By Lawson Gutzwiller
Disaster strikes everywhere without
warning oftentimes causing a mass amount of destruction and peril. In times of
chaos, people may react in many different ways ranging from wanting to express
gratitude to displaying complete and utter disorder. When a tornado struck New
Castle, Indiana on March 11, 1917, it devastated a majority of the city
including houses and major businesses that drove the economy. Some citizens of
the city were panicked, but most of the people in New Castle remained calm and
had a strong yearning to help those in need. The tornado brought about
disastrous destruction, many deaths, injured individuals, a weakened economy,
and many other hardships to New Castle and the surrounding cities that got hit,
but it did not stop New Castle from shining. The era in which the tornado had
struck was post-Civil War, so many people were new to the New Castle area,
therefore, they had hope that New Castle was a safe haven for them. Because of
this profound sense of hope and optimism, the city of New Castle was brought
together to aid in the recovery of the disastrous tornado of 1917.
In the early nineteen hundreds, New
Castle was flourishing. New Castle was the manufacturing center of many popular
goods including steel, iron, automobile parts, caskets, clothing, scales,
bridges, pianos, furniture, handles, bricks, and flour.[1]
Hoosier Manufacturing Company was based in New Castle and they built popular
and cherished kitchen cabinets between 1900 and 1920. New Castle sold over
seven hundred thousand and this proved to be a prominent business for them. Additionally,
the Maxwell-Briscoe automobile company was booming and by 1910, one thousand
two hundred employees worked for this business. The employees produced an
average of 5,000 cars from New Castle.[2]
The Indiana Rolling Mill was also one of New Castle’s largest factories at this
time and it produced an abundance of steel. New Castle’s population tripled
from 1900 to 1920 because of the vast amount of employment and production
opportunities. Many people from North Carolina and Virginia relocated to New
Castle to rebuild their lives after the Civil War, which was another possible
cause of the great expansion of the population. During this time, the Civil War
had been fought in the southern states and had been only of the bloodiest
battles of all time. Indiana often participated in anti-war activities, which
is what led people to its state. Although the state did contribute troops to
the war, it was safer and more peaceful than the aggressive southern states. At
this time, many schools and churches were built in response to the growing
population.[3]
Before the Civil War, New Castle was an obscure town with very few people or
businesses, but because people longed for a better life, New Castle became the
perfect destination for prosperity, hope, and patriotism.
Additionally, just as Chicago is named “The Windy
City,” New Castle had a name attached to it as well. New Castle became known as
the “Rose City” due to its abundance of greenhouses. In New Castle alone, there
were over one hundred greenhouses spread out through the entire city. They
began growing the American Beauty Rose and selling it around the city. The
American Beauty Rose became a symbol of wealth in New Castle and the roses sold
for 36 dollars a dozen.[4]
The name of the popular rose company in New Castle was called The South Park
Floral Company. The famous New Castle Roses were even stared in magazines all
around the country. It became evident throughout the country that New Castle
grew the best roses in America. The fame of the New Castle Roses can be
credited to Myer and Herbert Heller for originally planting the seeds of the
roses. The success of the roses caused a large celebration and unity throughout
the city. When New Castle won the Kansas City Contest for roses, the entire
town of New Castle went wild. Strangers of the town celebrated together and
would congratulate each other. They would even call the greenhouse men their
brothers. A celebration was hosted in the middle of the town as people grabbed
their fiddles and danced.[5]
The roses brought the town together and showed a sense of unity and love
throughout New Castle. The entire city became a community of passion. The roses
sold in New Castle brought in a great amount of money to the city as well.
Along side with the Maxwell automobile industry, New Castle was financially
secure in many ways.
