Johnstown's first call for help requested coffins and undertakers. The village of East Conemaugh was next. This committee was led by the esteemed James B. Francis, a hydraulic engineer best known for his work related to canals, flood control, turbine design, dam construction, and hydraulic calculations. Though the former reason was probably more central to the failure of survivors' suits against the club, the latter received coverage and extensive criticism in the national press. As the company continued to face a decline in profits in the years after the flood, they looked to Johnstown for solutions. Some 20 to 30 houses were destroyed or washed away, and four people were killed. 48, No. Water Damage Legal Liability Insurance Definition. The largest dam to fail was the Laurel Run Dam, releasing over 101 million gallons (382,000 m3) of water that poured through the village of Tanneryville, killing 41 people. [18][1], It was the worst flood to hit the U.S. in the 19th century. Therefore, the official death toll should be 2,208. Lovers burnt and sweethearts drowned, This claim by the ASCE committee has now been challenged.[4]. [4] This fatal lowering of the dam greatly reduced the capacity of the main spillway and virtually eliminated the action of an emergency spillway on the western abutment. [4] Lowering the dam by as much as 3 feet (0.91 m) and failing to replace the discharge pipes at the base of the dam cut in half the safe discharge capacity of the dam. Darlings lost but never found! State courts' adoption of Rylands, which held that a non-negligent defendant could be held liable for damage caused by the unnatural use of land, foreshadowed the legal system's 20th-century acceptance of strict liability.[27]. The Pennsylvania Railroad restored service to Pittsburgh, 55 miles (89 km) away, by June 2. He's permitted to retell the story but warned that Noah will be in the crowd or audience. Accor… Eventually, gravity caused the surge to return to the dam, causing a second wave to hit the city, but from a different direction. Near Flood Stage No Flooding Observations Are Not Current Out of Service Flood Category Not Defined At or Below Low Water Threshold Last map update: 03/07/2021 at 09:22:30 pm EST 03/08/2021 at 02:22:30 UTC What is UTC time? She then works as a telegraph operator for the reporters flooding the town while advocating for the people living there. The death toll here was approximately 16 people. As it hit Johnstown, all hell broke loose. [26] The long-awaited report was presented at that meeting by James Francis. This dam had a 42.5-foot (13 m) high spillway, and when it failed about 101 million gallons (382,000 m3) of water was released. With continuous cutbacks, Johnstown had ranked as the area with the least profit made. In a city that relied so heavily on the steel industry in its economy, the effects of this disaster would be felt for some years to come. In their final report[24] they concluded the South Fork dam would have failed even if it had been maintained within the original design specifications, i.e., with a higher embankment crest and with five large discharge pipes at the dam's base. Johnstown was the eastern terminus of the Western Division Canal, supplied with water by Lake Conemaugh, the reservoir behind the dam. It follows him trying to convince the people of the danger and then the flood. The new river walls withstood Hurricane Agnes in 1972, but on the night of July 19, 1977, a severe thunderstorm dropped 11 inches of rain in eight hours on the watershed above the city and the rivers began to rise. [10] During the night, small creeks became roaring torrents, ripping out trees and debris. By 1889, Johnstown's industries had attracted numerous Welsh and German immigrants. As railroads superseded canal barge transport, the Commonwealth abandoned the canal and sold it to the Pennsylvania Railroad. The total death toll was calculated originally as 2,209 people,[1] making the disaster the largest loss of civilian life in the United States at the time. Paper No. Johnstown's annual Thunder in the Valley® motorcycle rally is held the fourth weekend in June, centered in downtown Johnstown and the surrounding Johnstown area. Other men tried digging a ditch at the other end of the dam, on the western abutment which was lower than the dam crest. In 2009, studies showed that the flood's flow rate through the narrow valley exceeded 420,000 cubic feet per second (12,000 m3/s), comparable to the flow rate of the Mississippi River at its delta, which varies between 250,000 and 710,000 cu ft/s (7,000 and 20,000 m3/s).