274th post

QUOTE (S) FOR THIS POST

"Are earthly disasters just a natural occurrence of nature or is God trying to

tell us something?"

Forrest Caricofe

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BACK TO OUR HOUSE ON OTTOBINE ROAD....

CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY....

"Father only went to or graduated the 8th grade and I'll tell you more about that

tomorrow...." that building where Father went to school is still there today and is 

now the Blue Ridge Christian School.

At this point in time, if I'm about 12 years old, it is 1954 and the building is still in

in use as Bridgewater High School as far as I know. 

As I was sitting in the back seat along with Roland and Nancy and not picking on

each other or tussling, my mind went back to my slight remembrances in time 

to 1949. I was about 5 years old and vaguely remember the great Bridgewater 

Flood of that year.


The Harrisonburg-Rockingham  Historical Society Newsletter 

Story by Dale Harter

The Flood of 1949 in Bridgewater

".... As floods, hurricanes and other natural disasters have plagued many parts 

of the United States in the first decade of the 21st century, it often seems that 

residents of the central Shenandoah Valley have lived a charmed life. But a

flash flood that hit Rockingham County and northwestern Augusta County in 

June 1949 reminds us that Mother Nature can strike quickly anywhere, and with 

devastating results. Citizens in Bridgewater, in particular, suffered the brunt 

of this flood.

On Saturday, June 18, 1949, Harrisonburg’s Daily NewsRecord greeted readers 

with shocking headlines: “FLOOD WATERS SWEEP BRIDGEWATER, Families Are

Caught In Homes As North River On Rampage.” Between midnight and 6 a.m., 

the newspaper reported, “The worst flood in the history of the town struck 

Bridgewater early this morning, inundating practically the entire community,

causing possible loss of life, doing thousands of dollars worth of damage and 

causing hundreds of persons to be evacuated from their homes.”

Because the flood struck so quickly and during the dark of night, most of the 

town’s residents rode out the storm in their homes. Before dawn had broken, 

private citizens, firemen from both of Harrisonburg’s fire companies, soldiers

from the local National Guard company, workers from the American Red Cross 

and State Police troopers began arriving to help the beleaguered citizens.

The cause of the flood, according to a bulletin published the following year by 

Virginia’s Department of Conservation The Harrisonburg-Rockingham

Historical Society Newsletter

  .... Donald S. Wallace, department commissioner, said the flood was “a most 

unusual one,” with “the runoff on a per squaremile basis being as high as 1,800 

cubic feet per second from very small watersheds.” Orville D. Mussey, a 

hydraulic engineer who compiled the state bulletin, reported that the highest 

rate of runoff came from the North River’s drainage area above Stokesville, in 

Augusta County. Runoff from the tributaries of Briery Branch, Spring Creek and

Mossy Creek also contributed to the flooding. At the same time, northwest of 

town, the rain-engorgedDry River had been unable to flow normally into the

flooded North River. With nowhere else to go, Dry River had broken through its 

banks in what the Daily NewsRecord described as “a wall of water more 

than 15 feet deep.” The rushing water then had cut a swath diagonally southwest 

across the town to North River. This path followed Dry River’s original bed that 

earlier had connected with the North River at the community of Berlinton, east of

Bridgewater.

The Daily News-Record that was published two days after the flood brought local 

readers the first photographs of the flood and the sad news of two deaths. 

Margaret Frances Bricker had drowned after her house was swept away by the

diverted Dry River, and Mrs. C. R. Bowman had drowned after she left the safety 

of her house to try and escape theflood. Bricker’s oldest daughter, 12-year-old 

Betty, was rescued at daybreak by two Bridgewater citizens, Alvin Kline Jr. and 

Maynard Southard, but her youngest, 9-year-old Frances, was still unaccounted 

for. The newspaper also detailed the property loss: at least 100 homes damaged 

or swept away; every business damaged “from Dinkel Avenue to the North 

River;” numerous garages destroyed; 25-30 automobiles damaged or missing; 

