During the Great Dayton Flood disaster , John H. Patterson contributed significantly to the recovery efforts . NCR employees built nearly 300 flat-bottomed boats and Patterson organized rescue teams to save the thousands of people stranded on roofs and the upper stories of buildings . He turned the NCR factory on Stewart Street into an emergency shelter providing food and lodging , and he organized local doctors and nurses to provide medical care . Patterson 's vision for a managed watershed for the Great Miami River resulted in the development of the Miami Conservancy District , one of the first major flood control districts in the United States
Great Dayton Flood
Great Dayton Flood
John Henry Patterson (NCR owner)