Great St. Patrick's Day Flood, 1936: Ambridge stories

 

Unidentified boy looking at train on flooded railroad tracks,
east side of American Bridge Co., at the Ambridge Station 
St. Patrick's Day Flood, 1936
postcard
personal collection

The cause of the 1936 St. Patrick's Day flood—the biggest natural disaster in the history of the Pittsburgh region—has been blamed on weeks of abnormal weather. First a prolonged cold spell allowed an unusual amount of snow and ice to accumulate. Then, just before St. Patrick's day, a sudden rise in temperature caused a rapid melt. And if those weren't problematic enough, an hours-long downpour added to the amount of water that had already been rising out of local streams and along the banks of Pittsburgh's rivers. Previously unimaginable destruction and death followed in Pittsburgh and many other river communities. 

During the overnight hours of March 17, the Ohio River began to rise in Ambridge. Although located along the river, Ambridge was relatively lucky thanks to its natural topography and to the American Bridge Company's occupation of most of the riverfront. American Bridge, though, wasn't so lucky.

The "crackerbox" tenements that had once stood on the river bank between 9th and 10th street, and flooded in 1907, were gone by 1936. Reportedly, only some of the Ambridge houses on Bank St. along Big Sewickley Creek were flooded. (But neighboring Fair Oaks, on the opposite, lower bank of the creek, wasn't as fortunate. See the photo below.) The rest of Ambridge—homes, businesses, and, with the exception of American Bridge, industries—were high enough above the flood water that they were spared. 

Flooding in Fair Oaks along Big Sewickley Creek, 
opposite Ambridge
photo was taken from the upper part of Ambridge's Glenwood Dr.,
houses in the foreground are on Valley Rd.
March 1936
courtesy Ambridge Borough

Importantly, no Ambridge resident was reported as drowning in the deep, swift, muddy, and debris-filled floodwater. 

However, Ambridge experienced the same disruption of transportation, news, electricity, gas, phone, and telegraph service as other communities, not only along the river, but beyond.

Duquesne Light Co. substation
across Big Sewickley Creek from Ambridge,
Beaver St., Fair Oaks
March 1936 flood
courtesy Ambridge Borough

Roads were blocked by water, mud, or rockslides, making travel in or out of Ambridge pretty much impossible. Trucks that usually delivered food and other vital supplies could not make the trip into Ambridge. Rail service was suspended; a train was stranded on flooded tracks at the Ambridge station. 

Electric service was iffy and eventually limited to Ambridge's water plant, dairies, bakeries, and the phone company. Streets were unlit; buildings were lit by candles, flashlights, lanterns, and fireplaces for several days. Burgess P. J. Caul issued a special notice on March 20: 

Gas service in Ambridge from 8th St. south was shut off for several days as a safety precaution. As a result, many homes and businesses were unheated and stoves inoperable. 

Ambridge schools were closed until March 23 because they had no lights and heat.

Phone service was limited to emergency calls to the police and fire departments, doctors, drug stores, industrial plants, news offices, and other places that might need to be contacted if there was an emergency.

A big worry was that the Ambridge Water Works, with its location near the river, and already surrounded by water, might flood. Users were urged to conserve water. Ambridge's industrial plants were closed in the hopes that would ensure enough water for residential use. Fortunately, the Water Works survived the flood without contamination from the Ohio.

The only plant in Ambridge that remained open in the immediate aftermath of the flood was National Electric Co., so it could make critically needed replacement electrical equipment for damaged public utilities. But the company had to rely on its own power and water supplies. Electricity wasn't available from Duquesne Light Co. or water from the borough. 

Mail could not be delivered for two days. Outgoing mail couldn't leave Ambridge either.

The Ohio River finally crested in the Ambridge area at noon, March 18, measuring 44.3 feet at Lock No. 4 in Legionville in Harmony Township, more than 18 feet above flood stage. The flood water continued downstream, making its way towards other river towns in Beaver County, West Virginia, and Ohio. 

The flood at American Bridge Company

American Bridge Co.
Ohio River flood
March 18, 1936
postcard
personal collection

Ambridge's American Bridge, the largest structural steel fabricating plant in the world, seems to have been caught off guard by the amount of water the Ohio was rushing towards it that fateful St. Patrick's Day.

Men working at American Bridge the night of March 17 tried to save some of the plant's important property as the river began to push its way in, but the water came in so fast, and rose so high, the men had to abandon the plant at 3 AM. Plant electricians continued to work in the plant's powerhouse until 8 AM when they had to be rescued by boat. Power to the plant was finally shut off. The water continued to rise. 

On the morning of March 18, men who reported for work were sent home. American Bridge's barge yard and main shops were reportedly covered by two feet of water, a foot higher than during the disastrous 1907 flood. As a result, the plant couldn't operate and so was shut down. The local plant manager said all they could do was wait until the water receded to assess the damage. However, the damage was expected to be more than the "thousands of dollars" incurred during the '07 flood. That expectation turned out to be true, but did not do justice to the final cost of returning American Bridge to operating condition as the water continued to rise to a record eight feet.

On March 19, American Bridge officials said that the plant was still under four or five feet of water, after dropping about three feet from its high mark at 8 PM the day before. Repairs in the plant couldn't begin until the water receded. (Daily Citizen, March 20, 1936)

By March 20, water at American Bridge had receded "to the top of the lower level of the boat yard ways." Cleanup by several hundred employees began that morning. The "reclamation" and "re-conditioning" started in offices, shops, and yards where mud and debris had to be removed. Replacement of records and files destroyed by the flood began. Motors were taken to Ambridge's National Electric Co. plant to be cleaned and dried.

Once the power was turned back on, more workers would be added to complete the cleanup which would require "weeks" to finish. 

