1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910337917903321

Autore

Coleman Neil M

Titolo

Johnstown’s Flood of 1889 [[electronic resource] ] : Power Over Truth and The Science Behind the Disaster / / by Neil M. Coleman

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cham : , : Springer International Publishing : , : Imprint : Springer, , 2019

ISBN

3-319-95216-1

Edizione

[1st ed. 2019.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (XVII, 256 p. 60 illus., 44 illus. in color.)

Disciplina

550

Soggetti

Earth

Geology

Technology—History

Hydrology

Engineering geology

Engineering—Geology

Foundations

Hydraulics

Natural disasters

Geotechnical engineering

Popular Earth Science

History of Technology

Hydrology/Water Resources

Geoengineering, Foundations, Hydraulics

Natural Hazards

Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di contenuto

Foreword -- Journey into the Past – Introduction -- Dams and Society: Treasures and Troubles – Safety of earthen dams -- Genealogy of the South Fork Dam -- Changes wrought by the South Fork Fishing & Hunting Club -- Gathering of Waters - How we study rivers in flood -- Storm Clouds – Dawn of the 1889 flood -- Day of the Dam Breach - Eyewitness account of engineer John Parke -- Aftermath --



Investigation by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) -- Post Mortem - Science reveals the true cause -- Autopsy – Probing the ASCE Investigation -- J. Wesley Powell - “The Lesson of Conemaugh” -- Conclusions -- Acknowledgements -- Technical Appendix.

Sommario/riassunto

Science now reveals the true cause of the dam breach flood that destroyed Johnstown in 1889. The tragic loss of more than 2200 lives was preventable; the initial investigation of the flood was hijacked, delayed, and distorted by powerful members of the industrial elite. This book bridges the gap between history and science, reexamining eyewitness accounts of the flood and historic documents about the investigation, and applying new LiDAR, GPS, and hydraulic studies to solve the mystery – what caused the Great Flood of 1889? The book includes a notable chapter on the “sister” of the South Fork Dam, “The Forgotten Dam” at Hollidaysburg, PA.