boats and held them and carried the women in to the bridge. There, countless trucks were lin ed up to take the people to Me morial hall and various places. Dorothy Rogers, a girl with whom I had played cards a few times had called on Wednes day morning wanting me to come with mother to their house, but we thought we could stay. The city did not urge people to evacuate early as there is the problem of housing the masses and feed ing them, so they just bring them out in boats. We looked like rats coming out of holes, everyone on this side. We then stood up in a truck and they took us to our friends. I forgot to mention that on the boat trip the boat started to fill with water, which of course scared me more. On Saturday we got the word about Pat’s death, and we knew we had to try and get over here 'or clothes. We tried from 9 till ( 1:30 and finally they got us in i big grain bin hauled by a trac er, and we came within 3 blocks if the house and the fellow said ae could not make it farther. He was going back, and I was ready < 0 go, but a road maintainer :me along at that time hauling , 1 rack and we transferred. I had ;o step cross from the top of the ;rain bin into the cab of the naintainer. I was the only lady in the trip. Then we got within ! blocks of home and waded in lip deep to get clothes. The maintainer said they would pick up up again, but it ook up too long so we missed >ur “bus” back. We stood on the orner of Iron and Missouri, east >f here, and later a maintainer :ame hauling a big high bin. I iad learned to climb up one of hose things, so was utterly dis nayed when the driver got out n thigh deep water, and hauled lown a big step ladder so you ould climb up in that. There | were many women and children in this bin. They took us clear to Marymount before turning a round, and we came back on Ash. On all these streets basement wall after basement wall was gone, and at one house the water was half way up on the big pic ture window. That was on the street just south of our house. We saw it all that trip and when we got back to Rogers', Bert had been with us, we were sick, it was just a pitiful sight to see all the homes wrecked. It was generally known that they were letting water out of KanoDlis all this time. Thev had to, so conseqently it kept us flooded for 11 days. Sunday mother and I went to the hotel when Ed went to Nebraska, and on Tuesday we went to Eileen’s and Pete’s, Ed’s assistant, by way of cab and an old high bus they had discarded. Each day Eileen and I waded over here, it took a bout an hour, in about 2 feet of water. Thursday night they clos ed the Iron avenue bridge again, so when the fellows got in they had to wade clear from town to Pete’s house at 11 at night. Friday we came home. Mother had to wade a block and a half in to the house. You couldn’t move, in the house, everything piled up, but we were glad to be home. The water lacked about 7 inches of getting in. Now a few highlights of the flood. There is a red davenport and chair out in our alley that just floated' in. Mr. Phillip’s bee hives, 7 of them, floated away. They stayed in their home. Mrs. Phillips said she went out in a boat in 1941, and she said she would never go out in a boat a gain. They had a little upstairs they could go to. It got over the kitchen sink in a house a block south of us. Much criticism about tne aam. They advertised boat races the Fourth of July and that the dam was full. It ws a great resort and the boat races were a great attrac tion. Then the rains came and they were caught with a dam full of water. Finally Saturdy they closed them pretty well down and the water drained off the east side in 12 hours. People were furious. Sue had to go to work in a boat all last week, as they just held the water steady. Now the river is down to 15 plus feet, and today they are opening the gates again, everyone is jittery on this side. It has rained the last 2 nights. Yesterday morning, Sunway, we sighted dry land at 5 a.m. You would think it was Colum bus discovering America. We had water in front of our house for '12 days. Today they are pumping the basements, and all the curbs are full of debris, the 900 and 1000 block were the worst. They kept them barricaded all the time, the water stayed 3 feet there after the crest had passed. That is where Sue and Mary live. The neighbors moved in with them. Water got in every house in that block except Sue’s and one other. Incidentally every living plant is gone around the house. It got away over the ears of corn in the back garden. Now there is nothing but a black mass of rot ting vegetation, and the whole east side really smells. In spite of all, we were the least hard hit of all Kansas, and we are grate ful. We have one white petunia left, that was in a flower pot with 2 geraniums. We thought we had the best garden in Salina, but now I will have lots of lei sure moments, that were spent in the garden. Ed and I toured the garden at least twice a day. It will be weeks till we can step in it. — Written by Mrs. Ed L. O’ Donnell, nee Helen Biglin. oneill News Mr. and Mrs. Earl Wrede and daughter, Helen, of Branson, Mo., left Thursday, July 26, after a /isit with Mrs. Emma Lawrence. Mrs. Addie L. Wrede, Mrs. Henry Vlartin and son, Allen, and the Clarence Wrede families. Mr. and Mrs. Alan Van Vleck and family spent Sunday at Lake \ndes, S. D. A picnic for the Holt county conservation service families was held Sunday at Hidden Paradise aark in Long Pine. DR. GILDERSLEEVE. OJ> OPTOMETRIST Permanent Offloee to Haoensick Building Phone 187 O'NEILL NEBR. Eve* Examined . 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SCHRIIMR MIUS, INC., St. Joseph, Missouri SHELHAMER FOODS Phone 173 O’Neill 780 ON YOUR DIAL "Tf-ie Favorite Station in the Heart of the Nation" NORFOLK - WJAG - NEBRASKA I Presents For Your Listening Pleasure Mary Moore - 9.00 to 9:45 a m. - Mon. thru Sat. Model Cleaner* — Nath's Coffee — Action Noon News-12:15 to 12:35 p.m. - Mon. thru Sat. Local Newt and Weather 12:30 Spontored by Gooch Mills Sports Roundup - 5:30 to 5:45 p.m. - Mon. thru Sat. Brought to you by the Felstaff Brewing Corp. NOB FOLK - W JAG _ NCMASKA Fer a Complete Afternoon of Musical Enjoyment ^_Ft'S 780 ON YOU* MM PAGE NEWS The BMJ Stitchers 4 - H club held a regular meeting July 10 at the home of Maxine Park. They distributed added material which had just been received to the members and discussed a demon stration which 2 (members will have ready for the next meeting. Mrs. Park served a lunch. The next meeting will be at the home of Mrs. William Fink. Mrs. Albert Anthony, of Bloomfield, spent from Saturday until Monday visiting her par ents, Mr. and Mrs. Otto Matschul lat, and her brother, Dale Mat gchullat, and wife. Mr. Anthony left Saturday by airplane from Minneapolis, Minn., for Green land, where he has a government job. H. L. Banta spent Thursday and Friday in Otmaha. Mrs. Hester Edmisten and Mrs. Edgar Wood spent Saturday eve ning with Mrs. N. D. Ickes. Pvt. Thane French has com pleted his 16 weeks of basic train ing at Ft. Ord, Calif., and is spending his 10-day furlough at Lamberton, Minn., with his wife and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Clifford French. He is being sent to Ft. Hulabird, Baltimore, Md., for highly specialized mechanical school. Clifford French and fam ily were former residents of this community. Mr. and Mrs. Leo Tomjack went to Ewing Sunday to serve as god parents at the baptism of Mary Kathryn Burke, baby daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dave Burke. The services took place at St. Peter’s Catholic church in Ewing. 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