Cleanup continuing through April 6, when the all departments finally reopened. However, only the barge yard and a limited number of other departments were back to full operation. Other departments still were unable to fully open because the power plant, while working again, couldn't yet provide enough power. (Daily Times, April 8, 1936)

The Daily Citizen publishes despite obstacles

Getting news in 1936 wasn't always quick and easy in ordinary times, but for a while during and after the flood, finding out what was happening was much more difficult than usual. 

Most people relied on local newspapers and, maybe a radio if they, or a neighbor, were lucky enough to own one during the depression years. 

But without electricity, radio stations couldn't broadcast. Pittsburgh's powerhouse station KDKA could only broadcast intermittent alerts and emergency information. And without electricity, Ambridge residents couldn't hear radio news anyway. Battery operated radios weren't common then, and the batteries required electrical recharging. 

Ambridge's Daily Citizen found gathering and printing the news to be quite a challenge, but they, with the generous help of newspapers from neighboring towns, made a valiant effort.

The morning United Press news report usually delivered to Ambridge's train depot didn't come on March 18. UP's Pittsburgh office was flooded, so the Citizen had to get most of its stories via long distance calls from Cleveland, Ohio. When UP finally was able to contact the Citizen "by special wire," the reporter had to read the information by flashlight. 

With its gas service cut off, the Citizen couldn't operate the gas-heated linotype machines used for most of its printing. But the Sewickley Herald offered the use of their linotypes, enabling the Citizen to print "a limited amount of copy." The Citizen noted the published paper's unusual appearance, since it was set with the different typefaces used by both newspapers. Beaver's Daily Times also helped by sending "five galleys of their early copy."

Yet another problem arrived two days later when the Citizen's printing plant lost electric power, stopping its ability to print. But the Citizen was able to publish a four page edition, thanks to the Beaver Falls News-Tribune, which allowed the Citizen to use its equipment.

But that wasn't the end of the problems created by the flood. Four days into the flood, all of Beaver County lost electric power, and none of the papers in Beaver County could print. But the Citizen's staff still was determined to print a paper. Here's how they accomplished that with ingenuity, some unusual help from two people in Ambridge, an Ambridge industrial plant which had its own electrical supply, an extraordinary effort by the paper's staff, and finally, the help of a newspaper in neighboring Butler County:

A small motor was dismantled from a washing machine, loaned by [Ambridge business owner] C. F. Milleman, and attached to one of linotype machines.

At 2 o'clock this morning, employees practically dismantled the mangle and sewing machine of Mrs. Anna Ross, 184 Sixth Street, in order to procure the pully and gadgets found necessary for the completion of the primitive but nevertheless effective contrivance. Operators worked all night preparing for today's issue by the light provided by two kerosene lamps, a lantern and flashlights. The entire force was kept busy this morning setting much of the copy by hand. The Citizen's portable saw was moved to the plant of the National Electric Company where their power was used in order to trim all advertising cuts.

Forms and type were then transported by [automobile] to Butler, where the paper was printed on the Butler Eagle press. 

The Ambridge marauders and one man's excuse

A number of out-of-town papers wrote about a mob from Ambridge that had gone to neighboring Leetsdale, a community that had suffered a great deal of flood damage, in order to loot. Leetsdale residents objected. A riot ensued. Leetsdale's police chief had to call the National Guard to help.

Here's the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's March 21 account of the story:

I haven't yet found Ambridge's version of the whole Leetsdale looting story in the Daily Citizen, although according to the March 24 issue, one of the arrested Ambridge men offered an explanation of his actions to a judge:

Joe Gilbert, Bank street, Ambridge, was held under $2,500 bond at a hearing before Judge Ralph Smith, in Allegheny court yesterday on a charge of larceny, and he was committed to the Allegheny county jail.

Gilbert was one of the men arrested by the Leetsdale police for looting in the flooded area. According to Gilbert's story, he had no intention of stealing, but had come across a garage lodged against a tree in the garden flats 300 yards away from any house, and that looking in, he saw a raincoat and a jack, which he thought he was entitled to, since he had found them. Judge Smith, however, thought otherwise.

The March 23 Citizen did say in an article about Leetsdale's flood damage and cleanup that eight of the nine Ambridge men who had been arrested were sent home "with a warning not to be caught back in Leetsdale again" and added:

Twenty-two Leetsdale residents, mostly members of the fire department, were deputized as special police by the [Leetsdale] Burgess and were armed with sawed off shot guns with orders to shoot in the legs anyone caught below the railroad tracks after dark. 

The missing Ambridge boy

Another Ambridge story that made a lot of out-of-town papers was about a missing 16 year-old boy who hadn't come home after visiting his grandmother in South Heights, across the Ohio, a few days after the flood had arrived in Ambridge. Naturally, his parents were frantic and search parties sent out, but they failed to find the boy. However, the story ended with a weird twist. Here's what the Daily Citizen wrote in its Monday, March 23 issue:

After three days of frantic searching for Elmer Bauder, 16-year old son of John Bauder, 554 Maplewood avenue, missing since Friday [March 20], word was received this morning that he was all-right and he had started on a trip.

Friday morning, young Bauder invited Frank McGeorge to go to South Heights to his grandmother's to get a warm dinner. When told that he would be over there for two or three hours, McGeorge declined saying that he had to be home in an hour. He asked Bauder if the "gang" would see him that night and was given the assurance that they would.

He went to the home of his grandmother, Mrs. Elmer Laughner, where he did have dinner. He was given $3 to buy galoshes and went to Beck's store for this purpose. They did not have the kind he wanted and he said he would wait until he returned to Ambridge. At 1:30 o'clock he walked out of the store and that was the last that was known of his whereabouts.

Police were notified and searches of parties of three and four have combed Ambridge and the South Heights districts. Yesterday, the state police sent out a teletype of his description. He disappearance also had been broadcast over the radio.

This morning, John Bauder, received a postal card, postmarked midnight Friday from the Oakland Branch of the Pittsburgh postoffice. It read:

"Dad, don't worry. I'm alright. I'm going someplace. I'll be back home shortly. Tell Grandmother Laughner I'm away on a trip with the DeMolays" signed, "Red."

