Dark coat Gold watch, open-faced, with a short chain. Travelling optician. Supposed to be a Fitzharris. Woolen skirt. Male. Pocket-knife. Age about three years. The in-depth story of the deadly 1889 Johnstown Flood caused by the Johnstown Dam Collapse.On Memorial Day of 1889, western Pennsylvania was caught by a mass. Johnstown Flood. Blue overalls. Breakfast shawl. Age forty. Female Age about five years. Blue undershirt Short stockings. Female. Weight 140. (Mr. Height 5 feet 5 inches. Girl. Sex unknown. in cash. No valuables. Male Age twelve. Medium weight. Black hair mixed with gray. Height about 4 feet 6 inches. No valuables. Cambria borough, Broad street One pocket-book $1.95 in silver. Dark brown hair. Cash in wallet, $312.51. About fourteen. Medium height. Plated gold ear-ring with pendent amethyst set. Height 5 feet 2 inches. [7] The Conemaugh River, immediately downstream of Johnstown, is hemmed in by steep mountainsides for about 10 miles (16km). Purse with $1.19. The Johnstown Flood developed into the biggest news story of the era. Age eleven to fourteen years. High-buttoned shoe. Found in Conemaugh Borough. Jean pants and coat. Black jersey. Band ring on third finger of right hand, hoop ring on left hand. His warning saved many people who reached high ground. Red hair. Lovers burnt and sweethearts drowned, Dark hair. Male child. HORROR STORIES Black woolen mitts Black cloth jacket. With blue merino stockings. Black eyes. Weight 70. Gray eyes. Black stockings, with red and gray stripes on the top. Female. Scar on side of face. Gaiter shoes. Height 5 feet. Sandy hair mixed with gray. Black and white striped flannel skirt. Purse with key. The dam was 72 feet (22m) high and 931 feet (284m) long. Two pairs of gold glasses. Plaid dress. White skirt. Buried at Prospect, June 9th. Calico dress, striped blue and white. Blue shirt waist. Black stockings and button shoes. The small town of Mineral Point, one mile (1.6km) below the viaduct, was the first populated place to be hit with this renewed force. Large lips. Brown hair. Female. Gray pants and coat. McKean. Coarse cotton socks. Black jersey, large buttons. Canton flannel underwaist. Age forty-five. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}402054.8N 784630.3W / 40.348556N 78.775083W / 40.348556; -78.775083. Age about sixty-five. Height 5 feet 7 inches. Weight 130. White skirt. Can't remove them. Gold charm. Two pocket-knives. No clothing. Age about twenty. Female. Banged hair. Female. Blue underskirt. Button shoes. Age five years. JOHNSTOWN For lots of people, the Johnstown Flood of 1977 was the kind of disaster that defines a career.For other people, it started theirs.John Barron, now a district judge, was in his early 20 . Wore a "switch." Age seventeen. Age about ten years. Boy. Plain gold ring, received by her mother, Ellen O'Connor. Age eleven. Diamond ring on third finger left hand with garnet. White shirt and linen lay-down collar. 178-5. Gold ring on second finger with pearl setting. Breast-pin, square shape. Blue eyes. Hair brown and light. Weight 50. Short black pants. Weight 125. Daughter of Charles Prosser, of Cresson. No vest. shoes. Weight 150. Age about one year. Male. Six front teeth in lower jaw. Light hair. R.R. Black stockings. Height about 5 feet 9 inches. Conemaugh street, Johnstown. Taken by James Murphy, "K.". Ring marked "K. T. Turned up nose. Red calico dress. Kollar was one of many photographers who found their way to Johnstown in the hours, days and months after the 1977 disaster. Weight 160. Hair black. Red flannel skirt. Female. Dark hair. Age about forty-five. Wife of J. W. Tross. Dark brown hair. $1.00 bill. 18 April 2007 . Plain gold ring with S. T. How on. Male. [10] These alterations are thought to have increased the vulnerability of the dam. Black and white skirt. Popular feeling ran high, as is reflected in Isaac G. Reed's poem: Many thousand human lives- Female. Black pants with white thread. Engraved gold ring on third finger of left hand. Sandy hair. Male. Age eight years. Hosts of martyred little ones, Male. Gold ring, small. . Sent to Prospect. Harry Bischoff, St. Louis, Mo. Ear-drops, square one-half of the face of the ear-drop checkered, the other half engraved with a vine. Height about 5 feet 6 inches. Blue eyes. of M.C. Female. Brown hair. Dark pants. Aged. Age twenty. Silver watch. Red basque. Female. Weight 85. Son of Dr. L. T. Beam, 142 Market street, Johnstown. Weight 170. Slippers. Two teeth out right side upper jaw. Female. Garter shoes. Female. Suit