Hurricane Diane’s Visit Ten Years Ago Recalled-August 25, 1965

Ten years ago today all of greater Norwood home owners were mopping up from the record 12-inch rainfall left in the wake of hurricane Diane. The torrential rains dealt local industries a crippling blow and led to the thrilling rescue of two boys from the Neponset river. Hundreds of motorists were stranded and 350 requests for aid in pumping out cellars were received at the Norwood fire station alone. Police, fire, hospital, and DPW worked around the clock trying to restore some sort of order.

Two Norwood firefighters have cause to remember Diane’s fury, Joseph Stonis and retired James Balfour were summoned early in Diane’s attack to Route 1 and Dean Street where two boys were trying to paddle along the Neponset River. The youths had managed to reach a half-submerged tree and hang on, but when the fire fighters started to paddle out to them, their boat was overturned, throwing them into the raging waters. With the help of additional personnel, all were finally pulled in from their precarious perch to the safety of dry land.

On Saturday a Walpole family of four survived an amazing crash of their Piper tri-pacer. Answering a call from the airport area, equipment rushed to the scene where a 85-foot aerial ladder was raised so rescuers could ascertain to just where the plane had fallen in the inundated airport. A boat was sent for and the occupants of the plane, who were going on vacation, climbed out and were rowed in.

After the skies cleared, the worst traffic tie-up in the history of the area occurred’ when a washout along Route 1 in Walpole caused Walpole police to detour all traffic down route 1A. For six miles cars were traveling at a snail’s pace, bumper to bumper. Police were placed at each intersection in the business area of Norwood.

Another somewhat humorous aspect of hurricanes and automobiles were the groans brought from sightseers at Upland Road where Cadillac and Dodge cars had sunk from sight in 12 feet of water. But Billy Wragg and Harvey Clark of Sansone Motors not to be daunted, donned swimming suits to attach a tow line to an escaped Dodge.

The Bird & Son plants were particularly hard hit with losses in products and machinery running well up into the millions. The waters from the Canton river plummeted through the Plymouth Rubber Company there and it was a week before workers picked up the bales of raw rubber that were tossed through surrounding streets.