Nature: Flood Jonestown
| Name |
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| Birthname | Pennsylvania town destroyed | ||||
| born on | 31 May 1889 at 03:10 (= 03:10 AM ) | ||||
| Place | Johnstown PA, USA, 40n19, 78w55 | ||||
| Timezone | EST h5w (is standard time) | ||||
| Data source |
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| Astrology data |   10°01'  27°35 Asc. 07°02'
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Biography
American flood, the worst natural disaster in American history. Johnstown was a thriving steel town and up the hillside the South Forks Dam was built on the river in the mid-1800s to provide a reliable source of water for the Pennsylvania Canal System. It had fallen into disrepair and heavy rains over the Memorial Day weekend filled the reservoir to capacity. Water began spilling over the top of the dam when it gave way at 3:10 PM. It did not burst, but simply moved away, sweeping downstream and gathering bridges, railroad cars, property and debris in a massive force of detritus.
Twenty million tons of water traveled 14 miles to reach Johnstown in 40 minutes, a churning 30 ft. mass of rubble that destroyed four square miles of the center of town. The mass began to pile up against the city's stone bridge, which held, then it caught on fire, burning into the night. More than 27,000 people were homeless and the dead numbered 2,209.
Clara Barton and 50 volunteers from the American Red Cross arrived a few days later, setting up the first shelters in the agency's history.
Events
- Mundane : Flood (peak) 31 May 1889 at 03:10 AM in Jonestown, PA
Source Notes
LMR quotes a newspaper article on file. The name and date of the paper was not included; it came from clippings that had been cut out and filed over some year in the past.
Categories
- Mundane : Disasters : Natural Disasters (Flood, worst disaster in U.S. history)