Mid Sunday afternoon of March 11, 1917, a disastrous
Tornado swept through New Castle, Indiana. The tornado was quick and did not
last for a vast amount of time. The storm struck during the warm afternoon and
was about two blocks wide. It hit the western part of the city first and then
quickly moved its way to the eastern part of the city. The tornado swept
through residential sections of the city as well as areas populated by factory
workers and the lower class. The tornado proved to be deadly killing twenty-two
people, injuring hundreds, and demolishing nearly five hundred homes.[6]
The deadly tornado left a trail of destruction throughout New Castle on this dismal
day in March. Daylight highlighted the destruction as people discovered damage
would total up to about one million dollars.[7]
Many of the houses demolished were small-framed structures and the people
living in the houses were paying for it on installment plans. Installment plans
are a credit system in which payments for a piece of merchandise was made in
installments during a period of time. They were very popular and favorable
during this era. Many of the people that had been driving in the storm had to
abandon their cars and run into muddy ditches for protection. For several
hours, communication was cut off because the storm damaged wire communications
from the eastern central part of Indiana.[8]
After some communication was recovered, long distance and toll calls were
limited to three minutes. There were only four circuits available for usage and
for a limited amount of time. There was a constant search throughout the entire
day for missing bodies, but darkness prevented many bodies from being found during
the first day. It was noted that it may take many days for all the missing
bodies to be found considering that it was dark and also because all of the
bodies had been found in the wreckage of their homes; there were still more
bodies elsewhere other than in the wreckage of homes.[9]
Many people had escaped death and injury by running to cellars. Without
cellars, the list of the dead might have been longer than it was originally. Following
the tornado, many fires broke out across the city, but there was a steady flow
of rain to keep the fires from spreading.[10]
The tornado came as a surprise to citizens of New Castle as many said there was
little warning to the approach of the storm. The sky had darkened early in the
afternoon and suddenly a funnel cloud had appeared hanging low in the sky and
heading toward the city quickly. People began seeking shelter and some ran
wildly through the streets. The tornado ended up sweeping through New Castle,
Cincinnati, and Dayton.
Before the tornado, New Castle was financially secure
and flourishing with business and production. The tornado swept through many of
the major businesses. The greenhouses that housed the famous American Beauty
Rose were left in a path of destruction. The fragile glass-covered buildings caved
against the wind and were no longer standing. The rose business, once strong
and prosperous, was never the same again.[11]
In fact, many of the local newspapers had headlines stating “Rose City In
Ruins” providing that the entirety of the city had been demolished. The
greenhouses had suffered one million dollars in property damage and it was
nearly impossible to rebuild the rose business from here on out. The Hill
Floral Company in Richmond, Indiana had also been selling roses at the time of
the devastation and although their roses were not as spectacular as New Castle’s
roses, they were a great deal cheaper. This contributed greatly in the fading
of New Castle’s American Beauty rose in the 1920s.[12]
Historians point World War I as another reason for the limit in exports, which
hurt the rose business as well. Not only was the rose business destroyed, but
the Indiana Rolling Mill, the large factory that produced a mass amount of
steel, had also been demolished. C.W. Mouch, the president of the company, had
been in the offices at the time of the tornado, but he was able to escape
uninjured. New Castle’s local schools had been devastated as well, but the fact
that it was a Sunday, which meant that no children were in school, was
fortunate or there might have been more deaths.[13]
Some interurban railroad tracks had also been destroyed during this time. The
wind picked up two freight cars that were carrying iron and threw them a
distance away from the tracks. Many farms had been ravaged along a twelve mile
stretch leaving many farmers homeless. Farming was their way of collecting an
income; therefore, they were left destitute. The mayor of New Castle, J. Leb
Watkins, was one of the most prominent men in New Castle during this time, but
after the tornado, he was left with nothing but his clothes. His home has been
destroyed and his pocketbook containing a bundle of cash had blown away in the
wind.[14]
A disaster as momentous as this one
needed a great deal of help from people in the city and around the city. The
city had always been full of hope, prosperity, and love ever since people
started gravitating towards New Castle after the Civil War to seek a new way of
life. This array of hope shined brightly as everyone in the city was ready to
help anyone in need. Immediately, carpenters started working on fixing up
buildings that had not been damaged as brutally as the rest. Carpenters had
wagons full of lumber ready to assist wherever was needed. Muncie, Indiana
aided New Castle greatly by rushing three ambulances to New Castle supplied
with medicine and doctors. Not only did Muncie send medical supplies, but they
also sent a squad of police to facilitate in rescuing people.[15]
Additionally, there were citizen’s relief committees set up to take care of the
survivors and these committees worked along side with the American Red Cross
Society. The committees and the American Red Cross Society provided permanent
and temporary relief for the homeless and the injured. Farmers even helped the
devastating city by hauling away broken and shattered wreckage. They also
brought in teams of animals from their farms to help since there were not any
bulldozers during this time. To prevent theft and looting from happening, two
hundred and fifty members of four infantry companies and the Battery A of the
National Guard watched the streets constantly throughout the day until the
wreckage was under control. The citizens of New Castle felt there was order and
organization when the guard was there and they respected their presence.[16]
To gain ever further help, New Castle called Shelbyville’s mayor, Henry
Shoetch, for assistance. Henry Shoetch received a call from John W. Rodgers,
who was appointed in charge of soliciting aid from neighboring towns by New
Castle’s mayor, J. Leb Watkins. Shelbyville, as well as many other neighboring
cities, proved to be extra generous in helping because New Castle had previous
been exceedingly benevolent to other cites when the flood of 1913 occurred.[17]
Financial aid was the greatest element New Castle desired during this time of
despair. Also, The Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce donated meats, potatoes,
flour, and sugar to the people living in New Castle. New Castle had received
more than nine thousand dollars in donations from all around the state of
Indiana. Cities not only in Indiana, but also from Ohio, Illinois, and Texas
devoted their time and money to lend a hand. Shock had been disregarded as it
became overshadowed by compassion.[18] The amount of help received from cities all
around demonstrated that kindness and charity was remarkably prevalent, as hope
remained strong.
