Ohio River at Cincinnati and Covington

Pieces of the Past

Jim Reis

High Points.

Records show Ohio River

threatened the shorelines

of Northern Kentucky cities

on more than one occasion.

While this month marks the 50th anniversary of the 1937 flood, it is worth noting that the rampages of the Ohio River were once a fact of life in Northern Kentucky.

As one long-time resident recently noted, floods were almost an annual event in the low-lying areas of Northern Kentucky - from California on the east to Bromley on the west.

National Weather Service records at the Greater Cincinnati International Airport list more than 160 Ohio River floods dating back to 1773.

And while none of those floods equaled the 79.99 feet of the 1937 flood, the river has gone over the 70-foot mark on at least two other occasions and beyond the 60-foot mark more than 20 times - in a few instances in the same years.

At the other extreme, there have been many occasions when the Ohio River was shallow enough in the Covington - Newport area for a person to wade across the river. About 10 times the river dipped to less than 3-feet deep and once was listed at only 1.9 feet deep.

The main reason we tend to take the Ohio River for granted today is the system of locks and dams that were designed to keep a more constant water level for river navigation and control floods. These man-made controls have helped prevent some of the extremes in high and low water levels that were once determined only by nature.

The lock and dam system also changed the water level that is considered flood stage.

From 1873 to 1898 flood stage was 45 feet. From 1899 to March of 1922, flood stage was 50 feet and since April of 1922, flood stage has considered 52 feet.

The point where the river depth is measured has also changed over the years. Prior to 1908, the official marking spot was the old Cincinnati Water Works. Then from 1908 to 1934 it changed to the foot of Broadway Street in Cincinnati.

From 1935 to 1946 Cincinnati's West End Power Plant was the designated spot, but since 1947, the place has been a Suspension Bridge pier.

The Weather Service has kept records on the Ohio River for 129 years. Prior to that, flood information was based on newspaper accounts and unofficial estimates.

The earliest flood - which also is believed to have been the second largest ever at 76 feet - is said to have occurred in 1773. Explorers James George and John Medfee reportedly found the Ohio River full, "bluff to bluff" that spring.

Other memorable floods in the late 1700's include 65 feet in 1792 (the year Kentucky became a state) and 62 feet in 1789.

In the early 1800's, memorable floods included 63.6 feet on December 17, 1847, and 62 feet in the spring of 1815.

These early floods struck before most of the river communities, including Covington and Newport, were fully developed; thus, property damage was minor in comparison with later floods. The first flood that left significant property damage occurred in February of 1832.

An account, reprinted several years later in Covington's Daily Commonwealth newspaper, said the 1832 flood began with an extended cold spell in December and January, which froze the river and cause ice jams.

It was that February 18 when the river suddenly rose 22 inches within a 24-hour period, extensively damaging the fledging communities of Newport and Covington. Accounts told of houses undermined and washed away and of food shortages that led to price gouging. Old-timers compared the flood to one in 1793.

The practice of using floods as a memory benchmark dates back many years. After 1832, future generations noted such benchmark years in 1884, 1913, and finally in 1937.

The following is a brief look at some of those floods - and a few low-water occasions - that stand out in the history of Northern Kentucky.

· 1881 — The summer of 1881 was marked by an extended drought. A Kentucky State Journal story in August of 1881 said crops were drying up in the ground and that no amount of rain could probably save them.

Another story that month said Pendleton County farmers were taking turns standing guard along the railroad tracks. They feared a spark from a passing train might start a brush fire.

A 30-hour rain on September 15 and 16 was swallowed up by the parched soil, leaving little evidence it had even rained. The all-time Ohio River low mark at Covington was recorded the next day, September 17. The river was only 1.9 inches deep.

Since the opening of the Markland Dam in 1963, the Ohio River pool stage - the ideal level of the river maintained by the locks and dams during normal weather conditions - is now about 25 feet.

After the September 17, 1881, low mark, it was another week before enough rain fell to swell the Ohio River enough for most shipping to resume. A story a week later said there was a backlog of 150 coal barges waiting to make the trip down the river to Northern Kentucky.

· 1883 - Only 17 months after the record low-water mark, the Ohio River flooded in February of 1883.

A story on February 13 said the suffering and damage was "unparalleled," and the river was still rising. A third of Newport was flooded with water creeping into second- and third-story windows.

Businesses were closed, rescue boats organized and relief campaigns started.

The river crested at 66.3 feet on February 15. In one day, February 19, more than 3,500 loaves of bread, 710 pounds of meat, 16 barrels of potatoes, and uncounted amounts of cheese, cabbage, soup, and other items were passed out to the needy in Newport.

· 1884 - Almost a year to the day after the 1883 flood, Northern Kentuckians were again routed from their homes by a flood. This time the river rose four feet higher, not peaking until it reached 71.1 feet on February 14.

Newspaper accounts listed more than 3,000 homes under water and 15,000 people homeless. Rescue crews from as far away as Cleveland and Buffalo were brought in to help transport flood victims and to aid relief efforts.

Rescue workers tried to salvage damaged buildings and retrieve lumber and other items that had floated out of businesses. A reporter noted that one floating house was actually "caught" and tied to a coal barge on the Licking River to keep it from being swept into the Ohio River current.

That was obviously a year of extremes as the river later dried up to only 2.5 feet on September 26.

