In addition, the dam was reinforced with clay to which stone was attached. Unbeknownst to most people, the old sluice gates which were designed to release water when the lake overfilled, were either removed or disabled. Designed as a private resort for wealthy investors, the club boasted restaurants, available sailboats, even lakeside homes for its members. The area behind the dam then became something of a wetland, useful only as grazing land.īut all of that changed in 1879 when some enterprising businessmen like Henry Fick and Andrew Carnegie decided to restore the dam, create a man-made lake behind it, and construct the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club. At one time, there had been a large reservoir, but the dam was not maintained and eventually partially collapsed and began leaking water. It was situated below an earthen dam along the South Fork of the Conemaugh River. Spreading across a low-lying valley, Johnstown was a steel-producing town.

This time, Roker explains how man-made modifications triggered the tragedy.

This account, however, is not a natural disaster of the scope of the Galveston event. Ruthless Tide is an investigation into the 1889 flooding of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a horrifying event that took the lives of over 2000 people and wiped out whole towns. Now Roker has written yet another riveting tale of historical disaster. Roker’s careful retelling of historical detail, as well as the compelling stories of some of those caught by ravaging winds and high waves. That memorable book recounted the worst natural disaster in American history, the 1900 hurricane that devastated Galveston, Texas, leaving some eight thousand dead and crushing buildings throughout the town. Ruthless Tide: Recalling the Johnstown Floodīy Marcia Allen, Technical Services and Collections ManagerĪ couple years ago, Al Roker received significant praise for a book entitled The Storm of the Century.

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