Oakhurst Collegiate School - Acorn Yearbook (Cincinnati, OH)

Page 20 text:

18 THE ACORN SOME ASPECTS OF T HE FLOOD , O the world in general, the recent hood with all its horrors has been ,4 relegated to history, but to those in the Hooded region, it is still very, very real, and were it not for the all-saving sense of humor, which will crop out, no matter how serious the event, the suHerers would have been an extinct species long ago. In Piqua, Ohio, one daily paper was presumably put out of business, but two days after the deluge, there appeared at the various subscribers doorsteps a printed sheet so small as almost to deserve the use of the microscope, which announced bravely that it had come back to stay and that it was the ltFirst Flood Edition. This paper cheerily sought out the funny episodes, and dedicated a whole page to the task of making people laugh. Verity, the twenty-fifth of March was moving ,day, but unfortunately people generally prefer to have some say in the manner in which the move is made, so they were most ungrateful at the high-handed way Her Highness, the water, changed their habitations. In Piqua, two nights in succession people went scut- tling up the hills, west of town, like bugs out of a burning log, and returned to find their respectable dwellings standing upon their heads, 01' balancing freak- ishly upon their corners. A day or so later an advertisement like this seemed quite natural: FOR SALE. Buff-colored house, resting upon corner of Greene and Spring Streets. Apply, etc. A perfectly good house it was, too, although slightly unbalanced. A man living near Piqua had just completed a snug little house, when it was transplanted Over night to an empty lot across the street, Nothing daunted, the man immediately bought the lot, moved his household goods into his new home, and took up his abode on the new site. Another house was picked up and deposited in three neat sections several blocks from its original abiding place. A week later a chicken coop belonging to the building was discovered some distance down the river, with all the chickens caekling happily as they went about their business. They had laid twenty eggs during the excitement! The first night of the flood, when the water was rising over the town by leaps and bounds, and people were being swept down stream before help could get to them, a man whose stinginess is proverbial, was heard calling despairingly from his porch roof. A neighbor called over to find out his plight, so as to send suitable aid. The reply was thus: Oh, help! help! There goes my best tin pail down the street and I cant catch it.

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THE ACORN 1'7 throw the ball to third, it slipped and rolled towards the pitcher's box. Jack sprang forward, for he knew that in about four more seconds the man would reach third, and instantly threw the ball, not knowing whether the man was safe or out, until at last the umpire raised his hand and yelled, nOut! The game was over and they had won! Jack could not believe it until the coach rushed up and wrung his hand, declaring, much to Jacks embarrassment, that he had won the day. Needless to say, the boys quickly gathered around him; even Emerson, who felt pretty low-spirited, came up to him and said: HNice work, old man; nice work! tHELEN PAYNE, 1914.

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THE ACORN 19 tt-Certainly, Mr. Ke, came the reply from across the depths. uCertainly. Ilm right in the rescuing business tonight. Tin pails and people, it doesnlt matter, It was a profitable evening for Mr. Key for he spent the better part of it fishing for household articles that floated past his house, gathering a nice assortv ment of goods. It is an ill wind that blows nobody good? A great many interesting sights were missed. owing to the fact that the water was too deep to wade or too swift to swim. It must be added, however, that during the days that streets were designated as nsm:h4!.nd-such canalf' people had no desire to go sight seeing, because in the Erst place it meant using a boat that might otherwise be in use for rescue work, and in the second place; the sights were too horrible to visit voluntarily, and in the third place there was too much doing at each individual house in caring for those who were homeless. By the end of the flrst week, people had become accustomed to hearing, in reply to the question, ilHow did you fare ?l, lth, better than some. We lost all of our household goods, but we are all alive.n It is heart-breaking to go over the sections, now barren wastes, that were such a short time ago thickly populated districts. Occasionally a twisted pump protruding from the cobble stones pro- claims that some sort of building has rested there, but there is no stick to bear out the story. Where have these houses gone P you may ask. Many of them were frame, and when swept against bridges, were utterly demolished, and the timber may be found, scattered far down the river, along with the other wreckage. a ELEANOR ROGERS, 1913.