Borough of Etna - Centennial Festivities Yearbook (Etna, PA)

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HERALD, March 21. 1936 ETNA BURIED IN 15 FT. OF WATER AS TRAGEDY HITS Great parts of Etna that were buried in 15 or more feet of water, will have to be rebuilt. It was evident today, as rehabili- tation work went on. A conservative estimate of damage includ- ing the terrible factory explosion in Etna can be placed at over a million dollars. Loss of life in the borough stood at 7. Entire blocks were roped off as many homes and buildings hung tottering over the streets. Etna continued today without water, gas and light because its municipal plant was seriously damaged in the flood. No attempt can be made to cut into other power lines, because of the great number of lines down. Refugees, numbering several thousand now under the care of the Red Cross still packed schools, churches and clubcrooms. TUESDAY, MARCH 17. 1936 The rain continued throughout Monday and Tuesday. Because of the tragic devastation in the 1907 flood were justified. Early on Tuesday afternoon Etna police began moving families to higher ground. Many people had already begun to abandon lower floors and crowd into upstairs rooms. By 5 p.m. the water had risen to 30.7 ft. and had already inundated part of Bridge St. By midnight the water level stood at 36.4 ft. and the situation was approaching emergency proportions. Water already covered the filling department of both of the little lsabella Furnaces. The Etna police were moving to close Butler St. at the Spangs R.R. crossing at the entrance to Route 3. Flood conditions in Etna were blamed for halting trains of the B.Sz.O. east-bound from Chicago. if' lmfvkingz down llullvr Str:-et tr, Ihifkpr Sl. 78 bi r. gooking down Parker and Washington Streets to Butler treet Looking down Bridge Street Ezysglrfiogej. Street looking down from Etna Concrete X' . 4,17 1,1--, Y Maplewood St. at Etna Show rStrcetrar br-hind stop sign-QnljghtqncglyAcgvcrcdj li ,

