Johnstowns Flood of 1889 Power Over Truth and The Science Behind the Disaster [Hardcover]

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.

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.

About the Book Author:

Neil Coleman served as a Senior Staff Scientist for two federal advisory committees, the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste and the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards.  He retired in 2010 from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Rockville, Maryland, where he worked on licensing issues for the Yucca Mountain project, uranium mining, new reactor designs, and flood protection of nuclear reactors.  A Navy veteran, he served on the carrier USS Constellation, later earning the M.S. degree in Geology frls3