The Flood of 1955: Heroes all around Putnam
By Ron P. Coderre
The waters of the usually gently flowing Quinebaug River, joined by the French River which was over spilling its bounds, continued to rage overnight like a monster from the North. As the river spread its mighty tentacles like nothing ever seen in Putnam it left destruction everywhere in its path.
Huge buildings that once stood as pillars of the business and education communities were left hanging by a thread, threatening to crumble at any second after the Aug. 19, 1955 flood. The mighty torrents were carrying silt into Putnam; silt that would be uncovered once the waters began to recede. Along its path the Quinebaug River was carrying a carnival, automobiles, prized possessions and even entire homes to its south. Some of this debris would eventually find its way south as far away as Norwich, more than 40 miles downstream.
Despite the turbulence and destruction that the Quinebaug was wreaking, the hardy folks of Putnam stood strongly in its wake like the many sandbags that had been put up to stop the flood’s spread. The local government headed by Mayor John N. Dempsey and First Selectman Fred Gagnon was working closely with Police Chief Henry Mathurin and his men and Fire Chief George Harper and his brigade that was separated on both sides of the river.
Fortunately for Putnam in 1955 the Fire Department had two buildings, one on each side of the Quinebaug. Hose Company #2 was located on Smith Street in Putnam’s bustling North End and Hose Company #1 and the Hook and Ladder made their home in Union Square adjacent to the Putnam Hotel. The men of these three units played an invaluable role in preventing what might have been the equivalent of Nero fiddling while he watched Rome burn.
As night time approached and the focus was on managing the water and rescuing stranded individuals the skies over Putnam lit up brighter than any Fourth of July celebration the town had ever witnessed. A storage warehouse across the river from Belding Heminway began to spew its contents into the river as the structure eroded and took on water.
Huge 55-gallon drums of magnesium cascaded down the Quinebaug. As the barrels, floating at an estimated rate of 50 to 60 miles per hour careened into the Bridge Street bridge abutments and other surrounding structures massive explosions began to rock the community. As the many barrels exploded, they violently shook structures on both side of the river. As an added feature the explosions shot sparks hundreds of feet into the air lighting Putnam as brilliantly as if it were high noon.
As the sparks descended, they alit on the rooftops of many homes. People used any available water to douse the sparks as the fire department was literally putting out fires wherever it could. During the explosions and in their aftermath the scene throughout Putnam looked much like the photos of those witnessed in Germany and Japan during World War II. It was that remarkable!
Mayor Dempsey and First Selectman Gagnon were fortunate to have two capable individuals as the head of very important emergency divisions. Al Dion was in charge of the Civil Defense and Esther Welles coordinated the effort of the local chapter of the American Red Cross. This team and many others, coupled with Mayor Dempsey’s good friend in Hartford, Governor Abraham Ribicoff, would see Putnam through its toughest hour.
Another component that was on hand was the Connecticut National Guard, especially Company C and D out of Putnam and Danielson. Two months earlier many of these same troops were part of the Centennial’s reenactment of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Their role in August was much different. It was to save lives and protect the safety and security of the folks who were stranded or left homeless. These men did an extraordinary job, providing many heroic and unpublicized rescues. Most importantly, despite the raging waters, the destruction, the roof top rescues and the lifelines, Putnam was fortunate that not one person died as the result of the Flood of 1955.
On either the first or second night of the flood, the 14-year-old boy witnessed a heroic rescue that remains vividly etched in his memory years later. One of the National Guard companies, I believe it was Company D of Danielson, was headquartered at the Putnam Town Hall on Church Street, where the Quinebaug had forged its own path that lapped on to the Town Hall lawn.
On that evening, with the Town Hall area brightly lit thanks to generators that were constantly humming, two National Guardsmen successfully attempted a rescue that was right out of a Hollywood movie. As the rescue took place a large crowd of onlookers gathered on the lawn of the Town Hall.
The two guardsmen, one Dick Gainer a recent Putnam High School grad and Korean War vet and the other unidentified by the 14-year-old boy, managed their way across the river that was Church Street. They maneuvered through the Cassetari house to a small home on Chapel St. where an elderly couple was stranded.
They rescued the elderly couple, safely placed them in a row boat that was tied to the rear of Ed Rondeau’s Texaco Station jeep on dry ground at the Town Hall and pulled the couple safely from the raging river. Another rope was tossed to the guardsmen who were at the Cassetari house; they secured the rope to a post at the home and to a tree on the town hall lawn. This is when the next exciting episode took place.
The unidentified Guardsman made his way across the river that was Church St. to dry land jimmying on to the rope. For some unbeknownst reason, it was decided to toss Gainer another rope, which he secured around his waist as he prepared to cross the dangerous waters that continued to gain speed. The rope around Gainer’s waist was secured to Rondeau’s jeep. This decision probably saved Gainer’s life.