[5]. By the time this weather pattern reached western Pennsylvania two days later, it had developed into what would be termed the heaviest rainfall event that had ever been recorded in that part of the United States. Best Dining in Johnstown, Pennsylvania: See 3,236 Tripadvisor traveler reviews of 157 Johnstown restaurants and search by cuisine, price, location, and more. As a result of this criticism, in the 1890s, state courts around the country adopted Rylands v. Fletcher, a British common-law precedent which had formerly been largely ignored in the United States. The “Great Flood” of May 31, 1889 occurred after the South Fork Dam collapsed 14.1 miles (23 km) upstream from the city during heavy rains. 29-10. The Johnstown flood of 1977, also known as the second great flood of Johnstown and the Johnstown disaster, was a major flood which began on the night of July 19, 1977, when heavy rainfall caused widespread flash flooding in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, including the city of Johnstown and the Conemaugh Valley.. After the Johnstown flood … Grandview was created in 1885 by Johnstown leaders, who in the light of the tragic path of history, appear now to have been preordained to fulfill a vital mission for their city's future. "[21], Nonetheless, individual members of the club, millionaires in their day, contributed to the recovery. Email This BlogThis! (Worse than Herod's awful crime) High above the city, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania built the South Fork Dam between 1838 and 1853, as part of a cross-state canal system, the Main Line of Public Works. The Club was never held legally responsible for the disaster. But within seven minutes, the viaduct collapsed, allowing the flood to resume its course. [10] Unger, Parke, and the rest of the men continued working until exhausted to save the face of the dam; they abandoned their efforts at around 1:30 p.m., fearing that their efforts were futile and the dam was at risk of imminent collapse. Such was the price that was paid for— fish! Michelle Dutrow, Superintendent of the West Branch Area School District, said the elementary school flooded overnight. The idea was to let more water out of the lake to try to prevent overtopping of the crest, but without success. [10], Henry Clay Frick led a group of speculators, including Benjamin Ruff, from Pittsburgh to purchase the abandoned reservoir, modify it, and convert it into a private resort lake for their wealthy associates. After the dam failed, water rushed through the Tanneryville neighborhood. The American Red Cross continued to aid victims of fires, floods, and hurricanes over the next several years; however, their role grew during the 1889 Johnstown flood when the American Red Cross set up large shelters to temporarily house those dislocated by the disaster. The Johnstown Flood. Forty were killed by the Laurel Run Dam failure. Learn how and when to remove this template message, 1987–1996 animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–", "Dam-Breach hydrology of the Johnstown flood of 1889–challenging the findings of the 1891 investigation report", Sid Perkins, "Johnstown Flood matched volume of Mississippi River", "The South Fork Fishing & Hunting Club and the South Fork Dam", Johnstown Flood Museum, "Johnstown Flood Museum: Pennsylvania Railroad Interview Transcripts". Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. The Cambria Slope Mine #33, on Sanders Run, had a spillway height of 32 feet (9.8 m) and was leased by the Bethlehem Mines Corporation, and held 7 million gallons (26,500 m3) of water. A Swiss immigrant named Joseph Schantz started farming at the confluence of the Little Conemaugh River and the Stoneycreek River around 1794. Here is a list of some of the most descriptive facts about the Johnstown flood. Working seven days and nights, workmen built a wooden trestle bridge to temporarily replace the huge stone railroad viaduct, which had been destroyed by the flood. Located about 60 miles east of Pittsburgh, Johnstown is accessible from State Routes 219, 56, 403, 22, and 271. It took workers three months to remove the mass of debris, the delay owing in part to the huge quantity of steel barbed wire from the ironworks entangled with the wreckage. Although it’s a story of great tragedy, it’s also one of inspiration and triumphant recovery … and one that has helped shaped who we are today. [10], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}40°20′25″N 78°46′15″W / 40.34028°N 78.77083°W / 40.34028; -78.77083, "Three Floods Later, Johnstown is Still Standing", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Johnstown_flood_of_1977&oldid=982734708, 1977 natural disasters in the United States, Articles with dead external links from February 2020, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, US$340 million (Johnstown: $137 million; surrounding areas: $213 million), This page was last edited on 10 October 2020, at 00:32. The Johnstown Flood (locally, the Great Flood of 1889) occurred on Friday, May 31, 1889, after the catastrophic failure of the South Fork Dam, located on the south fork of the Little Conemaugh River, 14 miles (23 km) upstream of the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. During this time heavy snow run-off and three days of continuous rainfall caused the Saint Patrick's Day flood of 1936. Markers on a corner of City Hall at 401 Main Street show the height of the crests of the 1889, 1936, and 1977 floods. County Boundaries. 