Johnstown, with a growing population of about 30000 Germans and Welsh had an optimistic future with steel as its 'oil well'.
A small town founded in 1794, Johnstown was built upon humble beginnings with the construction of Pennsylvania Mainline Canal in 1834, the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Cambria Iron Company in the 1850s. However, little known to many, the design of this town had a flaw. Johnstown was actually built on a flood plain, at the intersection of Little Conemaugh and Stony Creek rivers. As the river banks had been narrowed to create more land for new infrastructures, flooding due to heavy downpours became a familiar occurrence in the 1870s. In addition to this problem, Lake Conemaugh was situated 1607 meters above South Fork Dam. The dam was old and ill-maintained and even the townsfolk themselves recognized that it might give way any time. Unfortunately, no one took this seriously and thus, the dam was left to hold out for as long as it could.
In the cold late afternoon of 31 May 1889, a low rumble which became a loud thunderous roar over time was heard by some townsfolk. By that time, the suspicion of many that the heavy rains had brought down South Fork Dam became evident. The dam broke under the pressure of great waters from the rains and sent about 20 million tons of waters gushing down narrow valleys, carrying with it debris and sediments. Flood waters rose over 200 meters and gushed down the hill at great speed. Everything in its path was washed away or destroyed.
Panic, confusion and fear arose as people tried to escape from imminent death. Those who were swept up were thrown about in a torrent of murky and debris-filled water. The fortunate ones caught hold of pieces of debris and were kept buoyant; the less fortunate ones became victims of debris. The disaster took no more than 10 minutes. However, the trail of destruction that it left behind was indescribable and left Johnstown robbed of its sunshine.
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