I hope will be considered to the point that you will grant the project as it was requested in H. R. 3213. Mr. Davis. Mr. Rich, we have no desire to cut anybody off, and certainly it is not the wish of this committee to do so, but will you please insist that these 10 gentlemen, if they have prepared statements, introduce them at this point in the record, or if they do not have prepared statements, will you ask them to speak as briefly as possible because we are fairly conversant with the subject. We have very, very high regard for you and we know that you would not be here this morning emphasizing the importance to this committee if you personally did not believe in it. We know that; and we want your people to know that, too. Mr. RICH. I am going to introduce to you Mr. Meyer who is chairman of the authority for the city of Bradford and he will make the opening statement, and I am sure that the other gentlemen who are accompanying him will be just as brief as possible and save you as much of your time as possible. Mr. Meyer, chairman of the Bradford District Flood Control Authority. Mr. MEYER. Mr. Chairman, we have only three speakers and at this time I would like to introduce the mayor of our city, Dr. Hugh J. Ryan. STATEMENT OF HUGH J. RYAN, MAYOR, BRADFORD, PA. Mr. RYAN. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, my name is Hugh J. Ryan and I am a practicing dentist. I appear here before you today as mayor of the city of Bradford requesting your approval of the Bradford and vicinity flood-control project. I have served the city of Bradford as mayor for 11 years and have had the responsibility of the city during these very disastrous floods. Therefore, I am fully aware of their seriousness and the damages which they have wrought. But I will not dwell on this factor, but instead would like to stress the progressiveness of our community and the role it plays in promoting the welfare of its people. At the present moment bids are being advertised for the construction of a new hospital, the estimated cost of which is $1,800,000. A new airport costing $1,500,000 is nearing completion and regular daily flights are being made by United Airlines on its New York-to-Chicago run. In the very near future we expect to have daily flights on the Buffalo-Pittsburgh route. One of our leading industries is planning a $1,500,000 plant expansion. We have in the planning stage a $1,200,000 sewage-disposal plant. Also partially completed, with the remainder in the planning stage, is a $500,000 expansion of our municipal water plant. All of these facts prove that our community is moving ahead. I would like to mention also that during the seven war bond drives and the Victory loan drive, approximately $35,000,000 worth of bonds were purchased by the citizens of our county, and I understand that at a meeting held last week by the bond committee it was determined that approximately $25,000,000 worth of Federal bonds are still owned by our citizens. The city of Bradford has given the necessary assurances and stands ready to obligate itself for its share of the non-Federal cost of a floodcontrol project. As the mayor of the city of Bradford I urgently request that your committee approve the Bradford and vicinity floodcontrol project. Mr. Chairman, I would like to submit for the record without reading them letters from six political subdivisions that are represented and comprised within our flood authority. They all acknowledge their responsibility provided the act goes through. In addition, to conserve your time, I would like to introduce two letters, one from the fire chief and one from our health officer, both dealing with very vital elements concerned when we have these floods. Mr. DAVIS. Without objection, the letters may be filed. (The letters referred to are as follows:) BRADFORD TOWNSHIP SUPERVISORS, Hon. WILL M. WHITTINGTON, United States House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. DEAR MR. WHITTINGTON: Though I am interested vitally in flood control from a personal angle as owner of the Bradford Laundry which is menaced by every flood in Bradford, I am writing this letter as a representative of the Board of Supervisors of Bradford Township. In addition to being president of our McKean County Association, I am president of the Pennsylvania State Association of Supervisors and Auditors. At the time plans were being formulated for the formation of a flood authority for Bradford and vicinity, supervisors of Bradford Township felt keenly that there was an imperative need. We participated in the preliminary meetings, and continued active in its formation. Our taxpayers were consulted, and they almost unanimously endorsed the action of the board of supervisors establishing Bradford Township as one of the contributing members of the authority. We agreed to contribute our certain share of money for its formation and operation, and have paid our specified allotment for 2 years. We shall continue to pay our share of the funds needed until corrections of our mutual problem have resulted in a flood-free community. I trust you will read in the previous paragraph the determination the present supervisors have for the continuation of active work along flood lines. We are satisfied with the management of the flood authority, which has shown superb results with the limited funds at its disposal. Our community interests need the continuing enthusiasm and active work of this fine board. Bradford is a thriving community, a metropolitan small city, constantly improving, and deserves utmost consideration in its requests. Yours very respectfully, GEO. V. POTTS. TOWNSHIP OF FOSTER, May 11, 1949. Hon. WILL M. WHITTINGTON, Chairman, Committee on Public Works, United States House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. DEAR MR. WHITTINGTON: I am chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Township of Foster and am a retired South Penn Oil Co. foreman. The township of Foster is a contributing member of the Bradford District Flood Control Authority, and it is the wish of the citizens of our township that we bear our share of the burdens of the flood-control project. The township of Foster is growing numerically and financially even though we are located in the flood district. We have confidence in our continued growth through a reasonable sense of security through flood control by the completion of projects as outlined by our Bradford District Flood Control Authority. Very truly yours, BARRETT C. TAYLOR, Chairman. MOUNT JEWETT, PA., May 12, 1949. Hon. WILL M. WHITTINGTON, Chairman, Committee on Public Works, United States House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. DEAR MR. WHITTINGTON: The members of the Board of Supervisors of Lafayette Township, which is one of the political subdivisions of the Bradford Flood Control Authority, wish to express the need of Federal aid in protecting the Bradford district against future floods. The city of Bradford is located in the heart of the Bradford oil field and is a growing and prosperous city. With its numerous industries providing employment for people in the surrounding communities, such as our own township, we feel it is our duty to aid all we can in obtaining flood control in the Bradford district. To date the various subdivisions have contributed generously to the work and effort that have been expended on this project, and the township has pledged its share of non-Federal cost of constructing and maintaining a flood-control program. Very respectfully yours, LAFAYETTE TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, BOROUGH OF LEWIS RUN, Hon. WILL M. WHITTINGTON, Chairman, Committee on Public Works, United States House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. DEAR MR. WHITTINGTON: The borough of Lewis Run has experienced many floods in recent years and as the over-all task of flood protection in this area became more extensive, this community was immediately responsive to membership in the Bradford District Flood Control Authority. It has contributed financially to the authority since its organization 2 years ago, but it is quite evident only slow progress can be the result from these limited contributions. The borough is ever ready to burden itself financially to help provide the much needed protection required in this vicinity from recurrent floods. Very respectfully yours, BOROUGH OF LEWIS RUN, Hon. WILL M. WHITTINGTON, Chairman, Committee on Public Works, MCKEAN COUNTY, Smethport, Pa., May 13, 1949. United States House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. DEAR MR. WHITTINGTON: We respectfully submit for your consideration the fact that we as commissioners, in cooperation with various other districts concerned with the Bradford flood-control project, submit the following data, to wit: The district directly effected comprises a large portion of the county as to population and tax returns. Over a period of years, Bradford on its own account, has endeavored to fortify as much as possible against floods which have occurred repeatedly, doing a great deal of damage to the city, to individuals, and to the oil industry in general. Now the various subdivisions have joined in a comprehensive plan to alleviate this condition and hope to obtain in addition to the allotments from the various subdivisions, aid from the State and Federal authorities, if possible, to consummate a worth while flood-control project which is definitely defined as necessary, to eliminate insofar as possible, the damage which is repeatedly done through the years. Yours very truly, MCKEAN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, Attest: [SEAL] R. WALKER, Clerk. Hon. WILL M. WHITTINGTON, Chairman, Committee on Public Works, CITY OF BRADFORD, PA., May 13, 1949. United States House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. DEAR MR. WHITTINGTON: As health officer of the city of Bradford, Pa., I speak for several hundreds of persons who live in the flood district of our city. While these people have suffered a financial loss that was greater than most of them could bear, the menace to public health was of far greater importance. After each flood the hundreds of homes that were inundated were left with from 3 to 10 inches of slimy mud that had to be washed out and the homes sanitized before they were again livable. After the last flood there were several cases of virus pneumonia. During the flooding period the rush of water is so great that it enters some of the sanitary sewers and there is the ever-menacing threat of typhoid fever and dysentery. The city administration has done some flood-control work and they will continue to do more each year, but the project is so mammoth that the city cannot complete the work without financial help. We normally have a clean and healthy city of which we are justly proud, and hope it can always be kept that way. DEAR MR. WHITTINGTON: I am chief of the Bradford, Pa., Fire Department. The floods of 1942, 1946, 1947, and 1948 at Bradford have been extremely hazardous situations from the fire-protection standpoint. Our central fire station is located in the heart of the city and is, therefore, subject to high water during times of flood. On one occasion water around the fire-alarm cable caused a short circuit and made the entire fire-alarm system temporarily useless. My records reflect that during the flood of April 5, 1947, the central station received six alarms between 1 p. m. and 11:45 p. m., all