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JOHNSTOWN

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Originally appearing in Volume V15, Page 475 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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JOHNSTOWN , a See also:

city of See also:Cambria See also:county, See also:Pennsylvania, U.S.A., at the confluence of the Conemaugh See also:river and Stony See also:creek, about 75 M. E. by S. of See also:Pittsburg. Pop. (1890), 21,805; (1900), 35,936, of whom 7318 were See also:foreign-See also:born, 2017 being Hungarians, 1663 Germans, and 923 Austrians; (1910 See also:census) 55,482. It is served by the Pennsylvania and the See also:Baltimore & See also:Ohio See also:railways. The city lies about 1170 ft. above the See also:sea, on level ground extending for some distance along the river, and nearly enclosed by high and precipitous hills. Among the public buildings and institutions are the Cambria See also:free library (containing about 14,000 volumes in 1908), the city See also:hall, a See also:fine high school, and the Conemaugh Valley memorial See also:hospital. See also:Roxbury See also:Park, about 3 M. from the city, is reached by electric lines. See also:Coal, See also:iron ore, See also:fire See also:clay and See also:limestone abound in the vicinity, and the city has large See also:plants for the manufacture of iron and See also:steel. The See also:total value of the factory product in 1905 was $28,891,806, an increase of 35.2% since 1900. A See also:settlement was established here in 1791 by See also:Joseph Jahns, in whose See also:honour it was named, and the See also:place was soon laid out as a See also:town, but it was not incorporated as a city until 1889, the See also:year of the disastrous Johnstown See also:flood. In 1852 a See also:dam (700 ft. See also:long and See also:loo ft. high), intended to provide a storage See also:reservoir for the Pennsylvania See also:canal, had been built across the See also:South See also:Fork, a See also:branch of the Conemaugh river, 12 M. above the city, but the Pennsylvania canal was subsequently abandoned, and in 1888 the dam was bought and repaired by the South Fork See also:hunting and fishing See also:club, and Conemaugh See also:lake was formed.

On the 31st of May 1889, during a heavy rainfall, the dam gave way and a See also:

mass of See also:water 20 ft. or more in height at its See also:head swept over Johnstown at a See also:speed of about 20 M. an See also:hour, almost completely destroying the city. The Pennsylvania railroad See also:bridge withstood the See also:strain, and against it the flood piled up a mass of wreckage many feet in height and several acres in See also:area. On or in this confused mass many of the inhabitants were saved from drowning, only to be burned alive when it caught fire. Seven other towns and villages in the valley were also swept away, and the total loss of lives was 2000 or more. A See also:relief fund of nearly $3,000,000 was raised, and the city was quickly rebuilt.

End of Article: JOHNSTOWN

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