The reference to the trip with the DeMolays was made because of the illness of Mrs. Laughner and he evidently did not want his grandmother to worry about him.

It is thought that the youth got a ride to Pittsburgh on a delivery truck and, having $8 in his pocket, decided to go to Johnstown to view the results of the flood. Another conjecture is that he is heading south with the intention of visiting Lawrence Shomo, who is attending Atlanta Military Academy at Port Defiance, Virginia, and then continuing to St. Petersburgh to visit his uncle, who owns a drug store there.

There had been no trouble between the boy and his relatives so it evidently had not been premeditated as he was not dressed up when he left home Friday.

I was told that Elmer eventually returned home, but as of yet, I don't know when. Or what his parents had to say to him when he did.

The floating garage

The floating garage crashing against a pier of the Ambridge-Aliquippa bridge let go an automobile which quickly sank while another [automobile] was lodged safely in the remaining part of the building as it moved down steam. (Daily Citizen, March 20, 1936)

_____

The information in this article came from reporting in Ambridge's Daily Citizen newspaper unless another source is named.

The U.S.S. Ambridge

"Mrs. L.D. Reilly, Sponsor U.S.S. 'Ambridge'"
christening ceremony
Federal Shipbuilding Co.
Kearney N.J.
May 24, 1919
courtesy Beaver County Industrial Museum

The stately ship above is the U.S.S. Ambridge at her launch on May 24, 1919. And, yes, she was named for Ambridge PA, where much of the ship was made by the plant that gave Ambridge its name, the American Bridge Co., once the largest structural steel fabricating plant in the world.

During WWI, demand for ships was greater than available shipyards. Ships could not be built as fast as they were needed, even before the U.S. entered the war in 1917.

In 1915, naval architect Chas. P. M. Jack, had a rather brilliant idea. While the Ohio River at Ambridge was too shallow for a shipyard that could construct large ocean-going ships, the American Bridge Co.'s plant there had churned out hundreds of barges over the years. Could the plant construct at least the hull for an ocean-going ship, which could be then be sent to a shipyard where the work would be completed?

Previous similar attempts elsewhere had been failures, but none of the companies that had tried and failed had American Bridge's expertise in fabricating not only barges, but also large structural steel projects. So American Bridge was given the contract to build one hull. Not the entire hull, but 60 percent of one. That hull was shipped to a shipyard in Chester PA, where builders found American Bridge's hull fit the other parts of the ship perfectly.

So the Ambridge plant was given a contract for 12 more hulls to be constructed in 1915 and '16--eight oil tankers and five freighters, all finished by the Chester Shipbuilding Co. Later, American Bridge added new equipment, was awarded more contracts, increased its production, and was able to fabricate enough hulls for as many as four 9,000-ton ships a month. (Daily Times, May 17, 1919)

Eventually, American Bridge and other fabricating plants could produce enough ship parts that the U.S. Shipping Board's Emergency Fleet Corp. built new shipyards to keep pace with the capacity of the plants to supply them. One of the new shipyards was U.S. Steel's Federal Shipbuilding Co. in Kearney N.J.

The U.S. had entered the war by the time American Bridge built Hull #15, Order No. 218259, which was shipped to Kearney, where she was completed and christened "Ambridge," on May 24, 1919, six months after the war had ended. The name was chosen to honor the work done by Ambridge's American Bridge Co. An article on the ship's christening said that the plant had built much more than the hull. "The ship was practically all fabricated in Ambridge, but was shipped to Kearney where a few parts were added and the parts assembled." (Daily Times, May 26, 1919)

The Ambridge was christened by Mrs. L.D. Reilly, wife of the manager of Ambridge's American Bridge plant. She's the woman in the photo below holding the Ambridge pennant, front row, second from left. Her husband also attended, as well as R. G. Manning, the plant's chief engineer, and A. J. Carpenter, shop superintendent, none of whom are identified in the photo. Perhaps Mr. Reilly is the man holding an Ambridge pennant on the far right, front row.

"Launching Party, U.S.S. "Belfort" and "Ambridge"
May 24, 1919
Federal Shipbuilding Company
Kearney N.J.
courtesy Laughlin Memorial Library Archives

The Ambridge was not a military ship, but rather a commercial freighter. The Daily Times article about the christening gave the ship's dimensions as 400 feet long, 55 feet wide, and 35 feet deep, with a speed of 14 knots, and capable of carrying approximately 9,000 tons.

The U.S.S. Ambridge wasn't as imposing when she was at sea as she looked at her launch

"The U.S.S. Ambridge"
The Federal Shipbuilder
Aug. 1919 - Jan. 1922

American Bridge's work was admired enough that the issue of The Federal Shipbuilder with the above photo also included a poem, "General Philip Kearny Asks" by Fred T. Llewellyn, that included these lines:

From Gary come the boiler shells,
Farrell the sheet-bar tonnage makes,
And Ambridge with her quota swells
The multiple array of strakes,

During her career, the Ambridge carried cargo as varied as Dutch flower bulbs and $2,000,000 in gold bullion destined for a U.S. bank, sailing primarily to and from European ports, but also South Africa and Central America.

I don't know how common smuggling via commercial freighters was during the period when the Ambridge was sailing, but she was caught with contraband at least twice.

In February 1927, customs authorities found 4,200 bottles of champagne, valued at $50,000, hidden in a coal bunker on the Ambridge, as well as 13 cases of narcotics. (New York Times, Feb. 17, 1927).

Then in June 1930, customs officials found smuggled champagne again, this time 3,168 bottles valued at $31,680. (New York Times, June 3, 1930)

The Ambridge was scrapped in 1935.

American Bridge emergency ice deflector 1936

"Emergency Ice Deflector"
south end of barge yard
American Bridge Co., Ambridge Plant
February 29, 1936
courtesy Laughlin Memorial Library archives

In February 1936, bitterly cold temperatures caused the Ohio River to freeze over, and a gigantic, frozen-in-place "ice gorge" 15 miles long formed in the river, from the Dashields Lock at Edgeworth north to Vanport.

