South Fork Dam
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The South Fork Dam was located on Lake Conemaugh, an artificial body of water located near South Fork, Pennsylvania. On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam failed and 20 million tons of water from Lake Conemaugh burst through and raced 14 miles (23 km) downstream, causing the Johnstown Flood.
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 canal basin in Johnstown. It was abandoned by the commonwealth, sold to the Pennsylvania Railroad, and sold again to private interests.
Prior to the flood, speculators had purchased the abandoned reservoir, made less than well-engineered repairs to the old dam, raised the lake level, built cottages and a clubhouse, and created the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club. Members of the exclusive and secretive retreat in the mountains were 61 wealthy Pittsburgh steel and coal financiers and industrialists, including Andrew Carnegie, Andrew Mellon, Philander Knox, John George Alexander Leishman, Henry Clay Frick and Daniel Johnson Morrell.
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[edit] Lake Conemaugh
Lake Conemaugh at the club's site was 450 feet (137 m) in elevation above Johnstown. Stocked with fish, the lake was about two miles (3 km) long, approximately one mile (1.6 km) wide, and 60 feet (18 m) deep near the dam. The lake had a perimeter of 7 miles (10 km) and held 20 million tons of water. When the water level was high in the spring, the lake covered over 400 acres (1.6 km2).
The dam was 72 feet (22 m) high and 931 feet (284 m) long. Between 1881 when the club was opened, and 1889, the dam frequently sprung leaks and was patched, mostly with mud and straw. A previous owner had removed and sold for scrap the 3 cast iron discharge pipes that previously allowed a controlled release of water, making it impossible to drain the lake to repair the dam properly. To compound the problem, club members had erected fish screens across the mouth of the spillway, and these became clogged with debris, restricting the outflow of water. Passersby sometimes commented about the likelihood of a failure, but no action was taken. The flawed dam held the waters of Lake Conemaugh back until May 31, 1889.
[edit] Accident
On May 31, 1889, after several days of unprecedented rainfall, the dam gave way. A torrent of water raced downstream, destroying several towns. When it reached Johnstown, 2,209 people were killed, and there was $17 million in damage.
Part of the St. Michael neighborhood, and most of Creslo, of the town St. Michael-Sidman, Pennsylvania now sits on the bed of the former Lake Conemaugh.
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[edit] External links
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
Coordinates: 40°20′56″N 78°46′30″W / 40.349°N 78.775°W
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