The Globe and Mail
Monday, November 27, 1950
Winds Roar Defiance As Volunteers Fight Burlington Area Flood.
By PHIL JONES Van Wagner's Beach, Nov. 28 (Staff), "The wind has died, thank God." An arm-weary Hamilton fireman dropped his shovel and looked up into the sky. A Red Cross volunteer stopped passing sandwiches and hot coffee. A St. John Ambulance corpsman looked around as he bandaged an injured boy's arm. Rapidly the word spread "the wind has died, we've won."
Shortly before last midnight several hundred men, women and children suddenly became aware of silence. All through the day while Nature went on the rampage against mankind living in the Burlington Beach area, there was one awful opponent that battered down every defense built against it. The wind was everywhere, it howled through trees and wires, made ordinary talk impossible, drowned out the rumble of truck motors, lashed Lake Ontario into a fury. Then suddenly it stopped. All was quiet.
The worst flood disaster in Burlington Beach history was over. But it left in its wake more than 500 homeless people, scores of injured and homes battered to the ground or washed away by the rampaging lake waters.
From Crescent Beach at the southern tip through Van Wagner's Beach and on to Burlington Beach proper, winds of gale force with gusts sometimes reaching 85 miles an hour, whipped Lake Ontario into a frenzy for over 11 hours. Scenes along the beaches were almost impossible to describe.
Nature's fury against man began here early Saturday morning. By noon some families had evacuated their homes. By mid-afternoon the wind had mounted to almost unbelievable force and hundreds of people were homeless while their homes were washed away.
But then came aid.
Hamilton city firemen, first aid men and women, personnel from the three forces and civilian volunteers from miles around, rushed to the sandbag dikes. An emergency flood relief committee was organized and the battle against the elements was on.
Men, women and children struggled to pour sand into sacks and paper bags. Some clung to safety ropes as they piled the sandbags up into dikes. The first sandbag dike was washed away, then the second, but still the fight went on. The water continued its climb inland and the wind roared its defiance.
Coffee and food were hastily passed around the hundreds of people manning the dikes. Fresh sand was trucked in from near-by building contractors. An emergency hospital was set up in a beach public school only a matter of feet from the raging lake.
And everywhere there was the wind.
Then suddenly the wind shifted position and died down.
A Hamilton fireman looked at the sky. "Thank you, God," he said.
Photo#1
Marjorie Denton sweeps up debris in house occupied by her tenant, Mrs. Hugh Collins. Floors dropped down, walls buckled.
Photo#2
His arm injured. Orville Fell is treated by Horace Humphries (left), Sgt. Jim Logue and Percy Pritchard of St. John Ambulance Association.
Photo#3
Working in knee deep water, workers throw up sandbag dike against on rushing waves. Road shoulders, lawns, flower beds were all dug up to fill bags. Some bags filled with lime were used and workers suffered eye and skin burns.
Monday, November 27, 1950
Winds Roar Defiance As Volunteers Fight Burlington Area Flood.
By PHIL JONES Van Wagner's Beach, Nov. 28 (Staff), "The wind has died, thank God." An arm-weary Hamilton fireman dropped his shovel and looked up into the sky. A Red Cross volunteer stopped passing sandwiches and hot coffee. A St. John Ambulance corpsman looked around as he bandaged an injured boy's arm. Rapidly the word spread "the wind has died, we've won."
Shortly before last midnight several hundred men, women and children suddenly became aware of silence. All through the day while Nature went on the rampage against mankind living in the Burlington Beach area, there was one awful opponent that battered down every defense built against it. The wind was everywhere, it howled through trees and wires, made ordinary talk impossible, drowned out the rumble of truck motors, lashed Lake Ontario into a fury. Then suddenly it stopped. All was quiet.
The worst flood disaster in Burlington Beach history was over. But it left in its wake more than 500 homeless people, scores of injured and homes battered to the ground or washed away by the rampaging lake waters.
From Crescent Beach at the southern tip through Van Wagner's Beach and on to Burlington Beach proper, winds of gale force with gusts sometimes reaching 85 miles an hour, whipped Lake Ontario into a frenzy for over 11 hours. Scenes along the beaches were almost impossible to describe.
Nature's fury against man began here early Saturday morning. By noon some families had evacuated their homes. By mid-afternoon the wind had mounted to almost unbelievable force and hundreds of people were homeless while their homes were washed away.
But then came aid.
Hamilton city firemen, first aid men and women, personnel from the three forces and civilian volunteers from miles around, rushed to the sandbag dikes. An emergency flood relief committee was organized and the battle against the elements was on.
Men, women and children struggled to pour sand into sacks and paper bags. Some clung to safety ropes as they piled the sandbags up into dikes. The first sandbag dike was washed away, then the second, but still the fight went on. The water continued its climb inland and the wind roared its defiance.
Coffee and food were hastily passed around the hundreds of people manning the dikes. Fresh sand was trucked in from near-by building contractors. An emergency hospital was set up in a beach public school only a matter of feet from the raging lake.
And everywhere there was the wind.
Then suddenly the wind shifted position and died down.
A Hamilton fireman looked at the sky. "Thank you, God," he said.
Photo#1
Marjorie Denton sweeps up debris in house occupied by her tenant, Mrs. Hugh Collins. Floors dropped down, walls buckled.
Photo#2
His arm injured. Orville Fell is treated by Horace Humphries (left), Sgt. Jim Logue and Percy Pritchard of St. John Ambulance Association.
Photo#3
Working in knee deep water, workers throw up sandbag dike against on rushing waves. Road shoulders, lawns, flower beds were all dug up to fill bags. Some bags filled with lime were used and workers suffered eye and skin burns.