rn

----shaft

~
0
--------- Inlet case 0
0
Adjustable ~
wicket gates

§ 1st stage
runner
Support rib
Inlet nozzle
Turbine easel
2nd stage
runner
~
S,
'-

~
0
,,~
0
0
Cl.

-Barrel ~
~
wr ,3

jlouth Fork Dam, circa 1887.

Discharge
- - - nozzle
downstream section of the dam
was built up of mostly rock, many
weighing over 10 tons.
The completed dam stretched
918 ft across the valley and was
over 72 ft high. The earth and

fruE CAUSE OF THE

inward, rock used in its construction was
age runner.
r discharges 10 ft thick at the top and over 220
be; flow ft thick on the valley floor. Run-
n barrel. ning under the center of the dam
>n top of
)Oth wicket
e flow rate JOHNSTOWN was a huge stone culvert used to
discharge water into the South
Fork Creek to be fed to the canal

as a clearwell
1ting the need
at their sites.
FLOOD via the Little Conemaugh River.
The water into the culvert was
controlled by five sets of valves and
cast iron pipes 2 ft in dia. In the
~ gradient for event that the discharge culvert
tion system could not handle water flows dur-
ing heavy rains, a 85 ft wide spill-
, parts of the A new look at the historic Johnstown flood of 1889. way was cut through the solid rock
ins and these of the hillside near the eastern end
re gradients WALTER FRANK of the dam.
eated by the In June of 1852, the valves con-
parate high trolling the flow of water into the
established, culvert were closed. By August the
pumping sta- reservoir was 40 ft deep. Engineers
with a new decided it would be unsafe to fill
engineer for Pennsylvania, de- the reservoir much higher for the
:l SCADA sys- signed the dam, and in 1840, con- first two years. Lack of rain the
~ observation struction began in a valley near the following year depleted the reser-
n May 31, 1889, a wall

0
lydro plant, of rushing water three town of South Fork. Construction voir. The year after, two small
' control sta- stories high struck the was completed in 1852, with delay leaks appeared in the dam and the
and booster city of Johnstown, due mainly to financial difficulties. water had to be let out for repairs.
1e system in- Pennsylvania. In its Considerable care went into the The adverse financial impact of
:ontrol con- 1vake most of the town was de- construction of the new dam. The these events was followed by the
[ controlling opening of the Pennsylvania Rail-
~troyed and over 2,200 lives were valley floor was cleared down to
mtputs at 21 lost. The Johnstown flood was the the bare rock. The upstream part road service between Johnstown
1tion of the of the embankment was built up of and Pittsburgh in 1852. With rail
1vorst civil disaster the United
manpower )rates ever suffered. successive rolled layers of clay and service able to deliver goods faster,
1e water sys- earth, 2 ft thick, which were "pud- cheaper and more reliably, the
The source of the water was a
td reporting failed earth and rock dam 14 mi dled" by letting them sit under wa- canal was doomed. The State put
(7 above the city. The state had op- ter for a few days to create a wa- the whole system up for sale and
erated a canal system between tertight barrier. To add weight and the railroad purchased it along
roject engineer
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and strength to the embankment, the with the South fork Dam in 1857.
gineers, Inc.,
mne B. Stab- built the dam for dry season stor- core of the dam consisted of shale, The dam suffered a major break
.. age. William E. Morris, principal earth and small stones while the on June 10, 1862, when the up-

