Disasters

by Stefan Schmied
Translated by Gerald "Jerry" Thomas Boyle

     The colonist houses built of brick and wood had mostly straw roofs until the end of the 19th Century. Because of the straw roofs, in a few hours a large fire could change whole streets and even whole towns into ruin and ashes. Around the turn of the century, the tiled roofs had to be wetted down, but the typical barns had thatched roofs also. So it is no wonder that almost all the towns suffered heavily with fires.

      In 1862, three Swabian towns fell victims to the flames. In Bildegg, Kalmandi, and Scheindorf, the fires consumed not only houses and barns almost completely, but also harvest and feed-stock. In Scheindorf, during the fire on July 8, 1862, even the church and rectory were consumed. The rectory was a new building, built in 1861 for the first pastor of the parish.

      The elder inhabitants should be able to remember the major fire of October 6, 1905. Ten houses, seven barns, and four cellars for cold storage were destroyed. Because the rectory burned down again, Pastor Erni was forced to move into the home of the teacher Hans Muller. The following families suffered because of the fire: Michael Tepfenhardt, Josepf Schimpf, Stefan Manz, Josef Koch, Johann Schimpf, Stefan Leili, Johann Majer, Martin Holzli, and Martin Pataki. The rectory was rebuilt by July 26, 1908, through insurance payments, money from the diocese, and the parishioner's contributions.

      The last major fire in August, 1917 took 19 homes, 15 barns, 7 sheds, 9 cellars, and 23 pigsties. The damage was estimated at half a million Kronen. The school was also burned down and rebuilt by 1919.

      That the Scheindorfer Swabians, like the settlers in other towns, also suffered from illnesses, hunger, as well as insect infestation in crops, must be assumed. There are no records of these. The only record is of 30 deaths - 13 Swabians and 17 Rumanians - who died of the Spanish flu in October and November, 1918.

      Crop failure as a result of unfavorable weather was often a serious problem. During the serious frost in September, 1906, the wine-growers especially sustained considerable damage and in 1912, everyone suffered because of the abnormal weather. Even April announced itself with snow, frost, and storms. From August until November, it rained uninterruptedly, so that the grain fields could not be harvested. That the farmers could not restore their fields to normal the following year was a disadvantage. The wine was undrinkable, and the harvest brought only one quarter of the usual profit.

      The year 1924 was marked by drought. The grain harvest was so bad in many areas that the price of wheat climbed from 800 Lei in September to 1,200 Lei in December and 1,600 Lei in the Spring.

      If we look back at the 190-year history of the Swabian settlement in Scheindorf, we can conclude that, in spite of disasters, the inhabitants were successfully able to create a place out of the forests of Count Karolyi, that became a loved homeland. Working together in time of need and a great trust in God gave them the strength to complete the work that was begun.