As the fearless Gainer reached the mid-point of his crossing he was swept downstream by the raging current. As he went under water, I can still remember his words, “Here I go.” The crowd gasped in unison and watched in silence as he was being swept away. In an instant, Rondeau dropped his Jeep into low gear and gunned the engine. As he drove into the Town Hall yard, he carried Gainer to safety to the delight and applause of the crowd, as Gainer loudly exhaled “Whee.”
The time the National Guard spent at the Town Hall, probably two weeks, wasn’t all drama like the Gainer episode. As the saying goes, “Boys will be boys.” And the Guardsmen didn’t disappoint. As kids we witnessed the eggs in the boot trick and other friendly shenanigans.
One episode which is still a vivid memory, involves three Guardsmen with water buckets climbing to the tower of the Town Hall and calling the name of one of their fellow troops who was napping below. As he awakened and looked up, you guessed it, a shower of three buckets of water descended on his unsuspecting body.
As kids this was amusing but we did feel bad for the poor victim.
Up in our home on Sunnyside Avenue, my mom assisted the National Guard by washing mess kits, utensils and pots and pans. She was faithful to her duty and was rewarded for her effort. Later in that same year at the National Guard Ball in Danielson, she and my dad were invited guests, where she was honored with a special presentation by the Commander of the unit.
Living on Sunnyside Avenue had its advantages because we were on high ground and never threatened by the raging Quinebaug. It also provided a 14-year-old boy with a front row seat to many exciting events. Events that live in his memory today and give him reason to marvel at Putnam as a community and the people who made its past. People who just did what they had to do in the face of adversity without complaining.
Immediate Aftermath Not Very Pretty
(By Ron Coderre: Wednesday, August19, 2009 –Putnam, CT. The sun is shining brightly and the temperature is hovering around 90 degrees. It’s a typical New England summer day. I took a ride around Putnam, primarily in the areas where the flood in 1955 did most of its devastation. People are meandering around; some men are working striping the road and everyone is calmly going about their usual daily business. Putnam is quite tranquil. The community is thriving and generally everyone appears to be happy and satisfied.
In the mind of the 14-year-old boy Putnam is a great community. He finds it difficult to believe that so many years ago on this very same day Putnam was in the throes of The Flood of 1955.)
As the days slowly passed the waters of the Quinebaug and French Rivers receded. Looking at the Quinebaug as it wound its way peacefully through Putnam and over Cargill Falls it seemed almost impossible to think of how angry the river had been only a few days prior.
Now that the river was back to normal — although the community would take months and years to return to normalcy — it was time to assess the damage and destruction of what had taken place when “all hell broke loose” on August 19, 1955. Putnam resembled a war-torn, ravaged city. In order to prevent looting and utter chaos the National Guard was employed to maintain a sense of order and civility as people were anxious to return to their homes and businesses to assess the damages.
Once again, the people of Putnam proved to be good citizens. To the recollection of the 14-year-old boy, there wasn’t one report of looting, though the opportunities were certainly present. There is also no recollection of anyone creating any disturbance as people followed orders and obeyed and respected the position of the National Guard and the Putnam Police Department.
Guardsmen were stationed throughout town clad in war gear with helmets, and M-1 rifles slung over their shoulders. The soldiers were posted on both sides of all the bridges, placed there primarily for the safety and protection of the citizens. The river had created huge gullies, that were visible, but the fear was that there might be hidden dangers to unsuspecting, untrained individuals.
The 14-year-old boy was once again in a fortunate position as he was one of the first individuals to cross the Bridge Street bridge from the Town Hall side of the Quinebaug to the downtown side of the river. You might ask, “how did this occur?” How was a 14-year-old kid able to cross the river when security was so high and everyone was urging caution?
One of my childhood friends was Kehren Cotter, we called him K.C. His dad was Kehren Cotter Sr., editor of the Putnam Patriot. He’s familiarly remembered by the few old timers that remain in Putnam from 1955 as K.C. Cotter.
In 1955 Putnam had two weekly newspapers, the Putnam Patriot that was published on Thursday by Mrs. Minnie McDonald and the Windham County Observer, which came out on Wednesday and was owned by the Walter King family. Both papers were very extensive in their coverage of local news and well read by local folks.
My friend K.C. Cotter Jr. and my buddy Michael “Dick” Angelo and I were recruited by I believe First Selectman Fred Gagnon to bag rice and beans at the Town Hall for distribution to residents. While in the process of performing our “civic duty” K.C. asked if I’d like to accompany him and his dad as Mr. Cotter went across the river on a fact-finding mission to gather information for news stories.