__...........l0885~ 7024/88~0005~00631$01 00 + 1 5¢ ' " ,,,, MAY 1988 63

stream portion of the stone culvert
running under the dam collapsed.
There was little damage to prop-
erty downstream, but a large sec-
tion of the dam over the damaged
portion of the culvert collapsed
and was washed away.
RECONSTRUCTION
In 1879 the property was sold to
Benjamin Ruff, who wished to re-
pair the dam and create a summer
resort.
Ruff's plan was simple. He would
fill in the gap and rebuild the dam
to its original height. When the
lake filled, the excess water could
be carried off by the existing spill-
way. In October 1879 reconstruc-
tion on the dam began. Ruff con-
vinced 15 prominent men from the
Pittsburgh area that his enterprise
would be one of the finest resorts
in the country. On November 15,
1879, they were granted a charter
under the name of the South Fork
Hunting and Fishing Club.
The upstream entrance of the re-
maining part of the culvert was
boarded up and any type of fill
that could be purchased from local
landowners was used-mud, brush,
tree stumps, hay, and even a few
wagon loads of horse manure. On
December 25, after five days of
rain, the repairs to the dam were
swept away. Work on the breast
was resumed in April 1880, but
this time with slightly more appro-
priate methods.
A man who had some experi-
ence building railway embank-
ments was employed to supervise
the work. A double thickness of
hemlock pilings was placed across
the culvert entrance. Earth and
large stone were dumped into the
FIGURE 1
ORIGINAL DAM DESIGN
Control tower to valves
Water to
Canal
A schematic of the design for the Johnstown, Pa. South Fork Dam, circa 1840.
64 CIVIL ENGINEERING
downstream part of the gap. This ft high at the entrance to the spill- FIGURE 2
embankment was built up until it way, 99 ft wide at this point. Al- AFTER
was high enough to enable a road though the spillway had an aver-
to be graded out to it. Then rock, age width of 85 ft, there was one
clay, shale and earth were hauled area, 17 5 feet below the bridge,
out and dumped. where the width along the bottom
Because the discharge system had was only 69 ft. With these mea-
been destroyed in the 1862 inci- surements in mind, it would ap-
dent, the water rising in the lake pear that the bridge supports
found its way to the stone em- would not affect the discharge of
bankment and started washing the water. Thus, an array of iron
away any earth that was mixed screens to prevent the escape of
with the stone. Hay, straw and cut fish were attached to the bridge
brush were placed across the up- supports.
stream face to stop the seepage. Any traffic going to the club
Then, earth and clay were dumped crossed the top of the dam where
over the hay and straw to create the crest was fairly flat and 10 ft
the watertight section of the dam. wide. If a wagon or carriage was on
No rolling or puddling of the the breast, and another wanted to
earth was done as in the original cross from the opposite direction, it Station 1
construction. The deposited mate- would have to wait until the other
Station 1 +50 )
rial was little more than a colossal completed its crossing. So the top
railway embankment without the of the original dam was cut 2 ft, From an 1891 ,
strength or watertightness of the giving a road width of 17 ft.
original. Whenever the lake waters
DECEPTIVE CALM were not as in
reached the top of the repairs, a
peared. The sci
large wooden flume was used to For the next eight years, the
bottom of the I
carry the excess water over the top South Fork Hunting and Fishing
reduced the di:
of the rising embankment. Club was one of the finest summer
the height of
In March 1881, the repaired part resorts in Pennsylvania. To all but
40%. There w:
of the dam was higher than the a few, everything appeared tran-
lighter screens :
bottom of the original spillway and quil and safe in the spring of 1889.
bridge. It was a
water began flowing through it. By However, conditions were ripe for
ft bridge was rr
summer the repairs were com- disaster.
tion than the 1
pleted, the lake was stocked with The lake behind the dam had a
the spillway.
fish and the club opened. perimeter of 7 mi to hold 20 mil-
In the origin<
The road from the town of lion tons of water, meaning the
depth of 10 ft
South Fork to the club reached a weight of the repair section was
the dam was sr
point where the top of the dam four times heavier than the force of
club lowered th
was only a few yards to its right the water on it. A few small leaks
2 ft to widen th
with the spillway on its left. Since had developed at the South Fork
duced the capac
water was now flowing through the Dam, but with the absence of a
by one-fifth. In
spillway and prevented visitors discharge system, the water in the
of the way in w
from crossing to the lake, a bridge lake could not be lowered to make
reconstructed i
was constructed. the repairs in a proper manner.
the repaired sect
The foundation of the bridge The bridge supports, with the
was at least 6 i1
consisted of 14 wooden supports 10 iron screens attached to them,
ends of the dam.
It is not uncor
earth dams to s1
their centers, tl
where the wate
greatest, but wit
nance they can ·
At the South For
the embankmer
have been the h
inches, was the le
On May 28,
started out of ~
east. When the :
Johnstown-Saud
evening, it was t
pour that had eve
in that section of
U.S. Signal Servic
ranee to the spill, FIGURE 2
:it this point. Al, AFTER THE FLOOD
vay had an aver,
ft, there was one
~low the bridge,
:ilong the bottom
W'ith these mea,
1d, it would ap,
1ridge supports
the discharge of
an array of iron
it the escape of
d to the bridge

ing to the club

· the dam where
y flat and IO ft
· carriage was on
other wanted to
)Site direction, it Spillway bottom
Station 1
: until the other Stations 2-10
Station 1 + 50 West End Station 10 + 50 East End
>ing. So the top
m was cut 2 ft, From an 1891 ASCE volume, two views of the South Fork Dam after the flood showing the break area.
t of 17 ft.