After several days of subzero temperatures, slowly rising temperatures at the end of the month caused the gorge to break free and the mass of ice started moving north. The ice swept away docked barges and scoured the shoreline. There were fears that if the gorge stopped moving along its journey, any ice following behind it would have no place to go but ashore, damaging or destroying anything in its path. Which may explain American Bridge's "emergency ice deflector."

Following the progress of the the huge chunk of ice floating downstream turned into quite a spectator event, viewed by approximately half a million people (The Daily Times, February 27, 1936). The large crowds caused traffic tie-ups in Rochester and Vanport. The ice gorge finally broke up at the still under construction Montgomey Dam, helped along by the Army Corps of Engineers who had "blasted" the north end of the gorge with dynamite over several days.

Legionville's Ohio River Lock No. 4

Back on June 3, 2014, writer Bob Giles posted "Beautiful River" about his childhood adventures in and along the Ohio River, including playing on the remains of Lock No. 4, which once was on the east side of the river at Legionville, about a mile north of Ambridge.

Some time ago, a commenter on that post said he wondered what the lock had looked like back in the day. All I had at that time was a photo of the powerhouse, plus some photos of what was left of the lock at the time of a Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) survey in November 1992.*

I've finally found a photo of at least a portion of Lock No. 4, although, according to the information with the photo, it doesn't show the lock when it was still in business, but rather its demolition: "Demolition of the lock and dam has been commenced--this was the end of it." Still, it's the only photo of Lock No. 4 I've found so far. And I haven't found a single photo showing the lock's companion dam.

The photo shows the lock's powerhouse to the left and a lockmaster's house to the right, plus some of the lock below. In the background, on the hill above the train tracks, were buildings of the A. M. Byers wrought iron plant.

Demolition of Lock No. 4, Ohio River
Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
Inland Rivers Photograph Collection
circa mid-1936

Lock and Dam No. 4, built between 1898 and 1908, were the fourth of 52 locks and dams the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers constructed on the Ohio between 1887 and 1917. The purpose of the lock and dam system was to allow year-round river transportation via larger boats. It's hard to believe, but before the dam system was built, the Ohio River was usually too shallow for anything but small boats in the summer and fall. After the dams were completed, the Ohio had a year-round navigable depth of 9 feet. That doesn't sound very deep, but it is obviously enough to allow all the ship traffic on the river.

After the still-existing Montgomery Lock and Dam was opened at Monaca in June 1936, Lock and Dam No. 4, by then obsolete, were no longer needed, so they were demolished by the Army Corp of Engineers. The dam and lock reportedly were damaged by the Great St. Patrick's Day Flood of 1936, but it's not clear to me how much of the demolition was related to the flood damage. Newspaper reports said that the demolition was expected to begin in the summer of 1936. I've been trying to find out more about the flood damage and eventual demolition, but so far, I haven't found those details.

Powerhouse, Lock No. 4
Ohio River
Legionville PA
circa early to mid- 1900s
courtesy Laughlin Memorial Library archives

After the demolition, some parts of the lock near the river's edge remained. They are documented in the HAER report.

The HAER report says that the Lock No. 4 site had two lockmaster's houses, and the report includes site plans showing one on each side of the powerhouse. The first photo above shows only the southern of the two.

The lockmaster's houses and the powerhouse were left standing after the dam and lock were demolished in 1936. But even though the buildings were recognized as being historically significant, they were abandoned and allowed to deteriorate. Over the years, parts of the empty buildings were destroyed and vandalized. In the spring of 1992, the three buildings were bulldozed by the then property owners, River Salvage Company.

Ohio River Blvd. (Rte. 65) was extended from Ambridge's 8th St. to Baden in 1960, just east of the train tracks in Legionville.* I've been trying to recall if I could see any of the three deteriorating buildings while driving though that area, but I'm drawing a blank. Does anyone remember the buildings and what they looked like before they were razed in 1992?

The HAER report provides information about the lock's construction, operation, and more details about the lock's history. The operation of the wicket lock system used at Lock No. 4 was pretty incredible and required a boat with a crew. If you are interested, you can find the report at the Library of Congress' site.

Here are six of the 11 photos from the HAER survey. You can see all 11 at the Library of Congress website. 

The quoted descriptions in the captions are from the HAER survey report.

"VIEW LOOKING EAST AT LOWER GATE RECESS AND LOWER GUIDE WALL FROM THE OHIO RIVER"
Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress)
circa 1992

"VIEW LOOKING EAST AT STEPS AND LAND WALL (GEOGRAPHIC CENTER OF THE LOCK COMPLEX), FROM THE OHIO RIVER"
Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress)
circa 1992

"VIEW LOOKING EAST AT UPPER GATE RECESS FROM THE OHIO RIVER."
"(NOTE: REMAINS OF TRACKS FROM ROLLING LOCK GATE, PARTIALLY SUBMERGED.)"

Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress)

circa 1992

"VIEW OF THE FOUNDATION OF THE LOCKTENDERS HOUSE (NORTHERN MOST), LOOKING NORTH"

Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress)

circa 1992

"VIEW OF SUBMERGED DRIFT CHUTE IN NORTHEAST CORNER OF UPPER GATE RECESS, LOOKING NORTHEAST"

Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress)

circa 1992

"VIEW OF THE REMAINS OF THE ESPLANADE LOOKING SOUTH"

Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress)

circa 1992

I've been told that some of the lock still remains along the river's edge, and barges dock there. It must be the area shown below to the west of some of the former Byers mill buildings.

Barges docked at Legionville, east side of Ohio River
Google satellite view
2017

I don't know how much of the remains of the lock and its three buildings described in the HAER report are still on site. And I'm not adventurous enough to explore the area. If anyone has walked through, or boated by, the former lock's location and can add more current information, please leave a comment.

