PROMISES MADE IN THE ATTIC
Dayton vows never to let another flood tragedy happen there again
The following was taken from a speech written by George B. Smith, who was President of the Dayton Chamber of Commerce at the time of the 1913 flood. Although not dated, the speech seems to have been written many years after the flood had occurred. Excerpts from the speech tell of the time in May, 1913 when an idea was beginning to form, a plan to prevent the flood waters from ever harming the city of Dayton or its citizens again.
We who live in the Miami Valley, and in the area of southwestern Ohio designated as The Miami Conservancy District, have had repeated reminders of our harrowing experiences during the memorable Flood of 1913. It was the major catastrophe of our entire history...
Our minds naturally go back to the days that followed our great disaster and to the men and women who strove so hard to provide for us the assurance that such a calamity could not again occur in our community. Several names appear notably among the many who did heroic work at that time. Three of those benefactors stand out most prominently: - Adam Schantz, Colonel Edward A. Deeds, and John H. Patterson. I have a very distinct recollection of the visit of Mr. Schantz to my home one evening soon after the waters had gone down. He stated that he had a matter on his mind that he wanted to discuss with someone, so he came to me as President of the Dayton Chamber of Commerce. It was an audacious thing to suggest, he remarked, but he considered that the great crisis called for the most daring plans for meeting it.
He proposed that the citizens of Dayton and vicinity undertake the task of raising one million dollars as an emergency fund with which to obtain the best engineering advice and the surest methods of devising a plan for flood prevention or control in whatever way the greatest security could be afforded. He was very much in earnest about the matter and offered to start the list of contributions with a very substantial amount by his own immediate business and family group.
A meeting was called in a day or two, and the idea of asking our stricken people to raise so large an amount of money so closely upon the heels of our great common disaster, at first appalled those present, but after the ardent presentation of the idea by Mr. Schantz and others, the group enthusiastically and heroically set about to form an organization to put the plan into immediate execution. They, however, increased the amount to be raised to two millions of dollars instead of one million as at first suggested.
The great work of Mr. Patterson, Colonel Deeds, and others, is too well known to need extended mention here. Hundreds of workers went out to call upon our citizens and they received very generous responses, but when only a day remained in which to complete the amount, there yet remained over $403,000.00 to be raised. Mr. Patterson sent out over 500 invitations to citizens to come to the N.C.R. Schoolhouse at 3:30 Sunday afternoon for the final effort to complete the amount.
A great crowd assembled there and bands enlivened the meeting with stirring music, while Mr. Patterson inspired the great throng by his own enlivening enthusiasm, by flood pictures on the screen, and by his thrilling appeal to those present to “DOUBLE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS”. Colonel Deeds followed with the story of the plans of the Citizens’ Committee and the Flood Prevention Committee. Arthur E. Morgan, who had been called to Dayton from Memphis, Tennessee, declared in a short address that “the fundamental principle here is the spirit of Dayton”, and further gave his word that the physical condition of the valley was such that the prevention of floods was an engineering feat that could be accomplished provided the moral and financial backing of the people of Dayton were given. Amid the tremendous applause that met this announcement, Mr. Patterson came to the front and wrote upon a chart “It looks as if we could make it”, then upon another chart he wrote the word “Today” with a question mark after the word.
The group uproariously accepted the challenge, and already a number were on their feet to announce their desires to double their subscriptions. With their hearts full but the purses nearly empty, they were inspired to forget their immediate distress, their own heavy losses, and respond in a way never before witnessed in our community. There were not only doublers, but treblers, quadruplers, and quintuplers, as they called themselves, many of them standing on their chairs and shouting to be recognized and recorded.
Only their love for Dayton, their pride of citizenship, their loyalty to the traditions and the worth of their community, now dearer to them than ever before in its pitifully stricken condition could impel them to such sacrifice and to such benevolent motives. But the goal was still far from being reached. At a dramatic moment, Mrs. Carnell announced that The National Cash Register Company was ready to double its original subscription of $250,000.00 and — that put it over. Then pandemonium reigned, and everyone seemed to sense the great fact that a new day was dawning for Dayton. At 8:30 that evening, after five hours in the strenuous meeting, the great crowd formed in parade fashion behind the band, Mr. Patterson and Mrs. Carnell heading the procession, and we all marched victoriously up Main Street to the corner of Third Street, hundreds of Roman candles and plenty of red fire enlivening the occasion.
When we reached the Old Court House lawn, where a huge replica of a Cash Register indicated the grand total of $2,150,000.00, then from the throats of the tens of thousands of our people gathered in the streets that night there went up such a roar of jubilation and enthusiastic approval as could leave no doubt of the ultimate consummation of the great project, and the touching slogan of the campaign, displayed on a huge banner mounted across the upper front of the classic old structure, “REMEMBER THE PROMISE YOU MADE IN THE ATTIC” seemed to have found its way into the hearts of our people to the end that a great and good work was already well begun.
The $2 million dollars was but the start of a project that led to the building of five dams. The citizens of Dayton did remember the promises they had made, and the city has benefited ever since from their generosity.
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