The Break
On May 30, 1889, a "super storm" began. The people of Johnstown woke the next morning to streets being underwater. This didn't cause much alarm-flooding was a common occurrence.
Panic
The Conemaugh Lake took on an incredible amount of water. Elias Unger, then President of the club, recognized the danger. He and a few other men desperately tried to save the dam. They began to dig a second spillway to relieve some of the pressure. They tried to remove the mesh screens but they were too clogged with debris. It was too late. At approximately 3:10 that afternoon, the dam broke and unleashed 20 million tons of liquid fury.
A Path of Terror
First in its path was South Fork. Because the town was near high ground, most residents were able to get to safety. Next was Woodvale-314 of 1,100 residents perished. The villages of East Conemaugh and Mineral Point were obliterated. The water now contained trees, railroad cars, concrete, and barbed wire. Approximately an hour after the break, a 40 foot wave traveling 40 miles per hour struck the people of Johnstown unawares, destroying everything in its path. At the Stony Creek bridge, debris collected, catching on fire. Residents who managed to stay alive in the water, now found themselves trapped-many would be burned alive. The city was wiped out in a matter of 10 minutes. 2, 209 residents lost their lives that day.
"I was standing near the Woodvale Bridge, between Maple avenue and Portage street, in Johnstown. The river was high, and David Lucas and I were speculating about the bridges, whether they would go down or not. Lucas said, 'I guess this bridge will stand; it does not seem to be weakened.' Just then we saw a dark object up the river. Over it was a white mist. It was high and somehow dreadful, though we could not make it out. Dark smoke seemed to form a background for the mist. We did not wait for more. By instinct we knew the big dam had burst and its water was coming upon us." - Robert Miller, a survivor