More Lock No. 4 history:

Over the years, some notable accidents happened in or near Lock No. 4:

• October 13, 1907, a boiler explosion on a U.S. government pumping boat tied to the lock wall, killed five men and injured six. The initial reports said two more men were missing and presumed dead. The boat was blown to pieces.

• August 14, 1927, two men were killed when their biplane exploded in the air, then crashed into the river at the dam.

• August 13, 1940, an 11 year-old boy from Byersdale drowned while swimming at the old lock site.
_____

In the "Beautiful River" post Bob Giles speculated that in addition to Dam No. 4's lock on the Legionville side of the river, the dam also may have had a lock on the west side. That speculation is unsupported by the HAER report or any other information I've found about the dam.

He also wrote that the reason that the dam and lock were demolished was at the behest of J & L, the massive steel mill that stretched for miles along the west side of the Ohio at Aliquippa. So far, I haven't found any information confirming a connection between J & L and the demolition of the dam and lock.

_____

* The HAER  report incorrectly says that the construction of Route 65 through Legionville was in the 1940s. In 1945, Ohio River Blvd., once Rte. 88, was extended from the Allegheny Co. line at Leetsdale into Beaver Co., but only as far as 8th St. in Ambridge. The extension from 8th St. to Legionville and Baden wasn't completed until 1960. 

Ambridge's "crackerbox" tenements

I don't know why so many people ask about Ambridge's "crackerbox" housing. Perhaps it's because they came across a photo with a building labeled "crackerbox" and want to know more about it. Or maybe it's because they are confused, since the photo they find doesn't match their memories of a building they remember as the "crackerbox." Maybe they're just intrigued by the "crackerbox" name.

Ambridge once had at least two groups of flimsy, crowded, and plain tenement apartments referred to as "crackerboxes." And that's one source of confusion.

Crackerbox #1:
People sometimes come across this 1907 photo of "crackerbox" tenements surrounded by flood waters, online or elsewhere.

Local historian Bill Bowan owned the copy of the photo below, and it's now in Laughlin Memorial Library's archives.

Crackerbox tenements in flood
1907
Laughlin Memorial Library archives

Bill Bowan's caption:

Amer. Bridge Co. - Cracker Box Tenement Flooded in 1907. Ambridge Pa - This is the last of several Tenements constructed for Laborers building the Plant from 1903. Located near the foot of 7th & Eighth Sts.

Although it's hard to see, there's an "x" below a woman in a white dress who is standing close to the west (river) side of the tracks. Bowan made more extensive notes on the back of the photo* which included the identity of that woman. Here's what those notes said:

Enlargement Scene from 1907 flood as seen at American Br. Co. Tenement "Cracker Box" Housing 20 families each - Row - Some with Boarders at one time 3 or 4 rows were there.  

Original photo owned by Mrs. Z. Bankowski #314B Wagner Ave Ambridge PA 

Copied April 1978 

X marks Mrs Zigmundt Bankowski's Mother - a resident "Cracker Box"

Did the builders not foresee that any structure constructed on the low land between the rail tracks and the Ohio River in that part of Ambridge would be subject to flooding? Or did they not care?

I don't know if that crackerbox building was razed as a result of the flood or sometime later.

Crackerbox(es) #2:

The other group of crackerboxes were two side-by-side tenement apartment buildings separated by a narrow alley. These were unlikely to flood, as they were constructed a number of blocks east of the river, on a hill above the 100 block of Beaver Rd., on land that, as far as I know, was still part of Harmony Township when they were built.

This snip from a 1917 Sanborn Insurance map shows the location of the crackerboxes. They're the large yellow rectangles labeled "tenements." By then, the land they were on had been annexed by Ambridge.

Location of crackerbox tenements
100 block of Beaver Rd.
snip from 1917 Sanborn Insurance map

These buildings survived longer than the one in the flood photo above, and much longer than its neighbors and Ambridge authorities would have preferred.

The photo below is from the private collection of Karl Urda, grandson of Charles Kristufek, who built the two crackerbox buildings under contract. Urda said that while Kristufek reluctantly agreed to manage the apartments after he built them, he never owned them.

Crackerbox tenements
circa 1910
courtesy of Karl Urda

Urda told me that the crackerboxes were "built as slums," and they remained that until they were razed 50 years later. The two buildings were home to the poorest of the poor and people who had no other housing options in Ambridge, including black residents. Rent originally was $1 a month.

Urda said the crackerbox apartments were built without bathrooms or kitchens, although a communal kitchen was located at the end of each hallway. Outhouses were in the back of the buildings; later, those were replaced by communal toilets and tubs.

These crackerboxes were considered a blight on the lower Ambridge neighborhood for years, perhaps from the day they were constructed.

On November 18, 1955, a fire that began on the third floor of the 120 Beaver Rd. building routed residents. Depending on which local paper you relied on, either 12 or 20 families were forced to flee. And the damage was estimated at either $5,000 (Daily Citizen and Beaver Valley Times) or between $35,000 and $50,000 (Pittsburgh Post Gazette).

Crackerbox fire
Daily Citizen
November 19, 1955
(handwritten date of 1958 is wrong)
Louis Vukovcan collection

Daily Citizen caption:

CENTER OF THE FIRE IN THE "CRACKER-BOX" Friday night was covered from all angles by members of fire departments from Ambridge and the immediate area.

The Daily Citizen article said:

Called (sic) living conditions deplorable and a slum which has no place in Ambridge, councilmen and health authorities have been caustic in their criticism in past years of the housing. Efforts to have the structures razed have been snagged from time to time.

Persons who have kept up a running fight against the "eye-sore" and included are borough officials and people generally, the next move by Owner Snyder will be watched.

The Beaver Valley Times article about the fire noted "the fire department has been trying to have the building condemned for some time."

"Owner Snyder" was Dr. A. M. Snyder of Pittsburgh.