178-5. The victims of the 1977 flooding were from Old Conemaugh Borough (2), Hornerstown (4), Walnut Grove (3), West End (1), Dale Borough (10), Seward (7), Strongstown (1), Tanneryville (39 including those still missing), Windber, (2), Summerhill (1), Dilltown (1), Dunlo (3), Mineral Point (2), Richland (6), and Scalp Level (2)[8][9], Johnstown, a once booming steel city was significantly impacted by the aftermath of flood. It was featured as a main attraction at the, Willis Fletcher Johnson wrote in 1889 a book called, Gertrude Quinn Slattery, who survived the flood as a six-year-old girl, published a memoir entitled. Kaktins, Uldis, Davis Todd, C., Wojno, S., Coleman, N.M. (2013). The dam and lake were part of the purchase, and the railroad sold them to private interests. Lake Conemaugh at the club's site was 450 feet (140 m) in elevation above Johnstown. Although ample warnings were given, they were disregarded by many townspeople, and 2,200 residents died. The village of Johnstown was founded in 1800 by the Swiss immigrant Joseph Johns (anglicized from "Schantz") where the Stonycreek and Little Conemaugh rivers joined to form the Conemaugh River. Cambridge University Press. Encyclopædia Britannica. [24] William Shinn, a former managing partner with Andrew Carnegie, became the new President of ASCE in January, 1890. Paper No. Food, clothing, medicine, and other provisions began arriving by rail. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}40°20′25″N 78°46′15″W / 40.34028°N 78.77083°W / 40.34028; -78.77083, Massive flood of Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1889, Debris above Pennsylvania Railroad bridge, Investigation of the cause of the 1889 dam breach and flood, Effect on the development of American law. At Johnstown, the Stone Bridge, which was a substantial arched structure, carried the Pennsylvania Railroad across the Conemaugh River. "Johnstown" . While much attention centers on the tragedy of the Great 1889 Johnstown Flood, Grandview represents more – the overall history of the area, … After the flood, there were no structures, no topsoil, no sub-soil – only the bedrock was left. On November 27, 1943, Colonel Gilbert Van B. Wilkes, Chief of the Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District, told a Johnstown audience the flood problems had been effectively solved. Creator Square was just an idea in early 2014. Coleman, Neil M., Kaktins, Uldis, and Wojno, Stephanie (2016). Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, Vol. [2], According to records compiled by The Johnstown Area Heritage Association, bodies were found as far away as Cincinnati, and as late as 1911; 99 entire families died in the flood, including 396 children; 124 women and 198 men were widowed; 98 children were orphaned; and one third of the dead, 777 people, were never identified; their remains were buried in the "Plot of the Unknown" in Grandview Cemetery in Westmont. The U.S. Army Signal Corps estimated that 6 to 10 inches (150 to 250 mm) of rain fell in 24 hours over the region. 7, p. 216. Discover the history behind the tragedy. Were Introduced" Give My Regards to Broadway "George M. Cohan Was Born" Going to the Met "The Metropolitan Opera House Opened in New York" Have a Coke and a Smile "The First Coca-Cola Served" … The valley had large amounts of runoff from rain and snowfall. Another 50,000 were rendered homeless as a result of this "100-year flood". This number of deaths was later surpassed by fatalities in the 1900 Galveston hurricane and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. February 9, 2021 by PG. 7. Upon completion, the Corps proclaimed Johnstown "flood free.". "Statistics about the great disaster", Johnstown Flood Museum, "Frank Shomo, Infant Survivor Of Johnstown Flood, Dies at 108", https://archive.org/stream/StillCastingShadowsASharedMosaicOfU.s.HistoryVol.I1620-1914/StillCastingShadows1_djvu.txt, "Note: The Floodgates of Strict Liability: Bursting Reservoirs and the Adoption of, "Silent Era : Progressive Silent Film List", "Theater Loop – Chicago Theater News & Reviews – Chicago Tribune", Shelley Johansson of the Johnstown Flood Museum, "First Person: The Swedish Johnstown