Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-06
Its Owners Say the Stories
About Its Weakness
ARE ALTOGETHER FALSE.
The Old Sluice Gates Were Not Shut to Keep
in the Fish-They Used to Feed the Canal
Proofs ofJohnstown's Confidence In the
Dam-Iuterviews with Many Clnbmen.

York paper rejecting upon them. The article
in question said fatty that the dam was little
better than pile of earth dumped across the
course of mountain stream between two low
hills and faced on each side with layer OF
rough stone loosely thrown together and unce-
mented. 1t was also stated in this article that
the waste gates in use when the lake was the
reservoir OF the Pennsylvania Canal had been
closed up by the present owners to prevent the
fish from escaping, the insinuation being that
the dangerous increase of water in the lake on
Friday last would not have taken place had the
exit been open Other reasons were indicated
for laying the blame for the catastrophe upon
the South Fork Fishing Club, and the story
about the 100000 indemnity bond said to
have been given by the club to insure the
dwellers in the Conemaugh Valley against loss
by the breaking of the dam was again told.
interviewing the CIubmeu.
A DISPATCH reporter interviewed seven or
eight members of the South Fork Club, and
found that most of them had no desire to talk
on the subject, and had very strong objection
to being quoted in print. One or two members,
however, talked freely. Said one who is pretty
well posted on the subject: 81 do not think
that the writer in the New York paper has a
single clear idea about the lake or the dam, ex-
cept that the former is gone and the latter is in
ruins As the dam came into the clubs hands
from the Pennsylvania Railway Company it
was, as far as the scheme of its composition is
concerned. the same on that fatal Friday of last
week. 1t was rlp-rapped with very heavy StOne
and the space between was filled with earth and
more stones. 1t was carefully built, and was
strong enough to stand all tests that were ap-
piled to it during ten years, and would be
standing to-day If it had not been for extraor-
binary circumstances.
The Dam Did Not Burst.
lowing to a waterspout in the mountains, or
something of the sort, the waters the lake
rose with rapidity never known before-ten
inches an hour. The weir which had always
been able before to carry off the surplus
water was unequal to SO gigantic food and
the water began to flow over the dam. 1t
flowed rapidly, and the stream had force
enough to dig channel through the dam. OF
course when this happened there was 40 hope
for the dam. 1t had TO CO."
what of the waste gates E.ileCed to have
been closed by the club for econony's sake, or
TO keep in the fish?'
Il am not certain about the pipes and sluice
gates the New York writer speaks of but am
pretty sure that they were never intended to
carry OF the excess of water, but were used to
1eed the canal when it was low. In fact am
sure that tbs is So The gates were closed up,
OF course. when the canal passed out of exist
ence Ihe weir, which one might term the
escape valve of the lake, was on the right side
of the dam and was over "a feet wide, think,
and feet lower than tine dam. Engineers saw
the weir time ana time again, and assured us
fnat 1t was all that could be desired"
MIR. shea's Opinion.
Mr.. c. B. Shea, another member of the club,
said: For my own part do not think the ar
ticle you refer to is worth consideration. 1t is
full OF misstatements. Of my own knowledge
cannot describe the dam and the weir, but
am assured by those upon whom know can
depend that neither one nor the other was in
any way deficient, and the deploraSle accident
occurred because the lake came up Quicker
than the weir could carry off the excess. As
to the gates or sluice alleged to have been
closed by the club, know nothing personally,
except that 1 am sure the club did not have
them closed to Keep in the fish. There is an
other statement that some people have made
which is untrue. They say the club diverted
new streams into the lake and increased the
pressure on the dam. This is not true. The
feeders that were there when the reservoir was
first made. On one side there is Rohrbaugh's !
inlet. on the other Dummies, and at the end
furthest from the dam is the South Fork and
little run called Muddy creek, think"
James II. Reed, of the firm of Knox & Reed
who is attorney for the club, was asked |
if if ooh he eOO knew knew anything OF . the alleged
absolutely nothing of it, and do
not believe such bond was ever given. The
idea of such thing is ridiculous. The county
of Cambria, the city of Greensburg, or the
Cambria Iron Works. would, suppose, hold
such bond if it had been made. But you can
readily see that as legal adviser of the club !
should be likelv to have heard at least of that
bond if it existed"
''Will the dam be rebuilt, Mr.. Reed?"
The Dam Will stay Down.
81 do not know that I am authorized by the
club to answer that question, answered Mr.. |
Reed, but will venture to say that the dam
will not be rebuilt by the South Fork Fishing
and Hunting Club"
A member of the club, who would not allow
the use of his name, said: "As an exam
pie of how the South Fork Lake was regarded |
by the people of Johnstown think it is time to |
say that both the Cambria Iron Company and |
the city of Johnstown had at different. times |
sought to purchase the property fl ON u.s.
They wanted to get their water supply from |
the lake. 1t is also a fact that the late j. ID. |
Morrell, President of the Cambria Iron Com |
pany, held stock in our club, and so did Cyrus |
ELDER, the solicitor of the same institution. |
Evidently they had confidence in the dam
They would not willingly have harbored de- |
srroyer.
THE dimensions of the dam are wrongly |
stated in the New Y ork papers Exactly what |
the dam measured at it's base 1 am not prepared |
to say. understood it was 300 feet thick. 1t |
was certainly great deal more than 80 feet |
thick. If both its sides sloped, as think they |
did, at an angle of 450, and the dam was 25 feet
across at the top and 75 feet high, the base |
would be 175 feet. l believe the base was CON |
siderably thicker"
Colonel Unger's Views.
Colonel Unger, President of the South Fork |
Fishing and Hunting Club, who is stopping at |
the residence of his son-inlaw, George c. Will
son. Rebecca street, East End, was denied to
THE DISPATCH reporter on account of ex-
treme prostration from the labors and nervous |
A member of the family who is familiar with |
the scene OF the great calamity gave what are |
no doubt the views of the Colonel He said:
MIR. Unger reached the club house on the lake
from the East on Thursday evening Then
there was no sign Of danger. Tie lake was /
placid and quiet, giving not the least sign of
the calamity few hours ahead. The rain
came down in the night in such volume that |
early Friday morning the waters began to rise
as they had never done before. An inch an
hour was considered a rapid rise heretofore
The lake was rising ten inches an hour on Fri
day morning. Ali the force that could be
gathered was pressed into service to open up a
new sluice way, and, at great danger to all, this
was accomplished; but still the water rose until
it swept over the dam. Engineer Park was
sent TO South Fork to give warning of the |
danger hours before the dam gave way.
All Aherthought.
"All the newspaper talk about fears for the
safety of the dam. is groundless. This is an
afterthought. MIR. Morrell, president of the
Cambria Iron Works, was until his death a
member of the club: Cyrus Elder, solicitor for
the company, who went down in the food, was
another. When the Cambria Works were
built competent engineer was sent to exam
Company used to do the same occasionally, Int
latterly they have ceased to do this, as compe-
tent engineers had again and again pronounced
it entirely safe. There has not been a hint of
danger from any source for years to my knowl-
sThe fact is that rains came in such uupre.
cedented volume, that scarcely anything that |
man could build would have withstood the
weight and pressure. The sluceway was suf- |
fcient TO relieve the dam at any previous food. |
But in this instance, with an additional sluice,
no impression was made in relieving the i'm |
inense volume of water. The openings in the
dam which the club are said to have closed up
were simply the wicket gates, used in old times
feeding the canals" 4