What was the purpose of South Fork Dam?
South Fork Dam was an earth- and rock-fill dam located about 8 miles east of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Originally constructed in 1852, the dam’s primary purpose was to provide a source of water for a division of the Pennsylvania Canal. The dam was approximately 72 feet high, 918 feet long, 10 feet wide at its crest, and 220 feet wide at its base.
What is the name of the dam in Pennsylvania?
The South Fork Dam was an earthenwork dam forming Lake Conemaugh (formerly Western Reservoir, also known as the Old Reservoir and Three Mile Dam, a misnomer ), an artificial body of water near South Fork, Pennsylvania, United States.
Who was the owner of the South Fork Dam?
Under Ruff’s ownership the area became the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club of which elite members included Andrew Carnegie and Henry Frick. The South Fork Dam, as it became known, experienced a catastrophic failure on May 31, 1889 when it was overtopped during a large storm event.
What caused the South Fork Dam to collapse?
The South Fork Dam collapsed because the spillway was poorly maintained. Today, large dams and their spillways are inspected frequently by qualified engineers. Here's how this dam stacks up against some of the biggest dams in the world. The average speed of the wave on its trip to Johnstown was 40 miles per hour.
What was the Johnstown dam made of?
South Fork Dam was an earth- and rock-fill dam located about 8 miles east of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Originally constructed in 1852, the dam's primary purpose was to provide a source of water for a division of the Pennsylvania Canal.
When was the South Fork Dam built?
August 31, 1964South Fork Reservoir Dam Site / Opened
Who built the South Fork Dam?
The South Fork Dam when it was completed by the state of Pennsylvania for the canal system. The South Fork Dam in 1881 after it was rebuilt by the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club. 1. The dam was watertight due to puddled earth or being packed down.
Is the South Fork Dam still standing?
You are now standing on what remains of the South Fork Dam. Completed in 1853, the dam was made chiefly of earth. Layers of clay one-foot-thick or less were built up one by one.
What type of dam was the South Fork Dam?
embankment damIt was an embankment dam made of clay, boulders, and dirt. Through the years, the spillway became clogged with trees and other floating debris.
Will Johnstown Flood again?
Could this happen again? Yes. The sharp terrain around the region makes the region prone to flash flooding. And as long as there are dams that lead into the surrounding rivers, the potential will always be there for a dam burst.
Who is to blame for the Johnstown flood?
To the residents of Johnstown and many people across the nation, blame lay clearly with Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick and the other wealthy and prominent Pittsburgh businessmen who as members of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club owned the dam, and thus were responsible for its collapse.
What dam broke in Pennsylvania?
The South Fork DamThe South Fork Dam in Pennsylvania collapses on May 31, 1889, causing the Johnstown Flood, killing more than 2,200 people. Johnstown is 60 miles east of Pittsburgh in a valley near the Allegheny, Little Conemaugh and Stony Creek Rivers. It is located on a floodplain that has been subject to frequent disasters.
Was Johnstown rebuilt after the flood?
Rebuilding and remembering after the Flood These men were among those who stayed in the valley and rebuilt Johnstown. These survivors built a makeshift hut out of flood debris, using whatever they could find. Women continued with their chores, just as they did before the flood.
Does Johnstown PA still exist?
Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, west-southwest of Altoona and 56 miles (90 km) east of Pittsburgh. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cambria County.
Why did the Johnstown Flood happen?
Abstract: The Johnstown flood occurred in 1889, when an earth and rock dam failed during a record rainfall in eastern Pennsylvania. The flood was one of the worst civil disasters in the U.S.; 2,200 people were killed and the town virtually destroyed.
Who owned the dam in Johnstown?
The dam was owned by the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, an exclusive club that counted Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick among its members. The dam contained 20 million tons of water before it gave way, about the same amount of water as goes over Niagara Falls in 36 minutes.
Was Johnstown rebuilt after the flood?
Rebuilding and remembering after the Flood These men were among those who stayed in the valley and rebuilt Johnstown. These survivors built a makeshift hut out of flood debris, using whatever they could find. Women continued with their chores, just as they did before the flood.
Where was the dam that caused the Johnstown flood?
The South Fork Dam in Pennsylvania collapses on May 31, 1889, causing the Johnstown Flood, killing more than 2,200 people. Johnstown is 60 miles east of Pittsburgh in a valley near the Allegheny, Little Conemaugh and Stony Creek Rivers. It is located on a floodplain that has been subject to frequent disasters.
Does Johnstown PA still exist?
Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, west-southwest of Altoona and 56 miles (90 km) east of Pittsburgh. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cambria County.
How many people died in the Johnstown flood?
2,200Johnstown Flood / Number of deathsat the reservoir failed on May 31, 1889, a wall of water cascaded through the valley destroying everything in its path and killing 2,208 people. The Johnstown Flood remained the nation's deadliest national disaster until surpassed by the September 1900 Galveston Hurricane.
How was the South Fork Dam rebuilt?
Reconstruction included lowering the dam crest by approximately two feet to allow for carriage travel across it, placing a mesh screen within the spillway to prevent the loss of fish during flows through it, and repairing the washed out portion of the dam with random fill that consisted of clay, brush, and hay. The failed low level outlet conduits and portions of the conduits' stone masonry outlet were removed but not replaced, leaving the dam without a proper low level outlet works for dewatering the reservoir.
What is the South Fork Dam?
