The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1889-06-22


High engineering authority has at
last made a thorough investigation of
the remains of the Conemsugh dam,
and given the true cause of its break
ing and turning loose the impending
doom in its waters of death to thou
sands living in the narrow valley be-
low.
Mr.. II. w. Brlckerhof, a distinguish
ed civil engineer, on the editorial staff
of The Engineering and Building
Record, has made careful professional
investigation of the broken dam, Of
which he has given an extensive re-
port, which will he published in the
issue of his paper tomorrow, and OF
which report we have before us the
advance proofs.
According to Mr.. Brinckerhof's re-
port the dam was eighty feet high, in
stead of ITO feet as stated in telegraph
ed accounts of the disaster, and of 800
feet base instead of 80 feet as asserted
by the same authority, while 1t was but
800 feet long instead of thousand.
The dam was well built ofgood grav-
ely clay, as demonstrated by the 800
liner feet of II standing. Its slopes
were well riprapped with lining OF
stone. The dam was strong enough to
stand the enormous hydrostatic pres.
sure exerted against It; and II never
would have broken but for piece OF
carelessness in the engineering in no
allowing for the greater settling o
material in its thickest part where II
crossed the lowest depression, or II
l not filling in that settling at the centr
to level UP the dam throughout all o
Q its length. Then there was an appaI
: ent deficiency of spillway, and actual
J. what little spillway there was was {
r no account, as the water commence
flowing over the centre of the dam b.
II fore the full capacity of the spillwa
d could be utilized. The centre of Il
l. dam was four feet below the level I
its ends, For two hours the waite
% Tapped over 1t until they had erode
% away Its outer-slope. then in half
!, hour il cut crevasse $50 feet wide
n top, 80 at bottom and 80 feet dec
! and Conemaugh Lake was turn
a. loose on its career of desolation Al
:, death.
o. This dam did not burst from I
or much pressure. II was eaten throu
from the back, not from tho front slo
by n current of water ovcrllowing
one place. Probably II would ha
taken few hundreds or one or L
thousands of dollars to have kept
leveled up--as our own engineers a
lg- planters are frequently called upon
his level up levees-and to have enlarg
're Its outlet to a reasonable capacity.
nd was pitiable carelossness and negl
or that left the great embankment in q
is condition, which courtcd Its dcstrl
'us tion, and was certain TO accomplish
5ly sooner or later.
or lt Is most remarkable that the
w, ginoers who examined the dam for
Tls, Cambria Company did not notice tn
sh, things. A negro road syndic In Ii
len isiana seeing one of our great lev
en- one-clghth the height of the Co
n maugh dam. with so visible "swl
es- in It's crest, would know that, II
md surface were not lined up, that s
ese would soon result In great crcva
ap- This is like the old proverb: q
the the want of a nail,' etc. For the W
red of little engineering knowledge
by few hundred dollars worth of W
ost 5000 lives have been sacrificed
Wis, $1O,OOO,OOO lost. Yet some preacl
'ac- are charging this horrible catastro
cry to the account of Providence, whe
on, is entirely due to poor pitiful hun
Dod folly.-Times-Democra