This original April 12, 1913 issue of Scientific American documents the catastrophic Great Flood of 1913, one of the deadliest natural disasters in American history, which killed over 650 people and caused roughly $143 million in damages across the Midwest and Northeast. The cover carries two dramatic photographs: a derailed train at Yost, New York, pushed into the flooded Mohawk River, and a rowboat navigating the submerged First Street in Troy, NY after the Hudson River overran the city.

Scientific American, then in its 69th year of publication, ran as a weekly journal at 10 cents per copy. This issue also retains a full back-page advertisement for the 1913 Reo the Fifth automobile, designed by R.E. Olds, priced at $1,095. The pages show age toning and expected handling wear consistent with a Good grade. Both the flood coverage and the period automobile advertising give this issue strong cross-collector appeal.