The Johnstown Flood occurred on May 31, 1889. It was the result of the collapse of the South Fork Dam positioned 14 miles from the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The South Fork Dam was originally constructed between 1838 and 1853 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The dam often had leaks and was patched generally with mud and straw. On May 28, 1889, a rainstorm sprung up over Nebraska and Kansas heading towards Pennsylvania. By the time it hit Johnstown PA, it was the nastiest downpour that had ever been witnessed in that part of the country. The dam's breakdown unleashed a surge of 20 million tons of water. The flood killed over 2,200 people and cost over $17 million in damage. It was the initial major disaster relief effort ran by the new American Red Cross, directed by Clara Barton. Support for sufferers came from all over the United States. After the flood, the wounded suffered a sequence of legal losses in their efforts to recover compensation from the dam's owners. The countries resentment at that failure encouraged a major change in American law, being the state courts' shift from a fault-based regime to strict liability.
Here are some photos taken by Ernest Walter Histed of the disaster.
1 comments:
Wow! I have read a little on the flood as my great-grandfather and his saloon associates in Denver had given part of their bar receipts for charity of the victims. Little prepares or compares one of the actual damage than seeing photographs taken at the time of the travesty. Thank you for that.
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