Episode 2 of 2

ASCE Investigation

When: June 5, 1889 – June 1891
Where: ASCE Committee
Part of: Event of 1889: Johnstown Flood: The South Fork Dam collapses in western Pennsylvania, killing m

The ASCE investigated the disaster but sealed its report until 1891 to avoid litigation.

On June 5, 1889, the ASCE appointed a committee to investigate the cause. The report was completed in January 1890 but sealed. Committee member Max Becker resisted publication, delaying it until June 1891. Modern studies challenge the findings of this 1891 report.

Sources

Johnstown Flood Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-07

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.