The Johnstown Flood of 1889. It happened when an old dam above the town was turned into an exclusive lake resort for Carnegie, Mellon and pals - the South Fork Hunting and Fishing Club. They were warned repeatedly the old dam hadn't been repaired properly and too much rain would cause it to break. No one seemed to care - in fact, people in the town joked about it. Finally, with enough rain, all hell broke loose sending 20 million tons of water crashing through the valley at 40 mph, straight into Johnstown with all the debris it collected along the way. Warning telegraphs were sent downstream in time, but most people paid no attention. It was all over in 10 minutes, killing over 2000 who desperately tried to escape but couldn't. The flood changed that valley and the town forever. No lawsuits were ever brought against those who created the faulty lake.

I read the book about the flood when I was about 14 years old. It had meaning to me because I knew the area well, growing up not too far away. If you've ever been there, the Conemaugh Valley and the surrounding mountains are beautiful. It was difficult for me to imagine all that water rushing through there, destroying everything in it's path.

Anyway, part of the book has always stuck in my mind. There's an account of a passenger train that was making its way through the valley, but higher up on the side of the mountain. Those on the train watched in horror as the angry water rushed through the valley below them and then passed them - knowing full well where it was headed, and knowing there wasn't anything they could do to let the people of the town know. They were completely helpless, and completely heartbroken.

I just read the post about Ellsberg's prediction that the day after another 9/11, our rights will be gone. For some reason I thought of the Johnstown Flood, the people who warned the dam would break and were laughed at, and the people on the train that watched it happen and could do nothing.

Right now, I feel a kinship with those wise people who warned of the poor dam reconstruction when I think about the state of affairs in this country. I can't help but feel it's only a matter of time before The United States of America and everything it stands for is completely destroyed. There are brave individuals like Ellsberg and those of us on DU who warn, but the American people are not taking the warnings seriously. They scoff, joke, and say "it can never happen here". They don't see the signs and that all it will take is one heavy rain to start the 'flood'.

Just like the Johnstown Flood, it will be over in the blink of an eye, and once it starts, there will be no stopping the deluge - it will be unstoppable. Then, we will all be like the people on that train, watching it happen, knowing we are helpless to do anything about it. And just like Johnstown, the United States of America and its people will never be the same.


If you're interested in learning more about the Johnstown Flood, here are some links:

http://www.jaha.org/FloodMuseum/history.ht...
http://smoter.com/flooddam/johnstow.htm
http://www.nps.gov/jofl /
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/067120714...
(book - David McCullough)