The South Fork Dam was originally built between 1838-1853 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as part of the canal system to be used as a reservoir for the state's Main Line of Public Works canal basin in Johnstown. South Fork Dam. After the South Fork dam broke in 1889, he (and law firm partner James Reed, also a club member) convinced the more than 60-member club to remain silent about the flood and their roles as club . Retrieved June 14, 2019. http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary.org/cdm/ref/collection/acacc-jtf/id/4958. The president at the time of the flood was Colonel Elias Unger. After the flood, Andrew Carnegie, one of the club's better-known members, built the town a new library. Francis et al. In court, they claimed that they only lowered the dam by one foot and that the flood was an act of God. Individuals who sued all lost in court, and some even went bankrupt. It was the worst flood to hit the U.S. in the 19th century. The flood was as wide as the Mississippi River and three times more powerful than Niagara Falls. There was a control tower in the middle of the dam. There is a large pressure ridge at the mouth of Boat Cove with some less stable ice from there toward the dam. Simply put, the South Fork Dam had by then become a ticking time bomb, one that would timeout and detonate during the mid-afternoon of Friday, May 31st, 1889. I recently found aerial photography from 1952 showing a free flowing north and south fork of the American River. The ownership of the dam shifted various times throughout its history, so this was no trivial question. Court of Common Pleas. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America, Last edited on 10 September 2022, at 20:32, U.S. National Register of Historic Places, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, "'It's still controversial': Debate rages over culpability of wealthy club members" by David Hurst. The South Fork Dam was built to provide water for the operation of the Western Division of the Pennsylvania Mainline Canal between Johnstown and Pittsburgh. ft. 438 Lookout Dam Rd, Statesville, NC 28625 $449,900 MLS# 3892981 New construction home to be finished approx. Under Ruffs ownership the area became the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Clubof which elite members included Andrew Carnegie and Henry Frick. A torrent of water raced downstream, destroying several towns. An engineer who saw the situation of dam, immediately rode a horse towards the village of South Fork to warn the residents. It was also hypothesized during the investigation ofthe failure that had the spillway been constructed according to the originallydesigned size, the dam would likely have not been overtopped and the worstman-made disaster in the United States prior to September 11, 2001 would havebeen avoided. They thought the dam's location was a prime spot for a private resort. White, E. A. Myers, C. C. Hussey, D. R. Ewer, C. A. Carpenter, W. L. Dunn, W. L. McClintock, and A. V. On May 31, Elias Unger, who managed the club, looked outside and began to worry about the rising waters He supervised a group of Italian laborers as they frantically dug a new spillway and tried to unclog the existing one. Though plans specifieda spillway width of 150 feet, the constructed spillway only spanned about 70 feet. People stand atop houses after the flood May 31, 1889 (Source: The Washington Post) A bout a century and a half ago, the opening of the South Fork Dam was officially inaugurated in the American . This strategy was a success, and club members and attorneys Philander C. Knox and James H. Reed were able to fend off four lawsuits against the club; Colonel Unger, its president; and against 50 named members. It was patched, mostly with mud and straw. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. An engineer at the dam saw warning signs of an impending disaster and rode a horse to the village of South Fork to warn the residents. It turns out that the flood could actually have been preventedif only the magnates of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club had been willing to trade in a bit of their leisure for the safety of the town below. Because the growing city had increased the runoff from the surrounding hills by stripping them for wood and had narrowed the river banks to gain building space, the heavy annual rains had caused increased flooding in recent years. Lessons Learned From Dam Failures. Before closing on Ruff's purchase, Congressman Reilly had crucial discharge pipes removed and sold for their value as scrap metal, so there was no practical way to lower the level of water behind the dam should repairs be indicated. The dam broke after several days of extremely heavy rainfall, releasing 14.55 million cubic meters of water. the group wanted to use the colorado river's water for each state's use. Former Bouquet seller now making a go with blogging and graphic designing. Nephew