· 1907 - The Suspension Bridge, which 30 years later would be the only Ohio River bridge to remain open during the 1937 flood, became the place to watch the flood of January 1907.

An estimated 10,000 people, during just one day, January 19 - paid for the privilege of walking onto the Suspension Bridge to view the flood. The Suspension Bridge was privately owned then and people had to pay to use it.

Many of the "modern" households of the period, which had installed gas lines for heating and cooking before the flood occurred, had to quickly dust off their old coal stoves or go out and find new ones when gas lines were cut off. Streetcar service, used daily by workers, also was hampered or stopped because of high water.

Unusually high winds added to the problem. Buildings were ripped from their foundations by the flood and then blown over by extremely high winds. Bromley roads were cut off by the flood; the city was especially hard hit with several homes knocked over and washed away.

The river crested at 65.2 feet on January 21, but two months later floodwaters returned, peaking at 62.1 feet on March 19.

1908 - In October, the Ohio River officially was listed at less than 3 feet deep for the last time. The river dipped to 2.6 feet on October 6 after a long dry spell that hit tobacco dealers especially hard.

The dry spell not only stunted the crops, but the shallow river level hindered many farmers from taking their meager crops to market.

Since 1908, the yearly low river mark has gradually increased. With only a few exceptions, such as 1927 when it dipped to 5.3 feet, the Ohio River has not dropped below 10 feet since 1935.

1913 - The Ohio River topped the 60-foot level twice.

The river crested January 14 at 62.2 feet and on April 1 it barely missed the 70-foot mark, edging up to 69.9 feet.

Newport and Dayton were especially hard hit in the April flood. About 60 blocks in Newport were under water and 12,000 people were homeless. Dayton reported more than 3,200 people forced from their homes.

Knowledge of and concern about the spread of disease marked this flood. Many headlines included warnings from health officials, who told people to boil their water, to use soap and water to wash down their flooded homes, and to see a doctor at the first sign of illness.

High schools also were asked to encourage their students to help city, county, and state crews in the clean-up efforts. The city of Dayton enlisted the help of "malingerers," those who seek relief but never provide it.

1933 - The Ohio River flooded on March 21 and May 15.

1936 - The river flooded twice again, on March 20 and April 10.

The year had begun with an extended freeze that created an ice jam on the Ohio River. That was followed by a snow storm on January 21, which triggered a two-week cold wave.

The heavy snow and prolonged freezing spell led to a flood when the thaw hit. By March 19, 35 bocks of Newport were under water and 500 families in Newport and Covington had been forced from their homes.

By March 21, 1,000 families were homeless. Dayton, Silver Grove, and Augusta were added to the list of inundated cities.

The flood reached 60.6 feet on March 28 and 2,065 families were homeless.

The river finally returned to its banks April 11.

1937 - The worst flood in the history of Northern Kentucky began with several days of rain in early January.

A front-page picture in the Kentucky Post on January 15 showed water gushing down a waterfall on Banklick Creek and termed it a scenic site. U.S. meteorologist W. C. Devereaux was quoted the day before predicting there would be no flood.

But by January 19 the Ohio River was above its 52-foot flood stage. Officials said it would not go above the 60-foot mark. Within two days it was above 66 feet and heavy rains were falling.

By "Black Sunday," January 24, flood waters were above 79 feet.

A Kentucky Post story the next day listed the toll: 50,000 families were homeless, damage was estimated at more than $1 million, water was being rationed, electric power was limited to public services. Ludlow was 25 percent under water; Covington and Bellevue, 40 percent; Newport, 55 percent; Dayton, 60 percent; Bromley, 70 percent; and Brent, Silver Grove, Melbourne, California, and the rest of eastern Campbell County were totally under water.

The only Ohio River bridge open to traffic was the Suspension Bridge, which was kept open by building a ramp in Covington from the bridge to Fifth Street.

The river crested on January 26. Many said it peaked at 79.99 feet, but others say it went above 80 feet. The official crest was listed as 79.99 because insurance companies threatened to back out of coverage if the river went above 80 feet. Another story said the man making the measurements bet that the flood would not go over 80 feet.

At a time when the county was going through a depression and money was worth more than it is today, damage was estimated at $6 million.

1947 - Construction of floodwalls, which had been seriously discussed after the 1937 flood but delayed because of World War II, was revived by the flood of 1947.

On the day the river crested at 69.2 feet, the Kentucky Post reported 2,000 families homeless in Campbell County and 500 in Kenton County. Patients at Speers Hospital in Dayton were moved to higher ground at Dayton High School and four Army amphibious jeeps were brought in to help in rescue efforts.

1964 - The biggest flood in the last 40 years hit in March.

By that time, floodwalls were in place in Covington and Newport, minimizing the damage in those cities, but the cities along the Licking River were hard hit. Falmouth was about 75 percent under water.

Water climbed in Dayton, which had no floodwall, on Fifth Avenue up to the block bounded by Main and Clay streets. The river peaked at 66.2 feet on March 11. The small Campbell County city of California was declared a disaster area.

President Lyndon B. Johnson toured the Northern Kentucky area by plane to view the flood damage.

That flood renewed efforts for a Dayton floodwall, which was dedicated in September 1982.

National Weather Service records show more floods have occurred in March than any other. Other likely months for floods are February, January, and April.