The Johnstown Flood

For John, BLUF:  This is the rich living as they see fit and the rest absorbing the consequences, except that the law changed after this event, and future generations had a better shot at suing and winning.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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The day Lake Conemaugh destroyed Johnstown

From The Washington Examiner, by Reporter Salena Zito, 11 April 11, 2021 12:40 AM.

Here is the lede plus three:

One hundred and thirty-two years later, the truth of what happened here in May 1889 is still difficult to put into words.

Standing on the very soil where Col. Unger, the last president of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, had his home overlooking Lake Conemaugh, you can see from the distance where the Pittsburgh elite had their grand fishing club and elaborate cottages along the shoreline.

Look right, and you can also see the remnants of the poorly maintained dam that once held back their pristine private lake.  It gave way on May 31, 1889, after days of relentless rain, sending 20 million gallons of water raging down 14 miles toward the city of Johnstown.

With each inch and foot and mile, the force of the water gathered and carried with it trees, boulders, dirt, barns, animals, mud, people (dead and alive), and houses.  It flung them all at the unsuspecting town, killing more than 2,000 and causing millions of dollars of damage.

My Father watched the flood of 1936, which killed 25 people.  Fortunately, his Brother Bill made it out of downtown Johnstown.

Here is the Wikipedia article on the flood of 1889.

And here is a map of the Grandview Cemetary, in Westmont, with the Number 1 showing the location of the graves of the 777 unknown victims.  I remember visiting the Cemetary with my Father and viewing the graves, in their straight rows.  It made an impression.  It wasn't my first cemetary, but it was the first to imbed in my memory.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff