Ruthless Tide: The Heroes and Villains of The Johnstown Flood, America's Astonishing Gilded Age Disaster
by Al Roker
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"Reads like a nail-biting thriller." - Library Journal,starred review A gripping new history celebrating the remarkable heroes of the Johnstown Flood-the deadliest flood in U.S. history-from NBC host and legendary weather authority Al Roker Central Pennsylvania, May 31, 1889: After a deluge of rain-nearly a foot in less than twenty-four hours-swelled the Little Conemaugh River, panicked engineers watched helplessly as swiftly rising waters threatened to breach the South Fork dam, built to show more create a private lake for a fishing and hunting club that counted among its members Andrew Mellon, Henry Clay Frick, and Andrew Carnegie. Though the engineers telegraphed neighboring towns on this last morning in May warning of the impending danger, residents-factory workers and their families-remained in their homes, having grown used to false alarms. At 3:10 P.M., the dam gave way, releasing 20 million tons of water. Gathering speed as it flowed southwest, the deluge wiped out nearly everything in its path and picked up debris-trees, houses, animals-before reaching Johnstown, a vibrant steel town fourteen miles downstream. Traveling 40 miles an hour, with swells as high as 60 feet, the deadly floodwaters razed the mill town-home to 20,000 people-in minutes. The Great Flood, as it would come to be called, remains the deadliest in US history, killing more than 2,200 people and causing $17 million in damage. In Ruthless Tide, Al Roker follows an unforgettable cast of characters whose fates converged because of that tragic day, including John Parke, the engineer whose heroic efforts failed to save the dam; the robber barons whose fancy sport fishing resort was responsible for modifications that weakened the dam; and Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, who spent five months in Johnstown leading one of the first organized disaster relief efforts in the United States. Weaving together their stories and those of many ordinary citizens whose lives were forever altered by the event, Ruthless Tide is testament to the power of the human spirit in times of tragedy and also a timely warning about the dangers of greed, inequality, neglected infrastructure, and the ferocious, uncontrollable power of nature. show lessTags
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anonymous user One reviewer on Goodreads claimed that both books are similar with Roker's focusing a bit more of the members of the South Fork club than McCullough does.
Member Reviews
I listened to this as an audiobook and while it was interesting, some of the discs in the set I borrowed skipped frequently. I grew up hearing about the Johnstown Flood, but for some reason, I never registered what year it took place--so I was surprised that it was in 1889--for some reason I thought it has been in the first few decades of the 1900s. I did learn more of the history surrounding the flood than I remembered from other accounts I'd heard or read. That may not be surprising as I've found myself more interested in history now than I was during my schooling.
Since Hurricane Katrina, I've wondered why people would want to place a city in an area that could flood if levees or dams break. Johnstown was in a similar position, show more though I don't think it was in such a precarious position when it was first settled. It seems that the Industrial Age waste dumping (pre-regulations) and the rich men's desire to make the area a resort destination complete with stocked fishing lake created by a dam, changed the topography of the area and made it more likely for flooding to occur (due to river narrowing) and when the dam failed and released all the water that had been pent up for the lake into the already flooding river--well . . . you have The Johnstown Flood. show less
Since Hurricane Katrina, I've wondered why people would want to place a city in an area that could flood if levees or dams break. Johnstown was in a similar position, show more though I don't think it was in such a precarious position when it was first settled. It seems that the Industrial Age waste dumping (pre-regulations) and the rich men's desire to make the area a resort destination complete with stocked fishing lake created by a dam, changed the topography of the area and made it more likely for flooding to occur (due to river narrowing) and when the dam failed and released all the water that had been pent up for the lake into the already flooding river--well . . . you have The Johnstown Flood. show less
Al Roker did a good job in describing the horror of a disaster that was part God and part human error. Having read an historical fiction on this event before, I wasn't completely surprised, but got more information than I previously knew.
Written by NBC Weatherman, Al Roker, this book is an account of the event that took place on May 31, 1889 when the dam creating the lake at the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club about five hundred feet above and miles away from Johnstown, PA broke causing the destruction of the industrial city of Johnstown. The club was a secret subscription club owned by rich businessmen from Pittsburgh, PA. The disaster is usually remembered as The Johnstown Flood. The club and it's members were never held accountalble for the death and destruction caused by the faulty construction of the dam. There are many similarities between this story and some of the environmental issues we still face today. Then book reads like a novel, with many first person show more accounts. show less
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16+ Works 944 Members
Al Roker, 1954 Al Roker was raised in Queens, New York, and received his B.A. in Communications from the State University at Oswego in 1976. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the school in 1998. Roker began his broadcasting career while still in college when he got a job as a weekend weatherman for WTVH-TV in Syracuse, N.Y. in 1974. After show more graduating from college, he moved on to weathercasting jobs in Washington, D.C. from 1976 until 1978 and in Cleveland, Ohio from 1978 til 1983. He transferred to WNBC-TV as a weekend weathercaster in December 1983 from WKYC-TV, the NBC Television Station in Cleveland. Roker soon became a features reporter as well as a weatherman for NBC. He interviewed many people on a variety of subjects, but the highlight of his interviewing career was when he conducted an exclusive interview with Peanuts creator Charles Shultz shortly before his death from colon cancer. Since 1985, he has served each holiday season as co-host for the annual Christmas at Rockefeller Center. He also co-hosts The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Rose Bowl Parade and appears on various specials for NBC. In 1994, he founded Al Roker Productions, Inc. which is involved in the development and production of network, cable, home video and public television projects. Two of the most successful projects of his production company include the critically acclaimed PBS special about severe weather, Savage Skies, as well as a highly rated travel series called Going Places. His company is also producing a series of specials for The Food Network. Roker is the author of "Don't Make Me Stop This Car! Adventures in Fatherhood," which was released in June 2000. Al is the co-author of Never Goin' Back: Winning the Weight-Loss Battle for Good. New York Magazine has twice named Roker Best Weatherman. He is a recipient of the American Meteorological Society's prestigious Seal of Approval and has been a pioneer in the use of computer graphics for weathercasting. He is also a seven time Emmy Award winner and a member of several professional organizations including the Friars Club, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Meteorological Society. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Ruthless Tide: The Heroes and Villains of The Johnstown Flood, America's Astonishing Gilded Age Disaster
- Original title
- Ruthless Tide: The Heroes and Villains of The Johnstown Flood, America's Astonishing Gilded Age Disaster
- Original publication date
- 2018
- People/Characters
- Andrew Carnegie; Andrew Mellon; Henry Clay Frick; John Parke; Clara Barton
- Important places
- Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Important events
- The Johnstown Flood (May 31, 1889)
- Original language
- English US
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 974.877
- Canonical LCC
- F159.J7
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Science & Nature
- DDC/MDS
- 974.877 — History & geography History of North America Northeastern United States (New England and Middle Atlantic states) Pennsylvania Southwest central counties; Bedford group Cambria
- LCC
- F159 .J7 — Local History of the United States, Canada and Latin America United States local history Pennsylvania
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 122
- Popularity
- 260,063
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (4.31)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 12
- ASINs
- 2