of gray woolen underwear. Age fifty. White shirt. Weight 60. Dark wool pants. Received valuables of 267. Short black pants. Can't take it off. Age nineteen. Male. Guttapercha comb holding heavy head of black hair. Medium height. Black comb and five cents. Gray skirt. Male. Button shoes. Weight 160 Height 5 feet 9 inches. Female. Young, June 9th, Grandview. P.R.R. Large. No shoes. Gold watch and chain. Body delivered to G.C. Female. Boy. Female. Male. Age twenty. Apron with red bar. Red dress. Figured waist and white underclothing. Dark blue eyes. Brown mustache. Marden A. Dahlstedt wrote the young adult novel, Michael Stephan Oates wrote the historical fiction novel. Height 5 feet 4 inches. By dark, the entire city was a lake anywhere from 10 to 30 feet deep, the destruction so nearly complete that all many could do was pray. Height 6 feet. Age about twenty-five. No clothing. Two rings on finger of left hand. Button shoes. Black hair. Weight 150. Black and white plain skirts. Buttoned shoes. Valuables. Black set pin. Female. Male. Age fifty. Brown eyes. (1911). Pair of new gum boots. [3] With a volumetric flow rate that temporarily equaled the average flow rate of the Mississippi River,[4] the flood killed 2,209 people[5] and accounted for US$17,000,000 (equivalent to $512,707,407 in 2021) in damage. Age about six months. Gold watch. Supposed to be Mrs. Geis. Male. Black lace tie. Buried at Prospect, June 9th. Blue dotted waist and new buttoned shoes. Age thirty-seven. Brown and red stripe bosom, puffed at shoulders. Black vest. Pocket-knife. Age about fifty. Barred calico dress. Residence unknown. Short nose. Age twelve. Gold watch and chain. Female. Blue calico shirtwaist with light chain stripe. Weight 50. Prospect, June 14th. Height 5 feet 2 inches. Collar buttons. Weight 45 pounds. Gold head ring. Blue coat. Weight 225. Canton flannel undershirt. Supposed to be Mrs. Brown or Mrs. Holmes. Male. Badly burned. Small earrings. "Statistics about the great disaster", Johnstown Flood Museum, https://archive.org/stream/StillCastingShadowsASharedMosaicOfU.s.HistoryVol.I1620-1914/StillCastingShadows1_djvu.txt, "Frank Shomo, Infant Survivor Of Johnstown Flood, Dies at 108", "Arizona's 1890 dam disaster killed more than 100 people - The Prescott Daily Courier - Prescott, Arizona", "THE ARIZONA DISASTER. Bones of a human body brought from vicinity of Cambria works. Weight 225. Red and black striped shirt. Female. Canton flannel drawers. . Small finger on third finger of left hand. Silver tobacco box, with name and date, Jan., 1888 Silver open-faced watch and gold chain. Supposed to have money stolen from her person. Valuables placed on body. Age thirty. White. As railroads superseded canal barge transport, the Commonwealth abandoned the canal and sold it to the Pennsylvania Railroad. Full form. Red flannel dress. Height 3 feet 6 inches. Weight 110. Button gaiters. Female. Blue shirt. Male. Weight 135. Female. 81 cents in change. $5.00 in gold. Female. Age twelve. according to records compiled by the johnstown area heritage association, bodies were found as far away as cincinnati, and as late as 1911; 99 entire families died in the flood, including 396 children; 124 women and . Gingham apron. No clothing whatever. Found at Conemaugh furnace. Age about nine. Sandy hair. Female. Daughter of E. A. James, Jr., 117 Market street, Johnstown. Initial on one ring, "W H.". Tents and . Black basque. A. Hayes, of Hayes, Murray Co., 1103 Race street, Philadelphia. Probably ten or twelve years of age. Letters, etc., etc. Red flannel drawers. 56 cts. The Johnstown Flood: Directed by Irving Cummings. Age six months. Auburn hair. Supposed to be Mrs. Luckhart. Age twenty. Age twenty-four. Height about 4 feet. Red and blue striped petticoat. About eight years. Revolver and knife. Brown hair. Scapular around her neck. Female. Cambria City Found in residence of George Hamilton. Dark hair. One band ring. Age fifty. Height 3 feet. Male. Female. Tape measure. $170 in paper and $75 in gold. Long shaggy eyebrows. Striped coat and pants. Very light mustache. Rather small face Striped black and white skirt, pleated front and pearl buttons. Worsted coat. One rule. Age twenty-five. Blue and white striped waist Pearl button coat, gray, black and red mixed, wool. [20] William Shinn, a former partner of industrialist Andrew Carnegie, became the new president of ASCE in January 1890. Walter, Jennie and Edith also drowned. Bunch of keys. In 2008, the bridge was restored in a project including new lighting as