How Did The Johnstown Pa Dam Collapse

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The South Fork Dam was a dam built 14 miles upstream of Johnston to protect against floods, The Dam was 72 feet high made out of mud and rock, the largest earth dam in the United states. On May 31, 1889 The village of Johnstown PA was flooded after the South Fork dam failed to contain the water and collapsed. The dam collapsed after several days of very heavy rainfall and released 14.55 million cubic meters of water killing over 2,000 people and causing damage of $17 million (equal to $453 million in 2010)

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