Disastrous flood (1889) in the town of Johnstown, Pa.
, U.S. Johnstown lies at the confluence of the Conemaugh River and Stony Creek; at the time of the flood it was a leading U.S. steelmaking centre. At 3:10 PM on May 31, the South Fork Dam, a poorly maintained earthfill dam holding a major upstream reservoir, collapsed after heavy rains, sending a wall of water rushing down the Conemaugh Valley at speeds of 20–40 mph (30–60 kph). A 30-ft (9-m) wall of water smashed into Johnstown at 4:07 PM, killing 2,209 people.