flood", https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2017NE/webprogram/Paper290358.html, https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2016.e00120, https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2016AM/webprogram/Paper283665.html, Benefit event for Johnstown Flood Sufferers held on June 14, 1889, "The Johnstown Flood", Greater Johnstown/Cambria County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Google Earth view showing Johnstown and the South Fork Dam site, "'It's still controversial': Debate rages over culpability of wealthy club members" by David Hurst, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Johnstown_Flood&oldid=1010421426, History of the United States (1865–1918), 1889 natural disasters in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2017, Articles needing additional references from May 2017, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2019, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, "A True History of the Johnstown Flood" by, By the early twentieth century, entertainers developed an exhibition portraying the flood, using moving scenery, light effects, and a live narrator. [25] At ASCE's annual convention in June 1890, committee member Max Becker was quoted as saying “We will hardly [publish our investigation] report this session, unless pressed to do so, as we do not want to become involved in any litigation”. Johnstown offers … John Parke, an engineer for the South Fork Club, briefly considered cutting through the dam's end, where the pressure would be less to create another spillway, but eventually decided against it as that would have quickly ensured the failure of the dam. The other three investigators, William Worthen, Alphonse Fteley, and Max Becker, did not attend. All the horrors that hell could wish, [citation needed]. 1600 homes were destroyed, $17 million in property damage levied (approx. Variations on story of an elderly man lived through the Johnstown Flood (or in Johnstown PA) and bored countless of his contemporaries with his narratives about the Johnstown Flood. The dam was situated outside Franklin and the water shed drained towards East Conemaugh and the Conemaugh River. A pair of Johnstown residents known for their activism at Greater Johnstown School District are again seeking election to Johnstown City Council. The South Fork dam failed on Friday, May 31, 1889 and unleashed 20,000,000 tons of water that devastated Johnstown, PA. In 1889 a dam break upstream from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, released a 30-40 foot wall of water that killed 2200 people within minutes. Morticians traveled by railroad. When the dam failed the flood waters entered the Conemaugh between St. Michael and South Fork at Ehrenfeld. The town was on high ground, and most of the people escaped by running up the nearby hills when they saw the dam spill over. The ASCE committee completed their investigation report on January 15, 1890, but the report was sealed and not shared with other ASCE members or the public. Before hitting the main part of Johnstown, the flood surge hit the Cambria Iron Works at the town of Woodvale, sweeping up railroad cars and barbed wire. The whistle was part of the make-up of the man; he was known for it as much as he was known for the engine he … His warning saved many people who reached high ground. [1] Barton arrived on June 5, 1889, to lead the group's first major disaster relief effort; she did not leave for more than five months. The scale of the Johnstown flood of 1889 is difficult to visualize. Nearly 12 inches (300 mm) of rain fell in 24 hours when a thunderstorm stalled over the area, and six dams in the area over-topped and failed. The lake was about 2 miles (3.2 km) long, about 1 mile (1.6 km) wide, and 60 feet (18 m) deep near the dam. Work began in August 1938 with extensive dredging and flood control measures. When he died, he went to Heaven and was greeted by St. Peter, whom he told that he wanted to tell the gripping story one more time. Dam-breach hydrology of the Johnstown Flood of 1889 – Challenging the findings of the 1891 investigation report. One of the first outsiders to arrive was Clara Barton, nurse, founder and president of the American Red Cross. JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ) — The 1889 Foundation announced a $250,000 grant to the Johnstown Area Heritage Association (JAHA) in support of the Johnstown Flood Museum Revitalization Project. Popular feeling ran high, as is reflected in Isaac Reed's poem: Many thousand human lives- [15] From his idle locomotive in the town's railyard, the engineer John Hess heard and felt the rumbling of the approaching flood. The Johnstown Tribune - May 1945 - The Torch of FREEDOM Lights up Europe - Sanitary Dairy. Disclaimer. During the middle of the flood, rumors circulated that a dam upstream of the city was going to fail, and this sent citizens