of, James H. Willock cashier of the Second National Bank, William K. Woodwell associated with Joseph R. Woodwell and company, H. C. Yeager dry goods and trimming wholesaler through C. Yeager and Company, This page was last edited on 10 September 2022, at 20:32. Even before Folsom Lake Dam was built and the reservoir filled, the north fork of the American River was supplying water to communities, farms and ranches in south Placer and northeast Sacramento counties. The South Fork canyon area west of the park boundary is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Compiled and edited by Kathy Weiser-Alexander, updated October 2019. That's when a dam altered by the exclusive club burst, and the unthinkable happened. For the next eight years, the summer resort offered fishing, hunting, boating, and other recreational opportunities for club members. (3)VandenBerge, D., Duncan, J., & Brandon, T. (2011). However, by the mid-1850's the canal system and its dams were virtually obsolete because trans-state rail service had been established. Thats changed in modern years as scientists and historians work to reconstruct what happened during the fateful flood. Excursions When the South Fork Dam burst on May 31, 1889, the population of Johnstown had already spent their day dealing with floodwaters. 1879-11-17. pg 7. The approximate death toll was over 2,209 and their bodies were found as far away as Cincinnati. Presentation published by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Left image Changes made to the dam during their ownership contributed to the dam's failure and the flood. How was his response different? The South Fork dam was planned to supply water to the canal and waterway west of the Alleghenies. Oregon: Oregon Water Resources Department. Lake Conemaugh was held by the dam on the side of a mountain, 450 feet higher than Johnstown. WATCH: Full episodes of 'I Was There' online now. The dam as originally built with a higher crest by the State of Pennsylvania would have impounded a greater volume of 1.627 10 7 m 3 below a lake stage of 493.5 m. Many publications report that . PA But the most harrowing experience for hundreds came at the old stone railroad bridge below the junction of the rivers. Any modification to a spillway should be reviewed and approved by a professional engineer. After the flood, victims suffered a series of legal defeats in their attempt to recover damages from the dam's owners. These photos were taken by Louis Semple Clarke, the son of a club member, during the happy days before the tragedy. Despite the evidence to suggest that they were very much to blame, the Club membership was never held legally responsible for the disaster. Switch to the light mode that's kinder on your eyes at day time. The town's residents were used to frequent flooding when it rained heavily or when snow in the surrounding mountains melted too quickly, but they were not prepared for what happened on May 31, 1889, when the South Fork Dam collapsed. Privacy Policy. Directions: I-77 N to exit 51 for I-40, keep left at fork for I-40 W. Take exit 141 for Sharon School road and TR . On a cool May afternoon in 1889, the residents of Johnstown heard a thunderous roar as a man-made disaster swept through town. 3. On May 30, 1889, afterunusually heavy rains hit the area,the citizens of Johnstown were warned three times of a possible impending flood if the dam didnt hold. Torrents of water rushed downstream as the dam failed, inundating nearby . People still wonder why so many vote against temporary taxes to help relieve or open museums or sports stadiums in their towns. The design engineer(s) should be involved in the construction phase of dam projects. Along with about half of the club members, Henry Clay Frick donated thousands of dollars to the relief effort in Johnstown. . Founded in 1794, Johnstown, Pennsylvania began to prosper with the building of the Pennsylvania Mainline Canal in 1834 and the arrival of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Cambria Iron Company in the 1850s. February 11, 1881; "Report of the Committee on the Cause of the Failure of the South Fork Dam", loc. When the water was "up" in the spring, the lake covered over 400 acres (1.6km2). Four square miles of downtown Johnstown was completely destroyed. Required fields are marked *. This disaster is known as the Johnstown Flood. Residents of Pennsylvania are still paying for it through a tax on alcohol. The South Fork Dam was built between 1838 and 1853 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to provide water for the operation of the Western Division of the Pennsylvania Mainline Canal between Johnstown and Pittsburgh. Retrieved July 4, 2019. (1)Mills, K. (2013). 1. But many were trapped in the wreckage, some still hopelessly hung up in the barbed wire, unable to move. When the initial renovation was completed under Ruff's oversight, it became impossible to drain the lake to repair the dam properly, having modified the dam and lake area it to suit its recreational interests. The dam was sold to the railroad, which then sold it to private owners. 