Overall, New Castle’s hope and
optimism is what kept the city alive. Although the tornado had swept through
the city demolishing a majority of its houses and business while killing twenty-two
people, the citizens of New Castle did not let that discourage them. New Castle
always had close community even before the tornado hit the city. Before the
tornado, New Castle was prosperous and possessed a booming economy. Its
strengths were in its rose industry that cultivated the American Beauty Rose,
the Maxwell Automobile Company, and the Indiana Rolling Mill that produced mass
amounts of steel. After the tornado, these major businesses were demolished
killing business for some, especially for the American Beauty Rose. New Castle
was fortunate to have a great deal of cities run to its aid. Because New Castle
had expressed generosity to others during the flood previously, other cities
expressed gratitude by jumping to New Castle’s aid in this time of need. The
citizens of New Castle struggled, cried, and mourned because of the devastating
tornado, but made it through with amount hope, optimism, and desire they bared.
This amount of community and teamwork should be existent in every natural
disaster throughout the world because societies can fight through the storm and
come together to fix the brokenness.
Bibliography
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Relatives.” The Shelbyville Democrat,
March 12, 1917, 264.
Darrel Radford. “From ‘Rose
City’ to Ruins.” Courier Times, March
30, 2013.
“New
Castle Plant is a Flagship for Henry County.” Indiana Historical Society, last
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“Newcastle, Ind., Wrecked by
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[1]
“New Castle Plant is a Flagship for Henry County,” Indiana Historical Society,
last modified September 11, 2006.
[2]
“New Castle Plant is a Flagship for Henry County,” Indiana Historical Society,
last modified September 11, 2006.
[3]
Jim Travers, Images of America: New Castle (New Hampshire: Arcadia
Publishing, 2005) 56.
[4]
“When New Castle became ‘Rose City,’” Courier
Times, February 26, 2013.
[5]
“When New Castle became ‘Rose City,’” Courier
Times, February 26, 2013.
[6]
Darrel Radford, “From ‘Rose City’ to Ruins,” Courier Times, March 30, 2013.
[7]
“Newcastle, Indiana March 11, 1917,” The
Fort Wayne Sentinel, March 12, 1917.
[8]
“Tornado Hits Newcastle, Ind.; Over 20 Dead,” The New York Times, March 12, 1917.
[9]
“Tornado Hits Newcastle, Ind.; Over 20 Dead,” The New York Times, March 12, 1917.
[10]
“Newcastle, Indiana Tornado March 11, 1917,” GenDisasters, accessed February
24, 2014.
[11]
Darrel Radford, “From ‘Rose City’ to Ruins,” Courier Times, March 30, 2013.
[12]
“When New Castle became ‘Rose City,’” Courier
Times, February 26, 2013.
[13]
Darrel Radford, “From ‘Rose City’ to Ruins,” Courier Times, March 30, 2013.
[14]
“Newcastle, Indiana Tornado March 11, 1917,” GenDisasters, accessed February
24, 2014.
[15]
“Newcastle, Indiana March 11, 1917,” The
Fort Wayne Sentinel, March 12, 1917.
[16]
“Newcastle, Ind., Wrecked by Tornado,” The
Clinton Saturday Argus, March 16, 1917.
[17]
“Anxiously Awaited News of Relatives,” The
Shelbyville Democrat, March 12, 1917, 264.
[18]
Darrel Radford, “From ‘Rose City’ to Ruins,” Courier Times, March 30, 2013.