part of commemorative activities related to the flood. No valuables. Gray woolen shirt. Age thirty. Gum coat. 424 Bedford street. Black knee pants. White linen collar with brilliant collar-button. Thirty years. Long black hair. Age thirteen 10 cts. Two red skirts. Male. Female. Black jean pants. Red flannel underwear. Valuables. Light brown hair with gray appearance. Red flannel skirt. [14] A Lidar analysis of the Conemaugh Lake basin reveals that it contained 14.55 million cubic meters (3.843 billion gallons) of water at the moment the dam collapsed. Small button shoes. Red flannel barred red and black. Short hair, smooth face. Removed Ring given to her sister, Mrs. Wm. Light hair. Identified and taken by friends. One small ear-drop. Apparently not old. Sandy hair. Summarizing the floods impact in statistics and facts is a quick way to convey the enormity of the event. 41, No. Pocket book $1 31. Flannel skirt and red woolen stockings. Female. Dark blue woolen cloth dress. At first supposed to be George Helsel, but found to be a mistake. D. Rees, his nephew, June 4. Age about ten years. High button shoes, spring heel. Dark hair. Silver watch, open-face. Quite aged. Black hair and mustache. Chemise with red border. Green and brown striped skirt. Black pants. Light hair slightly gray. The Homeless. Condicin: Good Encuadernacin de tapa dura. Pocket knife, black handle, one blade. Knee pants and brown and black striped, good. Working seven days and nights, workmen built a wooden trestle bridge to temporarily replace the Conemaugh Viaduct, which had been destroyed by the flood. Cotton waist in pocket. Purse with seventeen cents. Age about eighteen. Female Weight 120 Height 5 feet 6 inches Heavy plaid jacket with marble shaped buttons, Male Age twelve to fourteen Black corduroy coat, with two plaits down the back. . Johnstown, Pa. Brought from Indiana Co., Pa. Ring on right hand. Two rubbers. Black hose. 15 cts. Identified by Homer. Female. Plain gold ring. Gray woolen sack. The club was successfully defended in court by the firm of Knox and Reed (later Reed Smith LLP), whose partners Philander Knox and James Hay Reed were both club members. Black hair. One wire sleeve supporter. Light hair. No valuables. Money returned to committee on valuables. Age about forty. Buried as unknown 216, from Millville School Morgue, at Prospect Disinterred and buried in lot of Conrad Raab, Sandy Vale, June 12th. Such was the price that was paid for fish! Cut in upper lip. Age twenty-five to thirty. Sun glass. Below stomach teeth and two side teeth. Supposed to be John C. Clark's son. Male Age about thirty to thirty-five. Boy two years. Height 4 feet 9 inches. Silver watch. The flood caused 17 million dollars in damages. Height 4 feet 7 inches. A list of the Johnstown Flood victims is listed below and is organized by last name. Age about fourteen. Black stockings, No. Female. Brown dress. Large. Female. Red and black striped flannel skirt. Small gold ring. Plain ring. Height 5 feet. One pair silver scissors. Of Company C, 14th Regiment Penna. Daughter of James Jones. White cotton undershirt. Weight 75. Blue calico dress. Small piece of green ribbon. Chain with small bucket charm. Two gold rings. Red hair. 7. Telegraph instruments and chair found with body. IMage: library of Congress. Upper false teeth. The high, steep hills of the narrow Conemaugh Valley and the Allegheny Mountains to the east kept the development of Johnstown close to the riverfront areas. Buried in lot of Henry Hesselbrie, Sandy Vale, June 9th. Door key. Weight about 150. Barred flannel drawers. Height 5 feet Light complexion Auburn hair, brown eyes, blue check dress, blue waist. Dressmaker. Brown auburn hair. Male. Red skirt with ruffles. Grand View, June 15th. Blue woolen stockings. Wife of Neal M'Arreny. Large. Red undershirt. Weight 150. Age sixty-five. Female. Watch. One thimble. Weight 135. Large pocket-book with papers. Dark hair. Age thirty-five. Mouth-organ. In their final report,[20] the ASCE committee concluded the dam would have failed even if it had been maintained within the original design specifications, i.e., with a higher embankment crest and with five large discharge pipes at the dam's base. Blue and white striped shirt. Rosary and scapula left on body. Light complexion. 