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Austin Dam Disaster, on bank of Sinnemahoning Creek, [Pennsylvania] (LOC)

from The Library of Congress

• Harry Angstrom said:

  On September 11, 1911, the Austin Dam broke sending 265 million gallons of water into Austin and Costello... from internet: "Austin Dam truly is an unusual sight - a broken monument to the power of nature and the folly of man. The fractured remains still stand, 77 years after the large concrete dam ruptured and wiped out the north-central Pennsylvania town of Austin on a sunny autumn afternoon. Within a couple of years, the dam, located along Route 872 in Potter County about a mile north of Austin, finally may become a park - a memorial to at least 78 people who died in the tragedy."

• The Library of Congress said:

  Thanks! We also found some information in the New York Times Archive about the event at the end of Sept. 1911. We'll add date and state information to the source data and reload the description.

• CappuccinoLady said:

  I just found out recently that my great-great uncle was one of the 78 who died in this awful flood. It was a story I had never heard. It is very tragic to see these photos and know that so many lives were lost.

• Richard Norton said:

  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Dam