BYBEE-MALOTT : THE FLOOD OF 1913 



199 



The Southeastern Indiana Railroad suffered considerably in 

 the stretch across the wide valley west of Seymour. Not less 

 than three miles of track was washed out, several short stretches 

 of trestle taken away, and the grade badly washed. The damage 

 approximated S20;000. 



The town of Medora suffered considerably on account of the 

 water getting into the houses and damaging household property. No 

 houses were moved or injured otherwise. The personal damage to 

 the town does not come w^ithin the scope of this part of the report, 

 since it treats of the reconstruction work mainly. Furthermore, the 

 personal damage is very difficult to estimate in dollars and cents. 



The total estimated expenditures in Jackson County reached 

 higher than in any other county coming within the area of inves- 

 tigation. They amount to a total of $152,000. 



The expenditures for reconstructional work in the various 

 counties investigated in brief are as follows. 



Morgan $80,000 



Owen 16,300 



Greene.... 57,200 



Daviess 106,000 



Martin 40,300 



Lawrence 47,190 



Jackson ,. 152,000 



Total.... ~- ••• ■'■ S498,990 



Practically ninety-five per cent of the above half-million dollars 

 was spent by corporations. While this money was a direct loss 

 to the corporations and the people as a whole, such a loss is not 

 at all to be compared to the personal losses that were suffered along 

 the river by the private individuals. The losses to the individual 

 land owners, as has been partially brought out elsewhere in this 

 report, mean far more, so far as actual suffering is concerned. Loss 

 of crops, live stock, household goods, and buildings gave individual 

 injuries that in some cases will never be recovered from. It is 

 to be lamented that such losses cannot be much more than guessed 

 at; and again should they be approximated, they would seem small 

 in dollars and cents as compared to the losses that have been given. 

 They were individual, and generally to individuals who could ill 

 afford any loss at all. Renters in some parts of the valley lost 

 practically all that they had. Everyday laborers in the towns, 

 such as Shoals, lost practically all that they possessed. The things 

 in themselves may seem very little, but to the individuals, their 

 loss left the future very dark and gloomy indeed. 