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I 1.1 nl '- il ll is 6. , Miss Julia Ann Wolfinger as she told her flood experiences to a com- mittee in Washington which is planning a flood control program. Also, a general view of the hearing is shown. -if--'rw ra--,. ' 131,--1+.,,,.::iyff,'-r of-.,,f,,, On Tuesday night when the waters were rising, we expected only an ordinary flood, such as we had experienced several times in the last few years. We did what we always did. We carried all the things from the cellar and took the first floor furniture to the second floor-- preparations which ordinarily would have saved us from damage. When the waters began to enter our streets and surround our houses, we thought it fun to watch the doings of the other people making ready ,,.for the flood. We stayed up until almost midnight and then went to rbed. rt that time, the water was ankle deep on our kitchen floor. We mere sizddenly aroused from a deep sleep by people screaming and shout- Jfdng flre . We jumped out of bed, and ran to the window and saw the J W sky all red. We'then ran into the other room and saw that the mill 9.- cross the street was on fire. Suddenly there was an explosion follow- ed by another a few seconds later. Now the mill was a mass of blazing Ffiiflainss. I hurriedly took my little sister Roselia by the arm, sod started down the kitchen stairs and to our surprise the water was up to our I was determined to get to the door and get my sister and I r , into our back yard. It took almost frantic efforts to get to door and finally open it. I held my sister-'s hand because she wigs . and could not swim. The water was iceg oold, but I man- to get to a tree in the neighbor yard, driving my sister with When we came to the tree, the neighbor boy was already sitting in top of lt. Because the tree was only a Shoemack, I knew trim it not hold us all. We therefore swam to an outouilding at xhe of our yard and I succeeded in holding rn, self and my sister up 5911, arrived about a half-hour later. My sister's and my hands 'frozen by this time, and we were chilled to the bone. 1,115 that ile the houses burned ' i i iriliililfi ff' M K ,na some iE,i,':,-iJ'gxy by doing about the JF Throng at Flood An Etna school girl, Julia Ann Wolfinger, 17 was one of the star speakers at the flood- conlrol rally in Vlfashinglon on Monday. The crowd which listened lo the Western Pennsylvania flood-control advocates plead for immediate enactment of legislation aimed to prevent recurrence of disasters such as the Great Flood, was thrilled when the young heroine related her experiences on the night of March 17, and applauded heartily at the conclusion of her recital. Julia Ann described graphically how, when the flood waters reached her bedroom win- dow, and the roof of her home was set on fire by the explosion in the nearby Etna Forge and Rivet Co. plant, she rescued her younger sister, Rosel, who cannot swim, by towing her through the icy waters to the roof of a shed some distance from the house. some thing that ne had done. Fortunately, mf .mt r in erm ion home, visiting with my sister in Detroit. Lg' fl r sr.-1 gg, brothel l to throw who were both unable to swim, were saved. IQ' brother ng my futher through the Window into the water. He two? u dr-:Cl 591' BI '-- 1 ter hln so that he hnd something to hold on. burnlrng timer -1 1 about him and he was burned about his head. The horrbr of the people screaming in terror Y :hall nov r fo g't. iight of my neighbors lost their lives 'oe'ore our eyes, nun. by be1nL ourn-ed to death or by drovmlng. It took fully two hours before all the people who hnd token t4 the nuker from the ournlng houses could be taken into boats f-nd on s church which was opened ns an emergency sratlon. I certalnl, Joi want unotner flood like this to Brin, dlsonfxter rl udold d,mu,g- BNI Of our people. Please h-:ll ur fo this -na, vi r rr-linen nugaxn. Miss Wolfinger, and Mrs. Edmonds fher chaperonel boarding the train for Washington, D.C. no N. Y, , f ,-.., :Jia , fe 5 5 -5-:, X, X. A - , V v , . x' L-- lfftlgx XXX ,fy f l lx ' i ,Ffa D. at , i l Yioonl , , . f- at Arlo. Nqfvodg eu ,F L K I , ,, be 1 5 1 ei l 5 K. E I X MM Nfnrjfrriv ' D esfeouo CNN' Z l Oily KX XV 1 , 35 rprrssundif 9 CQNLMQUUH G - s A oA K Ou Y Q, 1 Q 111' 0-J NS OWN G I 5 Ge ANNA ce, W fa rm I - 5 oc nuns e I 3 wmv ,' ri-in one 1 EJ 'I li N' Ubwli' ----- - - .., me n nf... fm' T ,' u o as own ff .X QMD Map of flood control program 77

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775 'J I V 'lvflvip ' xv- fi' L 1 .1 ' , uf X .Q V-yr... 3. R Union Street Fire - I 'Y VV. N 4.- YL V Q-, xi 0 4' ' f Y 1 F gli :1 m i 'L .:i?dlff. i-'L ' 3' f.. -N L Tj- A fjfgf N-H -K I ..sv'g1.+A.T,,.1 '. 1 , Q: ,. ey, ' 5. 2 --Mn 'imf2'f' J T' X- -.131 it 1 5 'vi ' 1' A- 1 f f N f--, ' - , 4 1 1 1 fc' ,L ,,, Q VAX F k V L Y , 1 , 2 Etna Forge and Bolt Burned Down LEFT Etna Forge and Bolt WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18 At 4- A.M. Wednesday morning the water level stood at 39.1 ft. Most of lower Etna was under water, and the entire area was immobilized. Suddenly in the early morning hours, tragedy struck when 7 persons I5 children and 2 adultsj were killed in a fire that resulted from an explosion of the Etna Forge and Bolt Co. which was on Union St. The victims were trapped in a row of frame houses which were across from the factory. Because of the high water, and flames, the roaring inferno became their deathbed. John Bendig an eye witness to the blast recalls: 'There she was in the burning house holding her baby out of a window and screaming a prayer for God to save her Child. After a while she dropped the baby into the water which was better than burning, then attempted to climb out of the window when the wall caved in on herf, The waters crested early that evening at 46.1 ft., and the task of rebuilding lay ahead for thousands. '-- i....i Row of houses where 7 lost their lives Cnotice ,Water level during the firej