Great Johnstown Flood of 1889
E831977
The Great Johnstown Flood of 1889 was a catastrophic dam failure–induced deluge that devastated Johnstown, Pennsylvania, killing more than 2,200 people and becoming one of the deadliest and most infamous disasters in U.S. history.
Observed surface forms (5)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| The Johnstown Flood | 2 |
| Johnstown Flood of 1889 | 1 |
| Johnstown Flood of 1936 | 1 |
| Johnstown Flood of 1977 | 1 |
| Johnstown Floods | 1 |
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
dam failure disaster
ⓘ
flood ⓘ |
| affects |
Conemaugh Valley
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Johnstown, Pennsylvania NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
Johnstown Flood
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Johnstown Flood of 1889 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedOrganization | South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| commemoratedOn | annual observances on May 31 in Johnstown ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| damage | extensive destruction of Johnstown, Pennsylvania ⓘ |
| damInvolved | South Fork Dam NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| deadliestIn | Pennsylvania history ⓘ |
| deathToll | >2200 ⓘ |
| documentedIn |
books
ⓘ
documentary films ⓘ newspaper accounts ⓘ photographs ⓘ |
| estimatedPropertyDamage | approximately $17 million (1889 USD) ⓘ |
| firstMajorPeacetimeOperationOf | American Red Cross GENERATED ⓘ |
| floodType | dam-break flood ⓘ |
| followedBy | major relief effort by the American Red Cross ⓘ |
| hasCause |
failure of the South Fork Dam
ⓘ
heavy rainfall ⓘ |
| historicalSignificance | catalyst for reforms in dam safety awareness in the United States ⓘ |
| impactOnLaw | influenced later discussions of strict liability for dam owners ⓘ |
| legalOutcome | no successful civil or criminal liability for dam owners ⓘ |
| locatedIn | Johnstown, Pennsylvania NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| locatedInAdministrativeEntity |
Cambria County, Pennsylvania
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Pennsylvania NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| locatedInTimeZone | Eastern Time Zone ⓘ |
| mainCause | breach of the South Fork Dam ⓘ |
| memorializedBy | Johnstown Flood National Memorial NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| memorialLocatedAt | South Fork Dam site NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| notablePersonInvolved |
Andrew Carnegie (member of South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club)
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Andrew Mellon (member of South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club) NERFINISHED ⓘ Henry Clay Frick (member of South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| oneOfDeadliest | disasters in U.S. history ⓘ |
| partOf |
history of American disasters in the 19th century
ⓘ
history of Johnstown, Pennsylvania ⓘ |
| pointInTime | 1889-05-31 ⓘ |
| precededBy | days of heavy rain in late May 1889 ⓘ |
| reliefLeader | Clara Barton NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| reliefOrganization | American Red Cross NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| riverSystem |
Conemaugh River
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Little Conemaugh River NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| speedOfFloodWave | up to about 40 miles per hour ⓘ |
| startDate | 1889-05-31 ⓘ |
| timeToReachTown | about 57 minutes after dam failure ⓘ |
| waterSource | Lake Conemaugh NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| waveHeight | up to about 60 feet ⓘ |
Referenced by (7)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Johnstown Flood of 1889
this entity surface form:
Johnstown Flood of 1936
this entity surface form:
Johnstown Flood of 1977
this entity surface form:
Johnstown Floods
this entity surface form:
The Johnstown Flood
this entity surface form:
The Johnstown Flood