and portions of the town’s paved streets “torn to pieces.” Allen S. Harvey, 

Bridgewater’s town sergeant and fire chief, estimated the cost in dollars to be 

as high as $1 million. In the days to follow, citizens from Harrisonburg and 

Rockingham County banded together with the people of Bridgewater to repair 

damages and return a sense of normalcy to their lives. Citizen soldiers from 

Company M, the National Guard unit in Harrisonburg, were among the first to 

arrive in Bridgewater and established their headquarters in North Hall, the 

men’s dormitory at Bridgewater College. The dormitory also served as 

headquarters for the State Police and the Rockingham County Sheriff and was 

used by some citizens as temporary living quarters. From the campus, the 

soldiers and law enforcement officers spread out across the town to man 

roadblocks on the outskirts, patrol the streets to prevent looting and search 

the river banks for missing persons. Volunteers from the American Legion

and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts in Harrisonburg joined them in these 

efforts. Other volunteers gathered in the Bridgewater High School

(now Blue Ridge Christian School), on Dinkel Ave., beginning with a group of 

women from Dayton who brought food, water and an oil stove to prepare hot 

meals for volunteers. They were followed by members of the Rockingham 

County chapter of the American Red Cross, who set up their operations in 

the school to provide citizens with food, medical attention, clothing and 

temporary shelter. A local Red Cross member reported that hundreds of people 

were fed daily at the school during the week following the flood. Local doctors 

and nurses also used the facility to provide inoculations to prevent typhoid.

Although the rainfall and flooding affected other parts of Rockingham County, 

and destroyed every house in the small hamlet of Stokesville, in Augusta County, 

Bridgewater arguably suffered the most in terms of both lives and money lost.

Bridgewater experienced the only fatalities, including Frances Bricker, whose 

body was found by searchers one week after the flood.

According to Virginia’s Department of Conservation and Development, 

Bridgewater accounted for 40 percent of the more than $2 million in total 

damages in Rockingham, Augusta and Highland counties. The U. S. Department 

of Agriculture’s Soil Conservation Service estimated damages in Bridgewater

alone amounted to $750,000.

On the one-year anniversary of the flood, the Daily NewsRecord reported, “. . . 

the damaged structures have all been repaired, and the town is now spic and 

span with fresh paint and new construction.” The town also had begun 

negotiating

with the federal government for the creation of a levee designed to prevent any 

future flooding from Dry River. That levee became a reality in Dec. 1951 when 

the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers completed a nearly one-mile long structure

northwest of town. 

Just how long it took for life in the town to really return to normal is debatable, 

remembered Harry G. M. “Doc” Jopson, who lived across Broad St. from Mrs. 

C. R. Bowman and whose own house was damaged by flooding.

“It depends on what you mean by normal,” said Jopson."


We might have been living on High Street in Dayton when the flood occurred

because I rocked off the back porch and broke my arm around that time 

(5 years old).

I do remember Father going to Bridgewater to help out if he could. And I do

remember "Doc" Jopson.



WORLD

“Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet has free 

access to the sum of all human knowledge."

—Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia

I contributed another donation to Wikipedia today and I believe it was well

worth. I have used the resources of Wikipedia numerous times and you

know, like me, it's FREE.


HEALTH

QUOTE (S) FOR THIS POST

"Wild caught small fish are always better for your health than hot dogs, made of

leftover beef or hog parts, at Jess's Lunch."

Forrest Caricofe

Google search: About 40,600 results (1.50 seconds) 

No results found for "Wild caught small fish are always better for your health than 

hot dogs, made of leftover beef or hog parts, at Jess's Lunch."


I told you yesterday that I was going to phone Dr. Kwok's office and get an

appointment. Well, I phoned and Elizabeth, the receptionist, gave me an 

agreed upon time of 4:00 PM EDT. 

I first went to the Wooster Eye Center because I had run out of my night eye

drops (Latanoprost). I've had no drops for about five days, the bottle just 

blowing air when I squeezed it. They were patient friendly as usual and gave

a sample of a similar eye-drops that would last until I could pick up from Rite

Aid my regular eye drops on December 12.

I then went to Walmart and picked two large bottles of low sodium V-8, a large

bottle of  Herring in Wine Sauce, two small bottles of strawberries (produced 

and made in China and me thinking about the workers in China maybe 

making 25 cents an hour USD because the bottles were only $1 a piece). I then

to my favorite aisle, the fish aisle, and picked up some Pacific wild caught 

sardines and more herring in canes which just fit a sandwich.

I then drove, like Father, fast to Dr. Kwok's office. 

I learned to drive that way when I was in Las Vegas because everyone else 

drove fast and Mother's 1986 Honda Accord responds immediately to the 

gas or brake pedal and takes turns like a jack rabbit.

I entered the good doctor's office and didn't have to wait long before they 

called out my name "Forrest." I said "what do you want" and everybody

laughed. One of the two Jesssicas weighed me in like a prize fighter and 

then lead me to a patient office. I had a list of things I needed to ask just

like the advice of the NIH's article in my story of yesterday. She took my

vitals and I gave to her verbally the questions I had. 

Jessica then left and said that Dr. Kwok would be in shortly. When Dr. Kwok

came in I told him what a good doctor I thought he was and I said "did I ever 

say that before." And us both knowing that I do that every visit, he said with

a gentle smile "yes, I think you have."

And because the entire office is patient friendly I'll keep on praising them 

because that's the southern way of doing things.

When Dr. Kwok had finished answering my questions and I his, he left the 

office and saying that I would have prescriptions to pickup at Rite Aid and

that Jessica would be back in shortly. She came back in soon with 5 shots to

be given. Three in my left buttock and me standing on my right leg only and 

two in my right buttock and standing on my left leg only. You can imagine 

this only if you are looking at my butt side.

I was later given a breathing treatment which was suppose to be 5 minutes

and lasted for 8, Jessica saying when she returned that she lost track of time.

Sure she did?

After I left the room I went to the checkout desk were I asked Elizabeth about

her kids and she said and smiled a "thank you."

I left the office quickly because it was approaching 5:00 PM EDT and I knew 

I would have to get back to the house before it became completely dark. My

cataracts and Claucoma constrict my night vision and I'm lost while driving

in the complete darkness of the night. But I made just in time exceeding speed

limits of 55 mph with speeds of 60 to 65 mph.


QUOTE (S) FOR THIS POST

"Paid protesters of today are not aiming for a better future, but are wanting 

to return to the same old past."
  
Forrest Caricofe

Google search: About 1,320,000 results (1.13 seconds) 

No results found for "Paid protesters of today are not aiming for a better future, 

but are wanting to return to the same old past."


US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Newsmax

The Trump Transition

Reports: Trump Seeks Top-Secret Clearance for His Kids

CNN: Trump's Cabinet Selection Process a 'Knife Fight'

Report: Sen. Sessions Top Candidate for Defense Secretary

Gallup Poll: Americans Think Trump Will Reduce Unemployment

Gingrich: If Giuliani Wants Secretary of State 'He'll Get It'

Putin, Trump Talking About Building 'Enduring' Relationship

Rush: Trump Would Win Popular Vote If Needed

Glenn Beck: Trump Strategist Steve Bannon Is 'a Terrifying Man'

Dan Rather: Trump Response to Climate Change 'Alarming'

McCaughey: Trump Will Protect Those on Obamacare

Report: RNC Spent 6 Cents Per Voter Registered

Obama: Dems Going Through 'Healthy' Self Examination

Obama: GOP's Criticism of Iran Deal Rhetoric, Not Reality

Kerik: Paid Agitators, Politicians Fuel Anti-Trump Rage

Trump Considering Woman, Openly Gay Man for Posts

Ana Navarro: Trump's Appointments 'Very Concerning'

Trump Eyes Oil Billionaire, Lawmaker for Energy Secretary

Gen. Michael Hayden: Time to Support Trump as President-Elect

Planned Parenthood Supporters Donating in Mike Pence's Name

Michael Savage: Priebus the 'Enemy Within' the GOP

Ex-Navy SEAL Higbie: Trump's First Choices Will Follow His Agenda


Weather for Smithville, Ohio

Today                          PARTLY_CLOUDY         58° 40°

Wed                             PARTLY_CLOUDY         56° 36°

Thu                              SUNNY                              62° 44°

Fri                                MOSTLY_SUNNY           67° 42°

The Weather Channel - Weather Underground - AccuWeather

I went out to the garage (6:21 AM 11/15/2016 EDT) this morning to make my 

second pot of coffee and my first fish sandwich. I had oysters packed in cotton

seed oil with a protein content of 14g. Delicious as always.

The temperature is about 35°, not the forecasted temperature from above.

Last night the clouds covered the waning moments of the Super Moon in the 

eastern sky, but I could see it clearly now in the western sky.

And in looking at the weather forecast from above, I should be able to grass

the bare spots in the yard and finally, and I mean finally, plant the rest of the

flower bulbs.


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