The Johnstown Flood
Disasters provoked by the failure of the South Fork dam
About a century and a half ago, the opening of the South Fork Dam was officially inaugurated in the American city of Johnstown. At that time, it was the largest dam in the world. It lasted thirty-seven years and there were no signs of any misfortune. However, in 1889 a terrible catastrophe happened…
After the dam was built, authorities repeatedly said it was impossible for it to break. Everyone was sure of the strength of the construction. The dam was twenty-two meters high and 275 meters wide. Johnstown is in the Conemaugh River Valley and the dam reservoir became the largest artificial lake in the U.S. From time to time, the river caused some problems for the inhabitants of this American city — as a result of torrential rains, the river came out of the womb, but did not cause many inconveniences. The city lived its life and flourished. Many years passed.
Some residents of the city began to be alarmed that the dam, in fact, had not been repaired by anyone for a very long time. Later events also proved that people were not worried in vain, but until the catastrophe happened, these people were considered panic-stricken.
