THE GREAT JOHNSTOWN FLOOD OF 1889
PAGE EIGHT: THE INCLINE; VIEWS FROM THE TOP
You have to park and walk across this bridge over the Stony Creek to get to the base of the incline, which was built in
1891 by the Cambria company as part of their new development up atop the ridge called Westmont, an area that would
be entirely safe from any future floods.
This incline is the steepest vehicular inclined plane in the world, its grade being 71.9%. The track is 896.5 feet long and the
cars are pulled and lowered with the 2 inch thick cables you see between the rails.
One car goes up as the other comes down. The cars are 33 feet long and 15.5 feet wide and weigh 92 tons each.
Almost at the top, looking back at Johnstown. The flood came down the valley from the left. The newest library is right at the
peak of the third picket from the left. The second from the left touches the base of Horace Rose's new house.
This is Johnstown in 1891 from the top of the incline. Prospect Hill is in the upper left quadrant where you see the rows
of company houses built by Cambria. The Carnegie Library is there just to the left of center. A lot of rebuilding had
already gotten done by then. If you follow straight to the right from the library you can see the Methodist church that
withstood the flood. If you follow down Walnut from the library to the corner where you see the most solid row of
buildings, that is Main Street and if you follow right along that, about 3 blocks down is the flat space where the park
was and just past that is the Methodist church.
The depot is in the center of the left edge of the picture and you can see where Captain would've walked to the right to the
bridge to cross the Little Conemaugh. The Carnegie Library is right there at the end of the bridge. In the center of the town
over to the right is the greenness that is Central Park. You can see the red St. John's church a couple blocks past that.
It seems to me there is still an awful lot of open places in the town where nothing has been built. Lincoln Street (Letty's)
is the one behind the grey stone church toward the bottom right. The covered walkway from the end of the bridge over
the Stony Creek crosses over the end of Lincoln St. The only 'house-house' still on Lincoln is the brown one there at its very
end and I took a picture of it up closer later. Horace Rose's new house is two rows closer than the Carnegie Library, just to
the left of the taller red brick building with the two rows of black windows. If you go to the right from St. John's, that's
where the Hulbert House was.
This is 56 swooping into town, the way we came in today. You can see the curve of the Stony Creek.
Looking through the rails of the viewing platform just beside the upper station.
The top of the track as it enters the upper station.
Watching a car descend. That's the one we came up on. There is room for an automobile to be driven on
and we did see one make the ascent. In the 1936 flood (which also flooded Pittsburgh) 4000 people from
Johnstown escaped to safety up this incline.
A zoom showing the Carnegie Library at the end of the bridge and Rose's new house to the left of the building
with the black window rows.
Looking up the Little Conemaugh, down which the flood came.
A freight train caught my eye as this is the way the train Captain rode to South Fork went.
Looking back at the viewing platform.
Coming down the incline, I got a shot of Point Stadium.
Nearing the lower station.
The walkway at the end of the bridge. We didn't cross here as we were parked on the near side, but Melanie ran
over and I took a picture of her.
And THIS, sigh, is the brown house-house at the end of Lincoln. Not, alas, much to look at.
SOUTH SIDE OF THE DAM REMAINS; THE LAKEBED
NORTH SIDE OF THE DAM REMAINS; MUSEUM
GRANDVIEW CEMETERY'S UNKNOWN DEAD; THE GAP
BACK TO THE WATERS (Jo's story set during the flood)
BACK TO JO'S OTHER PLACE