9/2022. Many more failures - in Arizona, Tennessee, Oregon, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and elsewhere across the U.S. - occurred around the turn of the century, and some early state . These 61 wealthy steel and coal industrialists came from Pittsburgh, and made some . However,Benjamin Ruff, thefirst president of the South Fork Club, responded by saying:You and your people are in no danger from our enterprise., Southfork Clubhouse, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, In the end, nothing was done andby and by, most Johnstown residents talked less and less about it. . (Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images). South Fork Dam after failure in 1889. The $17 million in damage (more than $4.4 billion in current dollars) included 1,600 obliterated homes and four square miles of complete destruction. Our aging dams weren't built to survive today's extreme weather. Both projects were started in the early 1940s but were halted by order of the United States War Production Board in late 1942 in order to redirect as many resources as possible to support activities central to the war . Though thedam had been built according to accepted engineering practices, the canal system was obsolete by the time the dam was completed in 1853. Others, realizing their continuing vulnerability, called the dam the sword of Damocles hanging over Johnstown.. There have been a number of fatal dam breaks in the United Statest. Hussey, elected as the club's only female member following her husband's death in 1884, Frank B. Laughlin secretary of the Solar Carbon and Manufacturing Company, John Jacob Lawrence paint and color manufacturer, partner of Moses Suydam, Jesse H. Lippincott associated with the Banner Baking Powder firm, Sylvester Stephen Marvin established himself in the cracker business, founding S. S. Marvin Co., centerpiece to the organization of the, Frank T., Oliver, and Walter L. McClintock associated with O. McClintock and Company, a mercantile house, James S. McCord owner of the wholesale hatters McCord and Company, W. A. McIntosh (president of the New York and Cleveland Gas Coal Company and father of, H. Sellers McKee president of the First National Bank of Birmingham, founder of, Reuben Miller Miller, Metcalf and Perkin, Crescent Steel Works, Edwin A. Meyers Myers, Shinkle and Company, H. P. Patton associated with the window glass manufacturer A. and D. H. Chambers, Benjamin F. Ruff first president of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, tunnel contractor, coke salesman, real estate broker, Marvin F. Scaife producer of iron products through W. B. Scaife and Sons, James M. Schoonmaker J. M. Schoonmaker Coke Company, James Ernest Schwartz president of Pennsylvania Lead Company, Moses Bedell Suydam M. B. Suydam and Company, Colonel Elias J. Unger managed hotels along the Pennsylvania Railroad, second and last president of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, did not have a military record, Calvin Wells president of Pittsburgh Forge and Iron Company. The Influence of Dam Failures on Dam Safety Laws in Pennsylvania. Some of the big names included Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick. As a result of poor maintenance, the outlet works culvert collapsed and a portionof the dam washed out in 1862. ( 1891 p 446) claim the dam was lowered 2 ft. and report a mean height of 7.96 ft. (2.43 m) above the spillway floor for eight points on the crest of . The resulting flood wave that contained 20 million tons of water and debris caused 2,209 fatalities and became known as the "Johnstown Flood". 733 Lake Road Originally built by the Commonwealth to service a canal system, the dam was abandoned when railroads superseded canals and was sold to private interests. 15956, Download the official NPS app before your next visit. 1863-Canal between Johnstown and Blairsville was closed meaning there was no longer a viable reason to maintain the South Fork Dam. located in a valley so prone to flooding that in the mid-1800s South Fork Dam was built 14 miles upstream on Little Conemaugh River. Each case was "either settled or discontinued and, as far as is known, no one bringing action profited thereby. 1879-Reilly sold the dam to Benjamin Ruff, who bought it in the name of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club of Pittsburgh. The South Fork Dam was an earthen dam originally built between 18381853 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as part of the Pennsylvania Main Line canal system to be used as a reservoir for the canal basin in Johnstown. The debris of homes and trees that were piled up behind the bridge caught fire and burned through the night, blanketing the ravaged town in a dark cloud of acrid smoke.

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