The 1889 Johnstown flood was a catastrophic event that occurred when the South Fork Dam, a major earthen dam on the Little Conemaugh River, failed. The ensuing flood killed more than 2,200 people and left entire towns destroyed.
The exact cause of the dam failure is still unknown, but there are several possible causes that have been suggested. These include structural defects in the dam, overtopping caused by heavy rains, and erosion of the dam’s foundations caused by the river’s flow.
Whatever the cause, the failure of the South Fork Dam was a catastrophic event that resulted in the death of thousands of people and the destruction of many towns.
The flood remains the worst disaster in Pennsylvania history and one of the worst disasters in United States history.
The Flood Itself
The Johnstown Flood of 1889 was a dam break that occurred on May 31, 1889, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The flood not only killed over 2,000 people, it also caused $17 million in damage.
The dam that failed was the South Fork Dam, which was built to create a reservoir for the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club. The club was a group of wealthy industrialists, including Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick.
On the day of the flood, the dam was filled to capacity with water from the rain-swollen Little Conemaugh River.
At 3:10 p.m., the dam failed, and a wall of water 40 feet high raced down the river valley.
The flood reached Johnstown in minutes. The city was unprepared for such a disaster and the majority of the people who died were killed by the impact of the water or by being crushed in the wreckage of their homes.
Ninety-nine entire families were wiped out that day.
Of those who died, 396 of them were children.
More than 750 bodies were never identified.
Afterwards
The flood of 1889 led to the creation of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and to the passage of the first federal disaster relief legislation, the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1890.