The borough was still complaining about the conditions of the building the year after the fire. The May 24, 1956, Beaver Valley Times reported that Snyder had been given until June 8 to submit a plan to improve the buildings to meet the Ambridge housing code.

The next year, Snyder finally took some minimal action and razed some sheds near the crackerboxes. The May 15, 1957, Beaver Valley Times reported that other improvements to bring the property up to code were still needed. The Times also said that the Ambridge council had "reached the end of their patience" and "hinted" that if Snyder didn't bring his buildings up to code, he would be fined. I haven't yet found information about what action, if any, the council may have taken against Snyder and when.

I'm not sure of the date of the photo below, also from Bowan's collection, but it may be shortly before the crackerboxes finally were razed to make room for public housing.

Crackerbox Tenement
circa 1960
Laughlin Memorial Library archives

Several more years passed before the November 26, 1960, Beaver County Times could report that the crackerboxes, a "notorious Ambridge eyesore," would finally be razed "to the regret of few people in the community."

Razing of crackerbox tenements
Beaver County Times
December 3, 1960

Times caption:

RAZING CRACKER BOX APARTMENTS -- Workmen are putting finishing touches to demolition work at the site where two three story frame tenement buildings know (sic) as "the cracker box," Merchant Street and Beaver Road, stood. They will be replaced by a three-story brick and concrete apartment building to accommodate 26 families of low and moderate income. Two other housing units also will be constructed in Ambridge by the Beaver County Housing authority. 

The building at 300 Locust St. that replaced the crackerboxes provides subsidized family housing.

P. J. Shotter took this recent photo of that building from the Merchant St. side.

300 Locust St. from Merchant St.
January 22, 2017
credit: P. J. Shotter
used with permission

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* Bowan also provided some information on the buildings shown in the photo on the west bank of the Ohio: "Stable and Hotel with Out buildings across the River below todays 11th St Bridge at 'West Economy'"

** The late Charles Kristufek, a harness maker by trade, built many of Ambridge's early buildings--houses, commercial buildings, churches, and convents. Later he became one of Ambridge's most prominent businessmen. He started a bank that he later sold to Mellon Bank, and he built and owned the large Economy Lumber and Building Co. on Duss Ave. His successful real estate and insurance business, The Kristufek Agency, is now in the hands of his grandson, Karl Urda.

American Bridge and Ohio River postcard, 1920s

This postcard shows a drawing of American Bridge Co. from the Ohio River.

Every early colored postcard I've seen showing the Ohio River near Ambridge shows the river colored a pretty blue. Artistic license.

Note the green, undeveloped hills rising above still-growing Ambridge.

"American Bridge Co., Works"
postcard
postmarked 192?

reverse of above postcard
"Published by S. G. Horlick"

I can't make out the year the postcard was mailed. 192(something).

I also don't know what language the card's message is in. German? If anyone knows and can translate, please leave a comment.

You can see another, slightly later, postcard showing American Bridge and a lovely blue Ohio River in the February 4, 2015, post "Bird's-Eye View of Ambridge and American Bridge."

American Bridge Co. testing Army gun containers

When I first wrote this article, I had only the first two photos below. But now I have a third, and there's more information about this American Bridge project written on its back, so see the update below.

 I don't know more about this American Bridge Co. project than the notes written on the back of these two press photos.

If you know any additional details about the project, please leave a comment.

This is the press note on the back of the first photo below:

"U. S. Army containers. Made by the American Bridge co. being tested on the Ohio R. These containers are made to keep guns dry."

Testing Army gun containers on Ohio River
American Bridge Co.
Ambridge
January 7, 1946

Testing Army gun containers on Ohio River
American Bridge Co. 
Ambridge
January 7, 1946

That's the still-standing historic Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge in the background of the photos above.

Update July 15, 2017, another photo, more information:

Final test of ammo containers
American Bridge Co.
Ambridge
January 11, 1946

Here what the back of the photo above says:

The final test for Army storage cans, Pittsburgh, PA.--Big cans, designed for the Army as protective containers for preserving Army equipment, went through the final test of their efficiency and came through successfully. As a test of waterproofness, they were dunked in the Ohio River, near Pittsburgh, and proved to be watertight. The loaded cans can be tossed overboard in places where there are no dock facilities, and be towed to shore by smaller boats or allowed to wash ashore. Photo shows: After the test, the can is loaded back on the flatcar on which it traveled 6300 miles from Pittsburgh to the West Coast and back, to test its endurance in all climates. 

If you look closely, you can see a bit of the Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge in the background of this photo too.

American Bridge tennis courts, 4th Street and Park Road

American Bridge tennis courts
4th St. and Park Rd., looking north
1925
Laughlin Memorial Library archives
used with permission

American Bridge Company once owned tennis courts at the southern end of the park that once ran from 4th St. to 8th St. Although Ambridge residents came to see the park as public space, it was owned by American Bridge. In the photo, 4th St. is at the bottom and Park Rd. on the right.

Basketball nets are shown north of the tennis courts.

American Bridge had a tennis club, and its players competed in the Beaver County League and the Beaver Valley Tennis Association against players from other local communities from at least 1912 to to 1938, maybe longer.

The Ambridge High School tennis team also played on the courts at one time.

I haven't found out yet when the courts were removed. Anyone know? An aerial of the area taken during the time Ohio River Blvd. was being built along the left side of the park in the mid-'40s appears to show the courts still there.

Park Rd. was once the westernmost street in that part of Ambridge until Ohio River Blvd. was extended into Ambridge as far as 8th St. in the mid-'40s. However, it looks as though there may be a paved area between the park and the railroad tracks to its left. Further left are American Bridge plant buildings and beyond them, the Ohio River.

The Ambridge Do It Best Home Center is now where the tennis courts once were located.

John Domansky: memories of growing up in Ambridge, 1935 - 1954

John Domansky, Jr., John Domansky, Sr., and Jack Eppley

in front of John Domansky Tailor Shop

293 Fourteenth Street

1941

photo courtesy of John Domansky, Jr.

used with permission

In the photo above, John Domansky, Jr., age 9, his father, and Jack Eppley, who was married to John Jr.'s sister Frances, are shown standing in front of the John Domansky Tailor Shop.