directly resulting from the flood. Because the flood condition isolated our fire-fighting equipment, it was impossible to answer the alarm received at 1 p. m. and the building involved burned to the water edge. At 6:30 p. m. an explosion of gas near the Kendall Refining Co. plant resulted in the destruction of two homes. This gas came from gasoline which had been carried by the floodwaters to the vicinity of these homes where the gasoline was ignited. Floodwaters entered the air-vent pipe in an underground gasoline tank located in a local garage and the water, being heavier, displaced the gasoline and floated 8,000 gallons of this highly inflammable substance through a residential district adjacent to the downtown area. Ignition of this gasoline would undoubtedly have resulted in the loss of countless lives. It is my opinion that, if a serious fire started in our lower Main Street area during a flood period, the entire downtown area would be wiped out. During a flood the western and southeastern portions of our city are isolated from the central fire station and it is necessary for me, at such times, to station one fire truck on the western side and another on the southeastern side. A truck remaining at the central station can serve only the southern part of the city while the large eastern portion of the city is dependent on one piece of equipment which is permanently located in that area. Thus our four pieces of equipment are distributed to four sections of the city and are able to serve only limited areas because of numerous streets being inaccessible due to high water. Thus the effectiveness of the fire department is almost completely nullified. The city is located in the heart of the oil fields. Many oil-storage tanks are located along both branches of the stream. In the past we have been fortunate. If an oil tank is ripped open or the connecting pipe lines severed during flood time and the oil from even one tank carried by the floodwaters through the city, it is a virtual certainty that this highly inflammable crude oil will be ignited and in such a case even a fire department operating at 100-percent effectiveness would be powerless to prevent the complete destruction of over half of the city. I sincerely hope that this situation may be effectively dealt with before our good fortune runs out. Very respectfully yours, EDWARD B. LARKIN. Mr. McGREGOR. Is there any opposition to this project by local people? Mr. RYAN. I have not heard a bit, sir. I do not see why there should be. We have had 11 devasting floods since 1917. The assessed valuation of our city is about $17,000,000 and in 1947 we had the flood that cost us $1,500,000. So we can well appreciate what a terrible burden it is, especially on the poorer people that always get flooded out and when they get 5 or 6 feet of water in their houses and their furniture falls apart and the rugs are covered with mud and the poor city officials have to come in and do something about it, too. Mr. DONDERO. One question, Mr. Mayor. How many people live in this valley that will be affected by this project? Mr. RYAN. Our city is just short of 20,000, sir, and in this valley we might double that; that is, in the area where the flood is concerned. Mr. DONDERO. About 40,000? Mr. RYAN. Not any more than that. There are six subdivisions: The city of Bradford and the borough of Lewis Run and three townships and the county of McKean participate. That is our county. Mr. DAVIS. Are there any questions on this side? Mr. RICH. Mr. Meyer will call the next witness? Mr. MEYER. Mr. Chairman, at this point in the record, to conserve your time, I would like to file letters from the following: Dresser Manufacturing Co., Penn Realty Co., Bodine Hardware Co., Lutman's Downyflake Donut Shop, Producers Bank & Trust Co. Mr. DAVIS. Without objection, that may be done. (The letters referred to are as follows:) DRESSER MANUFACTURING DIVISION, Hon. WILL M. WHITTINGTON, United States House of Representatives, Bradford, Pa., May 12, 1949. Washington, D. C. DEAR MR. WHITTINGTON: Realizing that the Bradford district flood-control authority will appear before your committee next week to emphasize the urgent need for immediate flood protection in Bradford, I have asked them to present to you the case of Dresser Manufacturing Division, Dresser Industries, Inc., relative to the destructive effect of floods on our business. We have begun an expansion program which will involve an expenditure of $1,000,000 for building and equipment in our plant; before expansion our plant has a conservative replacement value of $5,500,000. Approximately half of the new appropriation, or $500,000, will be spent for new buildings, while the other half will be invested in single-purpose, specially designed machinery. When this expansion program was in the discussion stage our directors frequently registered great concern over the damage that might be done to the new buildings and equipment (not to say anything of our existing plant) by another At that time there was 40 destructive flood such as we had in April of 1947. inches of water in our plant, and we were shut down for 3 weeks, suffering expenses in excess of $100.000 due to lost production, rebuilding damaged machinery, drying out several hundred electric motors, reconditioning finished products, and clean-up work. No one can evaluate what the loss of water-soaked records that had to be thrown away will eventually mean to our business; some of those records dated back to the origin of our company and cannot possibly be replaced, although they were of great value to us. I assured our directors that the Bradford district flood-control authority had given me reason to believe that the Army study which was made recently was |