Description & Background. South Fork Dam was an earth- and rock-fill dam located about 8 miles east of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Originally constructed in 1852, the dam’s primary purpose was to provide a source of water for a division of the Pennsylvania Canal. The dam was approximately 72 feet high, 918 feet long, 10 feet wide at its crest, ...
How did the South Fork Dam affect the spillway?
The repairs and alterations to the South Fork Dam led to many issues related to the structure’s ability to pass a significant storm event. The capacity of the spillway was decreased significantly by the lowering of the dam crest and thereby reducing the freeboard. The mesh screens placed in the spillway further decreased spillway capacity due to the collection of debris. In addition, the material used to repair the embankment settled, creating a low point on the dam crest that increased the potential for overtopping and concentrated overtopping flow at that location.
What happened to the South Fork Dam?
The South Fork Dam, as it became known, experienced a catastrophic failure on May 31, 1889 when it was overtopped during a large storm event. The resulting flood wave that contained 20 million tons of water and debris caused 2,209 fatalities and became known as the “Johnstown Flood”.
Why is it important to inspect dams?
Regular operation, maintenance, and inspection of dams is important to the early detection and prevention of dam failure.
What body of water is impounded by South Fork Dam?
View of Lake Conemaugh, the body of water impounded by South Fork Dam.
Why are dam failure sites important?
Dam failure sites offer an important opportunity for education and memorialization.
Why did the South Fork Dam collapse?
The South Fork Dam collapsed because the spillway was poorly maintained. Today, large dams and their spillways are inspected frequently by qualified engineers.
What dam held back Lake Conemaugh?
Before it burst, South Fork Dam held back Lake Conemaugh, the pleasure lake of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club. It was an embankment dam made of clay, boulders, and dirt. Through the years, the spillway became clogged with trees and other floating debris. When it started raining on Memorial Day in 1889, the lake swelled and seeped over the top of the structure. The earth-and-rock structure collapsed, releasing a thunderous wave 40 feet high and half a mile wide into the valley. Water slammed into Johnstown with the force of Niagara Falls. It carried huge amounts of debris, including houses, barns, animals, and people. The wave destroyed the city in 10 minutes.
Who were the members of the South Fork fishing and hunting club?
The South Fork Fishing & Hunting Club counted many of Pittsburgh’s leading industrialists and financiers among its 61 members, including Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, Andrew Mellon, and Philander Knox. (Click here for a complete list of club members). Organized in 1879, the purpose of the club was to provide the members and their families an opportunity to get away from the noise, heat and dirt of Pittsburgh. The club owned the Western Reservoir, the dam that created it, and about 160 acres of land in the area. The club renamed the reservoir, calling it Lake Conemaugh. A 47-room clubhouse, featuring a huge dining room that could seat 150, was the main building on the club’s land. There were also 16 privately-owned “cottages,” actually houses of a generous size, along the lake’s shores. The club’s boat fleet included a pair of steam yachts, many sailboats and canoes, and boathouses to store them in.
What was the editorial on the responsibility of the South Fork Club?
The Chicago Herald’s editorial on the responsibility of the South Fork Club was entitled “Manslaughter or Murder?”. On June 9, the Herald carried a cartoon that showed the members of the club drinking champagne on the porch of the clubhouse while, in the valley beneath them, the Flood is destroying Johnstown.
What was the purpose of the Western Reservoir?
The Western Reservoir (later renamed Lake Conemaugh) had been constructed not for recreation, but instead to provide water for the section of the Pennsylvania Canal between Johnstown and Pittsburgh. However, the canal system became obsolete almost immediately after the reservoir was completed in 1852. Very little maintenance was performed on the dam during its existence, even though it broke once already in 1862 (this break caused very little damage, as the reservoir was only half full). In fact, one owner removed the drainage pipes beneath the dam to sell them for scrap, which meant there was no way to drain the reservoir for repairs. The reservoir and dam passed through several hands before the South Fork Fishing & Hunting Club bought it in 1879.
Why did South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club add a fish screen to the spillway?
Once it came into the hands of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, they modified it to their recreational interests. They added a fish screen onto the spillway—the structure built to keep water from building up too high and straining the dam. And most importantly of all, they lowered the dam, which sat right above Johnstown.
When did the water level at the Dam rise?
When an unusually strong storm hit the area on May 28, 1889, pounding the area with between six and 10 inches of water in just 24 hours, water levels at the dam began to rise. 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.
Where did the soldiers sit after the 1889 flood?
Author: Erin Blakemore. pinterest-pin-it. Soldiers sit on a hill overlooking Johnstown, Pennsylvania after the 1889 flood. (Credit: Histed/Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images) For years, the Gilded Age’s most powerful industrialists gathered at Lake Conemaugh, an idyllic body of water made possible by Pennsylvania’s South Fork Dam.
Was the flood of the dam an act of God?
However, the powerful industrialists whose modifications had caused the flood were never held legally accountable. In court, they claimed that they only lowered the dam by one foot and that the flood was an “act of God.”.
Where does the South Fork River flow?
From the confluence the South Fork flows west through a canyon followed by Idaho State Highway 14, receiving the Crooked River from the left and Newsome Creek from the right before reaching Golden, where it receives Tenmile Creek from the left.
What is the name of the river in Idaho?
American River (Idaho) The South Fork Clearwater River is a 62-mile (100 km) long river in north-central Idaho in the United States. Draining about 1,175 square miles (3,040 km 2 ), the South Fork joins with the Middle Fork Clearwater River to form the Clearwater River, a major tributary of the Snake River .