Here are some of John Jr.'s memories of growing up in Ambridge:

I went to Holy Redeemer, as Divine Redeemer was then called, kindergarten to 8th grade. In 1948 I left for Boys Town. I graduated in 1950 from a pottery trade school. 

Before I came out here to Chicago in December 1954 with my sister and brother-in-law, I lived at a number of places in Ambridge. The last place I lived before moving to Chicago was 10th and Melrose; from 1952 to '54 I lived at 1925 Duss Avenue; in 1951 I briefly lived on 17th just up from Lenz; and before that, 1938 though 1951, at 293 Fourteenth Street, most memories come from there. Earlier, from '35 to '37, I lived above D'Ambrosio's Shoe Shop at 12th and Merchant. My first home was next to the Ambridge Hotel which was at 8th and Merchant.

Dad had a tailor shop at 293 Fourteenth Street for a while, with painted windows and all, and a big steam presser. The tailor shop was there for about 15 years maybe. On the right side inside, was the big steam presser, and steam shot out of the right side of the building to a blind alley. On the left was his Singer pedal sewing machine, both of which I ran at age 12.

Dad did alterations and took in cleaning, etc. He worked in downtown Pittsburgh and worked week-ends in his shop. He made me a confirmation suit overnight. He went to suit buyers' homes to measure the men, with a piece of paper, pencil, and a thin chalk marker. He wrote it all down, then made the suits, no returns ever that I know of. He was very good at math, I was better, and my son is five times as good as me.

My dad took me to many taverns and the Sokol club on Duss and 4th St. for hot dogs with sauerkraut and mustard. Once I ran away from home and landed in the Pittsburgh juvenile home; he came and got me and bought me a hot dog off a cart. Never laid a hand on me nor did Mom.

The wine killed my dad in 1948 in the pathway to our house between the two big buildings on the short 14th St. block before Boyleston St.

Mom was gone a lot, working in Glen Osborne and home on weekends. I would visit Mom in Glen Osborne often. She died in 1981.

To make creamed chicken on Sundays we got live chickens from Slavik's Market on 12th Street. Slavik kept livestock behind the store, along the Lias' home. The Lias family were West Virginia people who lived right behind the bar on Wagner St. The Lias boy swam in the river with us. We were called river rats. One thing about the river from 11th to 15th, 16th Sts. was the big rocks on the shore, you could sunbathe on them.

Dorothy Domansky and John Domansky, Jr.
next to D'Ambrosio Shoe Repair Shop
12th and Merchant Sts.
1937

photo courtesy of John Domansky, Jr.

used with permission

Frank Domansky (John Jr.'s uncle), Anne Domansky (John Jr.'s sister), Cousin Dorthy Domansky,

and Tom Varcheka, foreman at H.H. Robertson

14th and Merchant Sts., northwest corner

1942

photo courtesy of John Domansky, Jr.

used with permission

My cousin Dorothy played the accordion when she came to visit, a block party started here. Polkas on 14th Street!

I roamed free on my own for a lot of years. Having no car until out here in Chicago, I walked all over, 14th St. to Divine Redeemer was daily.*

I walked to Fair Oaks to visit the Otrahalics on Ambridge Ave. I'd walk to the Fair Oaks Bowling Alley on Big Sewickley Creek Rd. and the gas station next to it, even down to Zassick's farm to ride a horse or to Firemen's Park for a picnic.* A big 50-foot electric tower was in Big Sewickley Creek, the water was about seven-feet deep and diveable, so I did it, I dove off the concrete pad, about eight-feet high. I fished many times too.

I also remember when the bridge over Big Sewickley Creek going down to Ambridge was walked over by using only boards. This was at Ambridge Ave. at the sharp curve to go through Fair Oaks. The bridge was the only entrance into the valley behind Ambridge Ave. towards the hills behind. They built a new bridge in the late '70s. **

The 291 Fourteenth Street tailor shop, Hacker's, somehow deep in my memory, I see that name. The son was Clayton Marquette, trainer of 1972 Olympian winner Cathy Rigby. I have a May 5, 1972, Life magazine with a four-page layout on Cathy, and it shows Bud, as he was known, a former AAU gymnastic champ himself. Many days we walked on our hands in front of both tailor shops. Oh yes, I see a Hacker, a short German guy there, but not Bud's name, maybe he was adopted. Bud worked at H. H. Robertson also, like me. He cut all the crating lumber to ship the skylights I made. Bud tried to get me into the Maennerchor gym on Sherman St. I was a natural athlete and diver, have eight stitches in my head from top rock diving at the Chicago Coast Guard Station at 95th St. in Chicago. I would go to the Beaver River and dive off bluffs, and dive off the Baden docks which were 10-feet high. I threatened to dive off the Ambridge - Aliquippa Bridge a few times.

I came here to Chicago for work. I was laid off from Robertson in early '54, ended up at Republic Steel, retired in 1995 after 40 years as a welder, furniture refinisher, meat cutter, and still yet, antique dealer and seller and buyer, on eBay since 1998.

_____

John Domansky, Jr. is a frequent commenter on this blog. He's hoping to connect with people who knew him when he lived in Ambridge, or people who grew up in Ambridge when he did. If you fall into either category, please leave a comment below.

* At the time John Jr. was growing up, the Divine Redeemer School was located at 300 Merchant St., currently the location of Karnavas Vending Co.

** Zassick's farm and Firemen's Park were once on Big Sewickley Creek Road. The park was where the Economy Borough sewage plant and Hrinko Trucking are now located.

*** The new bridge was constructed in the late 1970s at the intersection of Ambridge Ave. and Main St. after the Ambridge end of Valley Rd. was cut off from the Harmony Township end because Big Sewickley Creek was causing the road to subside. Before then, both ends of Valley Rd. were connected.