in a rush to get to higher ground, fearing a repeat of 1889. After the flood, Andrew Carnegie, then known as an industrialist and philanthropist, built the town a new library. The combination of the other five dams[2] released another 27 million gallons (100,000 m3), not counting the water from rains. It is located on a floodplain that has been subject to frequent disasters. The dam was a total failure. He laid out plans for a town and chose the name Conemaugh after a Native American village that occupied the same site. The Johnstown Area Heritage Association (JAHA) has received a major grant from 1889 Foundation in support of the Johnstown Flood Museum Revitalization Project. Survivors were unable to recover damages in court because of the club's ample resources. Along with about half of the club members, co-founder Henry Clay Frick donated thousands of dollars to the relief effort in Johnstown. 41, No. The demolition expert "Dynamite Bill" Flinn and his 900-man crew cleared the wreckage at the Stone Bridge. Sent to heaven before their time; Over 2,300 steel jobs were terminated in Johnstown as a part of cutbacks by CEO of Bethlehem Steel, Donald Trautlein. Portions of the Stone Bridge have been made part of the Johnstown Flood National Memorial, established in 1969 and managed by the National Park Service. Pennsylvania History, v. 80, no. He invested no more money into the city as he did not see any more profit to be made. Hosts of martyred little ones, 15 (11th ed.). The club was successfully defended by the firm of Knox and Reed (later Reed Smith LLP), whose partners Philander Knox and James Hay Reed were both Club members. At Point Park in Johnstown, at the confluence of the Stonycreek and Little Conemaugh rivers, an eternal flame burns in memory of the flood victims. Davis T., C., Coleman, Neil M., Meyers, Reed A., and Kaktins, Uldis (2009). The flood was as wide as the Mississippi River and three times more powerful than Niagara Falls. On May 28, 1889, a low-pressure area formed over Nebraska and Kansas. The area surrounding Johnstown is prone to flooding due to its location on the rivers, whose upstream watersheds include an extensive drainage basin of the Allegheny plateau. In 1974, the Corps issued a report titled "The Potential for Future Flooding in the Johnstown Area", which failed to grasp the attentions of town leaders and the people of Johnstown. The grant will fund exhibition upgrades at the museum, one of Johnstown’s flagship tourism attractions. Boilers exploded when the flood hit the Gautier Wire Works, causing black smoke seen by the Johnstown residents. At its peak, the army of relief workers totaled about 7,000. The Carnegie Library in Johnstown is now operated by the Johnstown Area Heritage Association,[28] which has adapted it for use as the Johnstown Flood Museum. However, owing to the delay at the stone arch, the flood waters gained renewed hydraulic head, resulting in a stronger, more abrupt wave of water hitting places downstream than otherwise would have been expected. Coleman, Neil M., Wojno, Stephanie, and Kaktins, Uldis. One witness on high ground near the town described the water as almost obscured by debris, resembling "a huge hill rolling over and over". On July 19, 1977, a deluge of rain hit the area around Johnstown during the night. [8] The Conemaugh River, immediately downstream of Johnstown, is hemmed in by steep mountainsides for about 10 miles (16 km). When the flood hit, it picked up the locomotive and floated it aside; Hess himself survived, but at least 50 people died, including about 25 passengers stranded on trains in the town. A determination of peak discharge rate and water volume from the 1889 Johnstown Flood (Presentation 76-10). 41, No. Before daybreak, the Conemaugh River that ran through Johnstown was about to overwhelm its banks. After 1881, when the club opened, the dam frequently sprang leaks. Poems include: Books about the flood in a historical context include: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest. (2017). Jane Claypool Miner wrote "Jennie" (1989). 2. An unnamed impoundment dam, holding 1000 gallons (4 m3) of reserve water for Bethlehem Mines Corporation, also failed. A hydraulic analysis published in 2016 confirms what had long been suspected, that the changes made to the dam by the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club severely reduced the ability of the dam to withstand major storms. Continuing on its way downstream to Johnstown, 14 miles (23 km) west, the water picked up debris, such as trees, houses, and animals. p. 475. On the morning of May 31, in a farmhouse on a hill just above the South Fork Dam, Elias Unger, president of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, awoke to the sight of Lake Conemaugh swollen after a