were not as innocent as they ap, 6, 10 in. of rain fell in 24 hours sage was never taken seriously.
peared. The screens ran across the over the entire section. The weight and speed of the wa,
ght years, the ter over the dam, 123 tons per sec,
bottom of the bridge supports and During the night small creeks
tlg and Fishing ond, did little damage to the top of
reduced the discharge of water to became roaring torrents ripping
~ finest summer
the height of the bars alone by our trees and debris. The amount the hard packed roadway but it
mia. To all but
appeared tran,
to%. There was also an array of of water entering the lake behind tore at the outer face of the em,
lighter screens at both ends of the the South Fork Dam was 10,000 bankment. The force of the water
spring of 1889. kept washing away the earth and
bridge. It was apparent that the 99 cfm but the spillway only carried
s were ripe for rock, working its way back toward
ft bridge was more of an obstruc, off 6,000 cfm. On the morning of
tion than the narrowest point of May 31, the situation was serious. the lake. Not even the heaviest
the dam had a
the spillway. The lake had risen over 2 ft during stone could long resist and was
o hold 20 mil, soon carried away. By two o'clock,
· In the original plans, a spillway the night and by 10 a.m. the water
, meaning the the water had cut a huge step in
,depth of 10 ft below the crest of was less than a foot from the top of
ir section was
'the dam was specified. When the the dam. A group of day laborers the very center of the dam. The
1an the force of reconstructed embankment be,
:c1ub lowered the crest of the dam were put to work with picks, shov,
:ew small leaks
l ft to widen the roadway, they re, els and a plow and horse on the came thinner and thinner.
le South Fork
.duced the capacity of the spillway western hillside. They hoped to cut
absence of a INVESTIGATION
:by one,fifth. In addition, because a trench so the water through it
e water in the
:of the way in which the dam was would cut a deeper and wider Investigators subsequently con,
.vered to make eluded that "the failure was due to
reconstructed in 1880 and 1881, channel. However, the hillside was
er manner.
·the repaired section settled until it 175 ft across and the workman the flow of water over the top of
ms, with the was at least 6 in. lower than the succeeded in making a trench only the earthen embankment caused
1ed to them, ends of the dam. 2 ft wide and 14 in. deep before by the insufficiency of the waste,

'
j It is not uncommon for the best

earth dams to settle, especially at

hitting rock. The lake continued to
rise. The workmen and plow were
way (spillway) to discharge the
flood water." But the club and its

I their centers, the weakest point

where the water pressure is the
sent to throw up a ridge of earth
on the sagging section of the dam.
members were not deemed respon,
sible. The investigators concluded

•
! greatest, but with proper mainte,
nance they can be built back up.
1
At the South Fork Dam the part of
'the embankment which should
have been the highest, if only by
inches, was the lowest.
On May 28, 1889, a storm
started out of Nebraska moving
The lake had now grown from its
normal 407 acres to 450 acres.
Around 11:30 a.m. the small
mound of earth thrown up by the
plow suddenly gave way and the
water started over the dam, quickly
widening out to 50 ft. Parke, the
"resident engineer" at the dam,
that the original dam had been de,
signed and constructed poorly.
The collapse of the culvert in 1862
that caused a break and even the
two leaks that had occurred 35
years before were referred to as
"slight breaks" in support of this
conclusion.

•
east. When the storm struck the
Johnstown,South Fork area that
evening, it was the worst down,
pour that had ever been recorded
in that section of the country. The
U.S. Signal Service estimated that
rushed off to inform the telegraph
operator at South Fork to warn the
people in the valley below that the
dam might collapse. Due to the
confusion of downed lines and the
disbelief of key persons, the mes,
They also concluded that if the
original discharge system had been
installed and was discharging to its
full capacity, if the spillway had
not been obstructed, if the dam
had not been cut down and even if