Early Ambridge, American Bridge Company

Early Ambridge from across Ohio River
circa 1905 ?
Laughlin Memorial Library archives
used with permission

This is an view of the beginnings of Ambridge looking to the east from across the Ohio.

I don't have a date for the photo, but the large building mid-photo is the American Bridge office building, built in 1903. Until it was razed in 2014, it stood at Fourth Street and Park Road. The building looks completed in the photo, dating the photo after 1903.

Note the white sidewalk and steps that led from the front (west) side of the office to the "bridge works" mill, the buildings along the riverfront. I don't know if Ohio River Boulevard existed in Allegheny County at that time, but the section of the boulevard between the office and mill buildings wasn't constructed until the mid-1940s.

The broad street in the photo running east-west is Fourth Street, then called Charles Street. Park Road is the street running north-south immediately east of the office building. Across Fourth Street from the office is part of the park that once ran from Fourth to Eighth Street along Park Road. A portion of the park still exists between Seventh and Eighth Streets.

The houses built for the influx of mill workers on the 200 block of Park Road and, above it, Maplewood Avenue, are on the right side of the photo. Many of those homes still exist.

I don't see Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church that was built in 1919 on the corner of Maplewood Avenue and Third Street, furthering narrowing down the era of the photo. But based on the lack of development along Merchant and Fourth Streets in the photo, I'd say the photo is much earlier than that. If you see anything in the photo--or not in the photo--that would help to date it, please leave a comment.

The east side of Ambridge pretty much stops at Merchant Street in the photo except, perhaps, for a bit of Duss Avenue just below the undeveloped hill on the left side. Commercial development has already started on the 400 block of Merchant.

I don't know what the lone building on the hill above the 200 block of Merchant is. If you can identify that building, or any of the others in the photo, please leave a comment.
_____

When I wrote this earlier today, I totally forgot that the Historic Pittsburgh site has a 1906 map of Ambridge showing the locations of buildings. When I get some time, I'll compare that map with the map with the photo.

Bird's-Eye View of Ambridge and American Bridge

"Birds-Eye View of Ambridge, Pa.,
 and American Bridge Company Plant on Ohio River"
postcard
1930s?

This vintage postcard shows Ambridge from South Heights across the Ohio River. I believe it's an artist's drawing rather than a photo as nothing looks very realistic. Have you ever seen the Ohio so very blue? I guess a brown river isn't nearly as picturesque.

The postcard that I own was never mailed, so I can only guess at the date. It's a linen era postcard, so 1930-1945. I think that given the still-undeveloped hills in the background, the picture probably dates from the 1930s and not the '40s. The only non-mill building I can identify with confidence is the American Bridge Office on 4th St. and Park Road. The office was built in 1903, so that's not helpful in dating. I don't see anything else in the picture which might help me date it. If you see anything, let me know.

I've been trying to identify that lone tower/derrick at the top of the hill at approximately 5th Street. If you know, please leave a comment.

For those into such things, on the reverse:
Publisher: Minsky Brothers & Co., Publishing Division, Pittsburgh, PA.
"C.T.Art-Colortone" Reg. U.S. Pat. Off.
Place one cent stamp here in the stamp box

Gun Crazy

Microsoft Word 

by Robert Giles

When a bullet, for the second time, went right through the garage door, the boys decided to take the gun down to the river for further testing.

Chuck had built a successful crossbow and decided to convert it into a gun. I won’t give you a blueprint. All he needed was a bow string, a piece of spring steel, the end of a two-by-four, a narrow gauge iron pipe, and a short steel rod. And bullets. They were easy to get from one of our friends. There were a lot of sportsmen in our neighborhood.

Soon we were on the wall overlooking the Ohio River. It was about a third of a mile wide. On the other side was the Jones & Laughlin Steel Works.

Chuck held the gun “stock” to his shoulder, pulled back the bow string, secured it, and pressed the trigger. There was a tiny splash where the bullet struck the water, about a hundred yards off.

We took turns, everyone achieving the same result. It was pretty slick.

“Why don’t we find a target to shoot at?” someone asked. “It doesn’t take much skill to hit the river”.

We looked about for something to shoot at. Behind us was a railroad embankment. Across the tracks was the Ohio River Boulevard. There were no trees suitable for hanging a target.

“We better not risk it. We came down here to keep out of trouble.”

“Let’s just shoot up the rest of the bullets and go home. We can always go target shooting in Legionville Hollow.”

The box held about two dozen more bullets. We aimed a little higher to make it more interesting. What harm would it do to shoot up the Ohio River?

A booming voice came across the water –

“Please. Hold your fire. Do you want to kill someone?”

Evidently someone at Jones & Laughlin was using a bullhorn.

We didn’t have to be coaxed. We dropped the gun and the bullets in the weeds and lit out for home. Just as we got to the top of the stairs where the locktender’s quarters once were, we heard a police siren.

It was time to go underground. We went down into the basement of the ruined building and crouched out of sight.

We heard several sets of footsteps overhead. They trailed away in the direction of the river. About ten minutes later they were again overhead.

“You don’t think they’re hiding in these ruins, do you?”

“You want to go down there and find out?” One of the policemen was standing over the entrance hole. It looked like he would find it a tight fit. He didn’t want to risk it.

“They’re probably in the woods by now. Let’s head back.”

We tried to figure out what had gone wrong. “Do you think those bullets were skipping all the way across the water like a pebble on a pond?”

Some years later I was working at the J&L steel plant. An older worker and I were on the river bank. I pointed across to the old lock on the Legionville side. “That’s where we fished and played when we were kids – right over there.”

“Some knuckle-heads were shooting a gun from over there once. They probably didn’t know it but the bullets were flying all around here. We took cover. We were afraid to lift our heads. The shooting didn’t stop until the foreman got on his bullhorn. Crazy.”

He turned to me as though struck by a sudden insight. “That wasn’t you, was it?”