I recall the three of us walking on Bridge Street, beginning approximately where Veterans Park is today. As we approached the bridge we were halted by two National Guard soldiers. I remember one being a young Charlie Perkins who was recently graduated from Putnam High School. K.C. Cotter Sr. armed with his pad, camera and special pass and his two accomplices; his son K.C. Jr. and the 14-year-old boy were signaled through and allowed to roam the area as Mr. Cotter took notes and photos for his stories.
In addition to the obvious destruction that was wreaked on the homes and businesses in the Bridge Street and Elm Street area the picture that remains most vivid in my mind today is the accumulation of silt that was present at the site where the French River had joined the Quinebaug. This was in the area of the former home of the VFW, Place Motors and Tetreault’s Tavern. This is approximately where Price Chopper stands today.
Walking on top of the accumulation of silt the three of us stood almost even with the second story of Tetreault’s Tavern, in the area that was then the junction of May and Elm streets. Walking on top of the silt reminded me of walking on top of huge snow piles, but this was all dirt that had come down the river and had been deposited in Putnam.
My memory of the Tetreault building as it was prior to the flood is that of a well-manicured, neatly kept property. The tavern was attached to a two-deck structure that served as a home and boarding house. The outside of the building had always stood out to me because it had a unique brown shaded stucco style finish. On this day, as the three of us stood high above the first floor even a 14-year-old boy could feel sadness for a building that once stood as a proud edifice, owned by proud Putnam folks.
Retreating back over the river the destruction that was wreaked on the Donais home in all its finery, Prassos’ Shoe Repair, The Observer Press and King Cadillac made me wonder how these homes and businesses would ever be resurrected. Water Street, which was essentially all apartment homes, was totally destroyed. It would later all be demolished. That spot is occupied by Rotary Park today.
Rotary Park received its name because as word spread of the devastation of Putnam, monies from Rotary clubs around the country began to pour in to help with rehabilitation. As I’ve been told by old-time Rotarians, the Putnam Rotary Club received approximately $35,000 at that time. Due to the federal and state aid that became available to redevelop the community those funds became expendable. Eventually, in large part because of the urging of Rotarian and civic leader Dr. Robert Dinolt the money was applied to construct Rotary Park. Thanks to Dr. Dinolt and the Rotary Club, Putnam has a beautiful location today for community-based functions.
As we crossed back over the bridge, Chapel Street was on our right and left. Off on our right on Truesdell Street the wooden factory structure that was a Belding Corticelli annex was all but collapsed with only the chimney standing erect.
Chapel Street was a mess. Homes had mud and silt throughout their first floors. All personal possessions and memories were either gone or damaged beyond repair. I remember that the Altmeiers, Ted and Arlene lived on that street in a two-story house that was the family home. I recall my parents telling us about the many hours the entire family put in cleaning the home so that someday they could move back to the place they loved. As I recall, the Sidney Nichols family lived across the street from the Altmeiers in a tiny house that they called home. They went through a similar fate.
Today essentially nothing remains of Chapel Street. That same area would primarily be the rear piece of the property occupied by the Superior Court building, extending to the basketball court and skate park area near the current police station. On the southerly side of Bridge Street, Chapel Street extended behind the present-day synagogue, and turned right just before the field across the road from the Gilman Funeral Home.
The scene that’s been depicted here is still vividly etched in my memory because I was at the right place at the right time to accompany my friend K.C. Cotter and his dad, K.C. Sr. on official Putnam Patriot newspaper business. Although Mr. Cotter and others such as John McCormac also of the Patriot newspaper, Monsignor Alfred Jette and Father Oscar Norman of St. Joseph’s, Dr. Robert Dinolt and Esther Welles have long been dead, it was these people along with the local government who worked so hard to put Putnam back on its feet.
To this day the 14-year-old boy says thanks for people such as they and for the opportunity to cross the Quinebaug River with K.C. Cotter and his dad.
Editor’s Note: The final installment of Ron Coderre’s memories of the Flood of 1955 will run in the next Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger, Aug. 14.
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captions:
page 1:
Original southern bridge abutment with River Road in the background, post Flood of 1955. Putnam Town Crier file photo.
page 2
Magnesium barrels exploded. King family photo collection.
page 3:
Another life saved by one of five helicopters.
Rescuing an infant
Mountains of sand everywhere. Putnam Town Crier archives.
page 7, clockwise from top left:
Cargill Falls. Aspinock Historical Society photo.
Civil Defense - Main Street near what is now Frontier. Putnam Town Crier archives.
King Cadillac was hit (where Walgreen's is today). King family photo.
The Putnam Public Library construction had just been finished right before the Flood of 1955. This building is now in the Riverfront Shopping Plaza off Kennedy Drive. The library moved to the new Municipal Complex a few years ago. Putnam Town Crier archives.
Flood batters Rt. 44 bridge and Hale. Putnam Town Crier archives.