The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1889-06-12
THE BREAK IN THE DAM.
An Engineers story of the Terrible Floo

An Engineers Story OF the Terrible Flood.
Mr. Fred r. Giles. the special correspond
cnt of the Chicago Daily NetcS ut the scene
OF the calamity. telegraphs that journal as
follows:
l assembled the valley to inspect the country
and investigate the cause of the disaster. The
rich Pittsburgers who maintained the ill-starred
lake have been prompt 70 deny the cause. They
can nationally do so no more. The proof o. tho
fact is evident. 1t is eighteen miles TO the lake
by the devious course OF the valley down which
che torrent descended. No harm was done 10 the
club house and cottages of the South Fork Club,
but the transformation worked by the flood is
even more striking there than anywhere else.
The house formerly stood by the shores of
beautiful lake Now the cottages are on n bluff
above Il wide ravine, seventy five feet deep, at
the bottom Of which rolls II muddy stream The
picturesque beauty OF the nlace was extracted
when the winter rushed out at the gap in the
great eInbankment.
When one examines the breach in the dam the
feeling is one OF great surprise There is none
OF the liberation of the edges that one would
expect from rending force, but. on the contra
ny, the aperture has n symmetry that suggests
art rather than accident The Iniddia OF the
dam has been scoopcd out for about two-thir,is
of ~ height The lower portion OF this a. again
cut out, and this latter excavation extends to
the bottom OF the dam making an opening that
affords ample space for the stream now running
through IT..
The dam was an embankment of earth faced ON
both sides with loose stone in the style called
by engineers ~riprapping." IL is still intact for
about three hundred feet on each side OF the
gap. On the cast end close TO the shore the dam
Is grooved 10y wier over seventy-fve feet wide
and about ten feet deep. which was the outlet 10y
which the stream below fed from the lake
On the west end Of the dam is now n sluiceway
about twenty feet wide and three feet deep
This was hastily dug TO relieve the pressure on
the dam, but failed to save Il.
IL 80 happened that at the time OF the flood
there was civil engineer present in charge OF
the construction of sewer aud water works on
the club grounds This gentleman Mr.. John G.
Parke, Jr., saw the catastrophe from FIRST to
last Here IL his account OF 1t:
"On Thursday night the dam was in perfect
condition and the water was not within seven
feet of the top. At that stage the lake IL nearly
three miles long. IL rained very hard Thurs
day. night. When l got up Friday morning I
could see there was a flood, for the water was
over the drive in front of the clubhouse and
the level of the water I'm the lake had risen
until il was only four feet below the top OF the
DAM rode up TO the head Of the lake and
saw that he woods were boiling full OF water
South Fork and Muddy Run, which emptied
into the lake, were fetching down trees logs
and cut timber from saw-nill that WAS up in
the woods in that direction A pillow was run
along the top of the dam and earth was thrown
In the face OF the dam TO strengthen it. At the
same me channel was dug on the west end 20
make siuiceway there There was about
three feet of shale rock through which it was
possible to cut. but then struck bedrock that
II was impossible to get into without bll sting
when we got the channel opened the water
soon secured down 70 the bedrock, and n stream
twenty feet vide and three deep rushed out on
that end OF the dam White the river was letting
out an enormous quantity the other end
Notwithstanding these outlets the water kept
rising n. the rae OF about ten inches an hour
BY III 80 had made up my mind that IL was
impossible TO save tho dam. and. getting on my
horse, galloped down the road to South Fork
10 warn the people of their danger The tele-
graph tower Is a mile from the town, and
sent two men there 10 have messages sent 10
Johnstovn and other points below. l heard
that the lady operator tainted when SIN had
sent off the news and had 10 DO ca. Il off,
THE break took place az ociock- lt was
about two feet wide ct firss sna shallow, but
grew wider with increasing rapidity and the
lake went roaring down the valley that three
miles Of water was drained out I'm forty-five
minutes. The downfall of those 60OD0.0O0 tons
WIS simply Irresistible Stones from the dam
and bOwlds r. in the river bed were carried for
miles 10 was terrible sight TO see that ava
lanche OF water 60 down that valley already
choked with floods"