41, No. Twice, under orders from Unger, Parke rode on horseback to a telegraph office in the nearby town of South Fork to send warnings to Johnstown explaining the dangerous situation unfolding at the dam. Female. Age eight. Two bunches of keys. Weight 135. Button shoes. Blue and black barred flannel skirt. Round face. Blue flannel skirt. Light sandy hair. Female. Life insurance agent. High buttoned shoe. Dark hair. Male. White underwear Gold ring, cameo setting with full figure of a woman. Blue chevoit suit. Light hair. Spring heel button shoe. Black ribbed hose. Female. Black hair. Walter Frank first documented the presence of that emergency spillway in a 1988 ASCE publication. Age about thirty. Dark hair. He quickly assembled a group of men to save the face of the dam by trying to unclog the spillway; it was blocked by the broken fish trap and debris caused by the swollen waterline. Age about five years. Tickets to exhibition by the pupils of St. John's School, June 20th. Light calico dress. White cotton stockings. Embalmed, and at the request of Mr. Friedman enclosed in a rough box. One plain gold ear-ring One ring, double heart. Weight 150. Dark hair. Buried at Prospect, June 9th. Age sixty. The Wagner-Ritter House is closed for winter until April 19, 2023. Sent to New Florence. Johnstown, Pa. Age thirty. Cloak gray mixed wool goods. Black woolen socks. Height 5 feet 6 inches. Dark dress. Three bunches of keys Three door keys. Pocket-book containing $151.00. Gray eyes. Black necktie with red stripe. Light complexion Blue waist. Black and blue plaid dress. Blank book bought of Irwin Rutlege, Jr. Small amount of money. Weight 160 Height 5 feet 6 inches. Female Age sixty. Age about three. Purple suit. About 5 feet 6 inches height. Taken by husband. Hazel eyes. Age six. Height 4 feet 6 inches Brown hair. Black dress. Male. Dark gray mixed woolen suit Red flannel underwear. Light hair. Somerset street, Johnstown. Male. Age thirty. Pencil Boots with brass heels. Disinterred and found not to be Walter Jones. Weight 130. Age twelve. Plain gold ring. One necklace and locket chased with 5 rubies, the letters L. E. scratched on inside. Brown overalls. Male. Two rings on left hand. Button shoes. Height 5 feet 4 inches. Brown eyes. Thirty-six years. Female. Female. Wart on left ear. Black alpaca clothing. No clothing. Flannel skirt striped gray and black. Medium stature Bunch of keys Prospect June 11, 1889. Aged. Two strips of muslin tied around the body. Pair of steel knuckles Key. Male. Knox and Reed successfully argued that the dam's failure was a natural disaster which was an Act of God, and no legal compensation was paid to the survivors of the flood. Age about fifty-five. Male. Coat with large tin buttons Corsets. Male. Height 5 feet 9 inches Black hair. Blue eyes. "Johnstown flood of 1889 destruction and rebirth" (Presentation 76-9). The dam ruptured after several days of extremely heavy rainfall, releasing 14.55 million cubic meters of water. Blue gingham dress. Weight 145. Male. Male. Black stockings. Two keys. Johnstown was the eastern terminus of the Western Division Canal, supplied with water by Lake Conemaugh, the reservoir behind the dam. Height 5 feet 9 inches Sandy hair. Black hair. Bricker, Henry, Grandview Cemetery Public Plot-Bodies found but not recovered by family/friends Bridges, Chas., 2, Cambria, Lower Yoder Catholic Cemetery Height 5 feet 4 inches. Age about eight. Schotz.". Name found on arm. Wine color skirt with ticking waist Black hose. Coarse laced shoes. Age three. Breast-pin. Male. A Wood & Morrell store-book. Gray hair. Earrings. Gum overshoes and shoes. Supposed to be child of J.M. Figured wrapper. Buff dress with yellow, brown and black spots. Burned beyond recognition. 10 cts. One week's growth of sandy beard, mixed with gray. Male. Fair complexion. Two-collar buttons, one a pearl, the other gold plated with set. Hair sprinkled with gray. Pen-holder. Age forty. Female. The Johnstown Flood Museum (fee), 304 Washington Street, has information and exhibits. Rubber coat and boots. Daught of James J. Froenheiser. Dynamite was eventually used. Gold filling upper jaw front teeth, gold filling in lower jar, back teeth filled with silver, two front teeth lap over. Weight about sixty-five. Weight 160. Knife. 135 pounds. Blue calico dress with small crescent dots. Weight 70. Dark dress Black stockings. Heavy black cloth jacket. Light hair Gray wool dress pleated. . Age seven years. Two pocket combs. Male. Earrings Silver ring on middle finger of left hand. Wrench screw. Blue eyes. Male. Mark on stomach looks like a burn. Penknife and buttonhook. From pockets were taken a three-bladed knife, ring, shoe button, lead-pencil with pocket fastener, street car check and child's china ornament.