Failed dam that caused the Johnstown Flood. View from the now empty reservoir (Lake Conemaugh) of the failed South Fork Dam on the Little Conemaugh Ri


Failed dam that caused the Johnstown Flood. View from the now empty reservoir (Lake Conemaugh) of the failed South Fork Dam on the Little Conemaugh River in Pennsylvania, USA, after the Johnstown Flood of 1889. On 31 May 1889, following heavy rains, this dam failed at 15:10 local time, releasing millions of tons of water from the reservoir. Around an hour later, a wall of debris and water engulfed the town of Johnstown travelling at around 60 kilometres per hour. Over 2200 people died, the worst US disaster at that time. Photographed by US photographer Ernest Walter Histed (1862-1947).


Size: 5186px × 4110px
Photo credit: © LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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