MAY 1988 65
the dam had not sagged, the water
still would have crossed over the
dam and caused a failure.
Based on what was known about
the original construction at that
time, there is evidence to support
this conclusion. However, the orig,
inal specifications and construe,
tion of the dam were not as the in,
vestigators believed. The original
dam had been designed and con,
structed in a way that the "most
extensive rainfall of the century"
would not have caused water to
cross over the dam.
Due to the lowering of the dam
during reconstruction and the sag,
ging center, the effectiveness of an
emergency,spillway in the area
where the trench was cut was elim,
inated. The existence of the
"emergency" spillway was never re,
vealed to the investigators. Follow,
ing are five arguments to support
this finding.
1. In 1839, Morris stated that: "A
waste or waterway will be exca,
vated in the hill at one or both
ends of the dam, for the discharge
of surplus water in time of floods,
the aggregated width of the chan,
nels will not be less than 150 ft."
For maintenance reasons, acces,
sibility, and economic consider a,
tions, earth and rock dams under
certain situations have been con,
structed with more than one spill,
way for hundreds of years.
In May of 1841, the state had
stopped construction for financial
reasons. Before work was resumed,
Morris was asked to prepare new
plans for the dam and specified
that the "waste,way or ways"
should not have a width of less
than 150 ft.
It is inconceivable that any engi,
neer would approve the comple,
tion of a dam with a waste,way
width of 69 ft at its narrowest
point, when the specifications
called for 150 ft.
2. The original construction con,
tact called for the "excavation of
earth and rock in wastes 50,000
yards" (note the term "wastes").
The main spillway as it existed
then and does now, is a quadrant
of a circle 310 ft down the center,
an 85 ft average width, with a
maximum height of 52 ft on the
hillside and 20 ft on the dam side.
Noting the contours of the hill and
the way the spillway fans out as it
reaches up, it becomes apparent,
even today, that the removal of
66 CIVIL ENGINEERING
earth and rock in this waste could
not have exceeded 34 ,000 cu yd.
The remaining 16,000 cu yd was
consumed excavating the emer,
gency spillway on the western hill,
side which was only 175 ft across.
3. All observers, including Parke,
in the vicinity of the dam before
the break, stated that water started
flowing through the western hill,
side before it started over the dam.
Parke claims that his men were re,
sponsible for this because they had
dug down the western hillside "no
more than knee deep," or about 14
in. Yet later testimony revealed
that the dam sagged at least 6 in.
and 2 ft of height was taken off the
top of the dam to make the road
wider; however, there was no need
to cut the 175 ft hillside down to
make the road wider.
If the western hillside was not
meant to be lower than the top of
the original dam, they would have
had to dig down at least 30 in.
when water was already flowing
over the dam.
Ironically, the area where the
trench was cut was 17 5 ft across
and so level that workmen could
cut a trench in less than an hour
that caused water to flow through
it. Only superb engineering could
have created this situation. The
top of the dam that the club re,
constructed was not that level.
Also, Parke, not knowing that the
hillside was an emergency spillway
constructed over rock, was amazed
that the flow of the water through
the trench did not cut a deeper
channel. In addition, on the outlet
side of the trench, the escaping
water never touched the con,
structed portion of the dam which
could have weakened it. Here, too,
superior engineering was evident.
4. In 1889, the average altitude of
stations 1 and 1+50, where the
flow of water through the trench
could not have affected the level, is
1,610.24 ft. The average altitude
between stations 2 and 10 on the
dam (eliminating the washed out
section) is 1,610.76 ft. To get a
roadway width of 17 ft, 2 ft of em,
bankment was taken off between
stations 2 and 10. Add the 2 ft and
the average altitude on the dam
would be 1,612.76-this gives a
higher altitude of 2.52 ft above the
hillside stations of 1 and 1+50
where there was no need to take
off 2 ft.
There is no doubt that there had
been an emergency spillway in and
around stations 1 and 1+50 at
least 70 ft wide and at least 3 ft
deep (the missing 0.48 ft can be
explained by noting the contours
of the landscape between station 0
and 1.) This area slopes into the
area of stations 1 and 1 + 50 which
could have easily been filled by
erosion during the 3 7 years from
the date of construction until the
break. Even one year after the '89
break, P.F. Brendlinger from ASCE
investigated the site and could find
"but slight traces" of the trench
that had been 20 in. deep and 25 ft
wide.
5. On the eastern end of the dam
where the only altitude measure-
ment was taken (station 10+ 50),
where there would have been no
need to cut down the dam to make
the road wider since the northern
side of the road is the natural hill-
side, the altitude is 1,613.34. Since
no cutting down would have oc-
curred there, and since only 4 ft of
puddled dam construction was
needed on the lake side, the
chances of subsidence would be
minuscule. Therefore, at least
1, 613. 34 ft had to be the altitude
of the original construction since
the ends of the original dam would
not be rower than the center. Iron-
ically, 1,613.34 is almost exactly 10
ft above the bottom of the main
spillway (1,603.4 ft), just as Morris
specified in 1839 and 1841. That
would have left an emergency spill-
way on the western hillside over
3 1/ 2 ft deep and over 70 ft wide-
wide enough to have carried off
the waters of a storm greater than
the one of 1889.
If the reconstruction of the
South Fork Dam had been rebuilt
to the original specifications and
construction, the disaster of May
31, 1889, would never have oc-
curred. Granted a break like the
one in 1862, when the culvert col-
lapsed, could have caused great
damage. However, the South Fork
Dam as originally designed by
Morris and constructed by More-
head and Packer would not have
had water pass over it-the worst
possible thing that can befall an
earth and rock dam-the unques-
tionable cause of the 1889 Johns-
town disaster. 0
Walter Frank, civil engineer, worked for
Bethlehem Steel until 1979 and is now
with Baden Sports, Renton, Wash.