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KF5JRV > TODAY 31.05.19 12:30l 7 Lines 3291 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 37289_KF5JRV
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - May 31
Path: IZ3LSV<IR1UAW<IW2OHX<I0BLC<IK0MIL<GB7CIP<AB0AF<KF5JRV
Sent: 190531/1127Z 37289@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA BPQ6.0.18
In a river valley in central Pennsylvania, heavy rain and a neglecteddam lead to a catastrophe in which 2,209 people die and a prosperouscity, Johnstown, is nearly wiped off the face of the earth.Johnstown, located at the confluence of the Little Conemaugh River andStony Creek, was 14 miles downstream from Lake Conemaugh, a reservoirturned recreational lake that was owned and maintained by theprestigious South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club. The sporting club,which catered to a wealthy clientele from nearby Pittsburgh, includedAndrew Carnegie and Henry ClayFrick on its membership rolls. LakeConemaugh was held back by the South Fork Dam, a large earth-fill damthat was completed by the club in 1881. By 1889, the dam was in direneed of repairs.When several days of heavy rain struck the area in late May 1889, clubofficials struggled to reinforce the neglected dam, which was undertremendous pressure from the swollen waters of Lake Conemaugh. The dambegan to disintegrate, and on May 31 the lake’s water level passed overthe top of the dam. Realizing that the dam’s collapse was imminent, clubofficials sent riders down the valley to evacuate area residents.However, flooding was a familiar occurrence in the valley, and fewJohnstown residents heeded the riders’ desperate warnings. Most justtook the same simple precautions they did when Little Conemaugh Riverflooded: They moved their belongings to the second story of their homesand settled down to wait out the storm.At 3:10 p.m., the South Fork Dam washed away, drowning several laborerswho were struggling to maintain it. Club officials on high groundwatched awe-struck as 20 million tons of water went roaring down thevalley toward Johnstown. The deluge swept through the communities ofSouth Fork, Mineral Point, Woodvale, and East Conemaugh, accumulatingdebris, including rocks, trees, houses, barns, railroad cars, animals,and people, both dead and alive. By the time it reached Johnstown, at4:07 p.m., the flood appeared as a rolling hill of debris more than 30feet high and nearly half a mile wide. In a terrible swoop, the northernhalf of the city was swept away, sending some 1,500 demolished Johnstownbuildings tumbling down with the roaring torrent.It took 10 minutes for the waters of Lake Conemaugh to pass throughJohnstown, and 2,000 people were drowned or crushed in the torrent. Afew survivors were washed up along with numerous corpses several milesdown the valley. At the old Stone Bridge in Johnstown, debris piled 40feet high caught fire, and some 80 huddled survivors of the floodperished in the flames. A total of 2,209 died as a result of thedisaster.Among the survivors of the calamity, there was a scarcely an individualwho had not lost a friend or relative in the Johnstown Flood. Despitethe great scale of the tragedy, reconstruction of the devastatedcommunity began almost immediately, and Clara Barton and the AmericanRed Cross constructed shelters for homeless residents while well-wishersaround the country sent tons of relief supplies. The South Fork Fishingand Hunting Club was widely criticized for its failure to maintain theSouth Fork Dam, but no successful lawsuits were ever brought against theorganization.
73 de Scott KF5JRV
Pmail: KF5JRV@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA
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