The Johnstown Flood of 1889 (SURVIVORS’ HORROR STORIES)

The Johnstown flood of 1889 killed an estimated 2,200 people. The flood was caused by the collapse of the South Fork Dam on the Little Conemaugh River. The dam was owned and maintained by the South Fork Fishing and Hunting club, whose membership consisted of some of the wealthiest people in Pennsylvania, including Andrew Carnegie and Henry K. Frick. The club weakened the dam for the convenience of members, like lowering the dam to build a road across the dam. On May 31, 1889, after days of heavy rain, the dam gave way wiping out several communities. Johnstown was the largest. Those not killed by the waters faced death by burning to death in the debris, as the stoves in the crushed houses caused debris fires. This is a reading of select newspaper coverage of the disaster.

Sources and interesting links

https://www.nps.gov/jofl/learn/historyculture/upload/Morgue%20A.pdf

Music

Impromptu in Quarter by Kevin MacLeod http://incompetech.com
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5:00 AM by Peter Rudenko http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Peter_Rudenko
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An Upsetting Theme by Kevin MacLeod http://incompetech.com
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Sketched images from:

Walker, James Herbert. The Johnstown Horror! or Valley of Death: being A Complete and Thrilling Account of the Awful Floods and Their Appalling Ruin. H. J. Smith & Co. 1889.

https://accessgenealogy.com/pennsylvania/johnstown-flood-mosaic-gallery.htm

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