night-long heavy rainfall. In 1889, rising water breached the South Fork Dam, sending twenty million tons of water roaring through the Conemaugh Valley. The Johnstown flood of 1977, also known as the second great flood of Johnstown and the Johnstown disaster, was a major flood which began on the night of July 19, 1977, when heavy rainfall caused widespread flash flooding in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, including the city of Johnstown and the Conemaugh Valley. Debris at the stone bridge covered 30 acres,[18] and clean-up operations were to continue for years. Most remained on top of the dam, some plowing earth to raise it, while others tried to pile mud and rock on the face to save the eroding wall. The debris carried by the flood formed a temporary dam at the bridge, resulting in the flood surge rolling upstream along the Stoney Creek River. Coleman, Neil M., Wojno, Stephanie, and Kaktins, Uldis. Well over 128 million gallons (485,000 m3) of water from the dams alone poured down the valley, and by dawn Johnstown was inundated with six feet of water. When the dam failed, the flood waters ran into the South Fork Little Conemaugh River which joins the Conemaugh River in Sidman. Catherine Marshall wrote "Julie" (1984) which describes the concerns leading up to the failing dam and the days before, during and after the flood itself from the perspective of an 18 year old girl who works at a newspaper and tries with her father to warn the town. Johnstown Flood - Kindle edition by McCullough, David. Dam-Breach hydrology of the Johnstown flood of 1889 – challenging the findings of the 1891 investigation report, Heliyon. Some 57 minutes after the South Fork Dam collapsed, the flood hit Johnstown. However, as pointed out by David McCullough in 1968 (pages 266 and 278),[2] a man reported as presumed dead (not known to have been found) had survived. NWS State College - Computer Model forecasts and information, including forecast maps, soundings, and tabular data. It was patched, mostly with mud and straw. During the day in Johnstown, the situation worsened as water rose to as high as 10 feet (3.0 m)[13] in the streets, trapping some people in their houses. Flood insurance is a type of property coverage that protects homeowners from water damage to the structure and/or contents of their property. They were accused of failing to maintain the dam properly, so that it was unable to contain the additional water of the unusually heavy rainfall. Vol. Map Overlays. The Heroes and Villains of the Johnstown Flood, America's Astonishing Gilded Age Disaster. The John Schultz house at Johnstown, Pennsylvania after the flood. (Image … Development included lowering the dam to make its top wide enough to hold a road, and putting a fish screen in the spillway (the screen also trapped debris). 49, No. The city's residents began to feel secure that any flooding issues had been resolved and even promoted the area as "flood free" for many years. Unger ran outside in the still-pouring rain to assess the situation and saw that the water was nearly cresting the dam. Walter Frank first documented the presence of that emergency spillway in a 1988 ASCE publication. [7] Support for victims came from all over the United States and 18 foreign countries. Miles of its barbed wire became entangled in the debris in the flood waters. Six people, including the owner Mr. Schultz, were inside the house when the flood hit. [12] But the warnings were not passed to the authorities in town, as there had been many false alarms in the past of the South Fork Dam not holding against flooding. In 1936, Congress was looking at flood control bills. 3, 335–363. [3] Ron Shawley, executive director of Laurel Highland's Historical Village, returned to Johnstown on July 20 and stated "It was like somebody dropped an atomic bomb on Johnstown" and that "I questioned what kind of force it would take to do that."[4]. About 30 families lived on the village's single street. By dawn, the city was under water that reached as high as 8 feet (2.4 m). Johnstown Flood (1889) On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam broke, unleashing 20 million tons of water from the artificial Lake Conemaugh. 7, p. 216. In 1900, Leroy Temple showed up in Johnstown to reveal he had not died but had extricated himself from the flood debris at the stone bridge below Johnstown and walked out of the valley. [4] The first town to be hit by the flood was South Fork. The plan accounted for the fact that a new county named Cambria would be taken from Somerset County but lobbying for the new town to be the county seat failed as Ebensburg was chosen. The American Red Cross, led by Clara Barton and with 50 volunteers, undertook a major disaster relief effort.
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