Facts about the 1889 Flood
The scale of the Johnstown flood of 1889 is difficult to visualize. Summarizing the flood’s impact in statistics and facts is a quick way to convey the enormity of the event. Here is a list of some of the most descriptive facts about the Johnstown flood.
- 2,209 people died. (Click here for a PDF list of flood victims, including their addresses, ages and burial places.)
- 99 entire families died, including 396 children
- 124 women and 198 men were left widowed.
- More than 750 victims were never identified and rest in the Plot of the Unknown in Grandview Cemetery
- Bodies were found as far away as Cincinnati, and as late as 1911
- 1,600 homes were destroyed
- $17 million in property damage was done
- Four square miles of downtown Johnstown were completely destroyed
- The pile of debris at the stone bridge covered 30 acres
The distance between the dam that failed and Johnstown was 14 miles.- The dam was owned by the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, an exclusive club that counted Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick among its members.
- The dam contained 20 million tons of water before it gave way, about the same amount of water as goes over Niagara Falls in 36 minutes.
- Flood lines were found as high as 89 feet above river level
- The great wave measured 35-40 feet high and hit Johnstown at 40 miles per hour.
- The force of the flood swept several locomotives weighing 170,000 pounds as far as 4,800 feet
- $3,742,818.78 was collected for the Johnstown relief effort from within the U.S. and 18 foreign countries
- The American Red Cross, led by Clara Barton and organized in 1881, arrived in Johnstown on June 5, 1889 – it was the first major peacetime disaster relief effort for the Red Cross.
- Johnstown has suffered additional significant floods in its history, including in 1936 and 1977.
The distance between the dam that failed and Johnstown was 14 miles.For more, visit the section about the 1889 flood in the Archives & Research section of this site.
More 1889 flood resources
