Relatively Speaking Blog

Today St. Patrick’s Day is often celebrated with festive parades, Irish food and drink, and all things green to obtain some luck of the Irish. But eighty years ago, for many Pennsylvanians, March 17 was not a time of merriment but one of misfortune.  The day before, temperatures reached the 50s rapidly melting the winter snow and ice and quickly swelling nearby waterways.  Weather forecasters warned of possible rising water, but a steady rain that accompanied this warm weather resulted in floods more severe than anyone had anticipated.

Many areas throughout the northeast were affected, but Pennsylvania was especially hard hit. Across the Commonwealth communities adjacent to rivers and streams experienced some of their worst flooding ever recorded.  On March 18 one headline in the Greensburg Daily Tribune read “State Looks Like Lake From Air.” Numerous articles appeared in this issue that detailed the damage suffered by citizens and some heroic rescues.  Some cities mentioned with substantial damage were Wilkes-Barre, Pittsburgh, McKeesport, as well as the place that become well-known for its earlier flood, Johnstown.

Flood waters in 1936 ravaged Johnstown. The Conemaugh and Stonycreek Rivers spilled into downtown streets peaking at 14 feet and causing millions of dollars in property damage. Countless businesses were destroyed and half of the city population was left homeless.  Unlike 1889, when a torrent of water from a burst dam hit the town at 40 miles an hour killing over 2200 people in a short time, the death toll in 1936 was considerably less, with just a few dozen fatalities as most residents had time to escape to higher ground.  Johnstown’s devastation in 1936 were reported in newsreels and documented in photos.

One of my family lines—the Ludwicks—has connections to Johnstown and the floods of 1889 and 1936. Family stories indicate that after the 1889 calamity Alpheus Ludwick, whose trade was in construction as a plasterer, moved the family to Johnstown where he plied his trade in the recovery effort to rebuild the town.  His daughter, Anna Margaret Ludwick who was born about January 1890, lists on her marriage application that she was born in Johnstown PA.  They lived in Johnstown only a few years, as Alpheus and his family were back residing in Westmoreland County by 1894 when his next child, Pearle Jean, was born.

Pearle was a minister in the United Brethren Church and for her ministry she travelled to churches around the region. She happened to be in Johnstown in 1936 on that fateful St. Patrick’s Day; a few days after the catastrophe struck Pearle wrote home.  Pearle reports a number of items happening around the city, but at no point does she discuss where she was when the waters began to rise.  It is presumed she was already on higher ground and out of harm’s way.  Pearle also mentions her cousin Evalyn Roberts, daughter of Anna Margaret listed above, who with her husband Carl resided in Johnstown.  Below are images of her eyewitness account of events that took place, followed with a transcription.

  Click on each image to enlarge page and view copy of original.

  Some things which have occurred in the Flood Mar 19 Thurs A.M. 10:30

1. All the downtown district utterly desolate
2. Water up to balcony in Penn Traffic
3. Whole first floor of Glossers covered
4. All stores, Grants, Five and Ten etc. gone
5. All plate glass windows broken
6. Water was 18 to 22 ft on Main St.
7. Row Boats from station to other places, ask $20 to take Glen Riggs and others to telephone office to Broadcast
8. All telephone service, electricity, papers, mail, traffic, eatables etc. cut off
9. Last nite at 5 p.m. in Westmont milk selling for 50¢ qt, bread 50¢ per loaf.
10. You couldn’t buy a gallon of gasoline yesterday (Mar 18)
11. All water must be boiled.
12. Gas still on, but reported to be turned off today.
13. A terrible sight from incline to see all downtown as a river.
14. Refugees run everywhere. Yesterday Dr. Fulton had a man & wife who run and left everything, come up here for a little while, then friends came and got them.
15. A lady was in last nite who had 4 children, she picked up here screaming & crying didn’t know where their parents were. She was keeping them over nite, we haven’t heard this a.m. from ?them?
16. Another lady was here, her whole downstairs ruined, her piano upset, all the carpet & furniture ruined
17. Another lady here, said she was standing in her kitchen, heard a roar, her kitchen floor gave a heave, her sink backed up & at once her cellar & whole first floor covered, barely escaped with her life.
18. Another was here, she had a telegraph pole thru her house, she was forced to second floor, then to third floor, was there all nite until noon Wed. she was wet, cold, weary & hungry. They rescued her just when rumor of big dam was bursting.
19. Rumor in reference to Quemahoning Dam bursting was false.
20. We have had no church for two nites, cellar in church had water in it, couldn’t make fire. Parsonage had water in it, had to let fire go out.
21. We haven’t really seen the worst of it because you cannot get into downtown district because of bridges washed away.
22. Kernsville Bridge, Franklin St, Poplar St and another I forget which, are all washed away
23. No visitors allowed in down town section
24. Twelve dead lying in Morrellville Fire & Police Station.
25. They claim 3000 are marooned in their homes, but, food & clothing was to be brought yesterday at 2 o’clock.
26. Haven’t heard from –Evayln & Karl but I presume they went to his house. It is high on Bedford St. no doubt they would lose their furniture & car, altho maybe they took car with them.
27. I may be here until Wed. nite of next week, since flood has burdened us, we have had no light or heat for service and everybody thinking about “flood” more than religion.
28. We are safe up here, even tho the big dam should burst, but they claim water would have to rise 13 ½ ft yet before dam would break.
29. People are terror stricken, we are told people are in upstairs in 2^nd and 3^rd floors begging people to take them out, some are on top of buildings, we could see & hear them from where we went to view the flood.
30. Churches in downtown district will suffer very heavy loss. 1^st U.B. where Dr. Winey is pastor is the worst.
31. Now don’t come over unless I write you, unless you can get someone to bring you in a car.  It will be worth your while to get someone to bring you over to “see”.  Come via Ligonier & Mennoher Highway.  Ask Keith or ask Hazel & Joe Miller, you help pay gas, I wouldn’t pay more than $1.00, tell them you would pay $1.00 if they would bring you over.  Then stop

    

    here to see me.  Bring Jack along.  Tell Bill & Madge to come over on the train, bring their lunch & wait upstairs at station on another ????? worthwhile to see.  However, trains are late, railroad all washed out.  I must close—This is just some information, do not know when you will receive it as I must watch a chance to send it out of town for there is no mail here at all.  If you want me, call Rev. Wille Lauglintown he will get me a message.  Must close

Love Pearle In Haste.

For more information visit the Johnstown Flood Museum.