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Subject: [PA McKEAN] Floods
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 01:36:45 GMT

From:

A Pocket of Peace, History of Bradford 1879-1979, by: Mary Ann Johnston,
1979.

Page 55--chapt: XVII


We did have a warning when Tuna Creek started flowing over Mechanic Street
Bridge at a depth of twelve inches. It was the first time since 1895 that
the span had been under water. A series of torrential cloudbursts,
unprecedented in years, unleashed their fury and destruction over a six
county area. They tore the community of Bradford, one of the largest
centers of population, apart and put much of the town under water.

In 1946 The Bradford Era headlines were and inch high. "Flood Waters Cause
Half Million Dollars Damage to Business, Residential Areas" and the
terrible story went on to recount how the angry waters of Tuna Creek,
swollen by five days of steady rain, burst their banks and forced nearly
one hundred families out of their homes. The principal streets were a
boiling, seething mess, but there were no casualties.

Industries planned shut downs, and merchants in the downtown business
district, caught by the suddenness of the flood, counted hundreds of
dollars worth of loss in merchandise

The force exerted by the sweeping waters hit the vital rail transportation
lines as the tracks of the Erie Railroad were washed out north of Mill
Street and at Limestone the Baltimore and Ohio officials reported disaster.

Water carrying dark brown silt coursed its way through the lobbies of both
the Holley and the Emery, forcing them to suspend operations. Water swept
into cellars, first floors and seeped beneath the doors of the newspaper
office, as newsmen worked on floors covered with papers to sop up the
water. Pressmen labored to keep press and motors dry.

Part 2 next message.

Tom newton

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